Starring Scala, Shopic, Plato, and Nextail: RTIH’s most read retail technology articles from last week
Check out the articles on this here website that caught your fancy last week, including Intermarché, Benefit Cosmetics, Obsess, Wayvee Analytics, RetailNext, Pavers, Clekt, and the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards.
2024 RTIH Innovation Awards: shortlisted entries announced including Ikea, Currys, Lowe’s, and Tesco
We’re pleased to announce the shortlists for the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards.
We received a record number of entries this year and many fantastic examples of the continued resilience and dynamism of the retail space during hugely challenging times.
Congratulations to all those who made it through the initial submission process!
It’s now over to our judging panel who will decide the winners to be announced at the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony, taking place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London.
The event will be held on Thursday, 21st November and consist of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.
To book your place at the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony on Thursday, 21st November, click here.
The awards, sponsored by Vista Technology Support, Scala, CADS, 3D Cloud, Brightpearl by Sage’s Lightning 50, Business France, and Retail Technology Show 2025, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Intermarché partners with Shopic and Capgemini to pilot AI powered smart carts at retailer’s store in France
As part of a collaboration with Shopic and Capgemini, Intermarché has become the first European retailer to trial a smart cart solution at its store in Provins, France (77 - Seine-et-Marne).
Using an AI powered device, each cart can automatically detect items. A clip on device, which can be attached to any standard cart, is powered by computer vision technology.
Customers can track their budget in real-time, check their loyalty points, and see offers and promotions directly applied to their cart total.
A long-term goal is to integrate and personalise retail media features (such as advertisements and supplier offers throughout the shopping journey).
Connected Lions Jersey unveiled by British & Irish Lions and Connected Fanatics for 2025 tour of Australia
The British & Irish Lions, in collaboration with its kit supplying partner Canterbury and jersey sponsor Howden, has teamed up with Connected Fanatics and its partner, Web3 Sports Ventures, to launch the first ever Connected Lions Jersey. This will be worn for the Qatar Airways Lions Men’s Series 2025 in Australia.
The jersey contains an NFC (Near Field Communication) chip enabled smart tag, produced by Avery Dennison, that links fans directly to The Lions Clubhouse, an immersive digital community app that aims to deepen the connection between the Lions and their global supporters, offering an experience of digital ownership and interaction powered by Connected Fanatics’ Lockeroom technology platform.
By tapping their phone on the jersey’s smart tag located at the bottom of the jersey, fans can access exclusive content, a dedicated fan forum, and exclusives from Canterbury and Howden. The app will also host AMA sessions with Lions and rugby legends.
The jersey’s Match Day feature, to be exclusively launched globally to fans owning a connected jersey in 2025 ahead of the tour, will allow people to check in on game days, access match content, and digitally save experiences.
Scala talks in-store retail media and how it's so much more than digital out of home (DOOH)
Some might see it as a glorified version of digital out of home (DOOH) advertising - displaying flashy messages on screens within stores - but in-store retail media is far more sophisticated, driven by data, customer interaction, and technology. It’s changing the way brands connect with consumers at the most critical point: when they’re about to make a purchase.
To simply define in-store retail media as DOOH is to ignore its vast potential for personalisation, targeted engagement, and sales optimisation. As we dive into what makes in-store retail media unique, we will discover why it stands leagues beyond traditional DOOH advertising, reshaping the future of retail.
Plato lands $6.5 million in pre-seed funding as German firm looks to transform $53 trillion wholesale industry
Plato, a Berlin-based AI powered ERP automation platform for wholesale distributors, has announced the closing of a $6.5 million pre-seed funding round.
This was led by Cherry Ventures, with additional backing from the German government and C-level angels from Microsoft, SAP, NVIDIA, Celonis, Personio, Sennder, and Forto.
Plato says that it is well positioned to lead the AI transformation of the $53 trillion global wholesale industry.
Its platform integrates with existing ERP systems, offering two core functionalities, sales intelligence and workflow automation.
AI powered retail technology firm Nextail announces new CEO and multi-million euro investment from current investors
Nextail, an AI driven merchandise planning and execution platform for fashion retailers, has turned ten, and also announced a leadership change and a multi-million euro cash injection from existing investors.
Effective immediately, Carlos Miragall, Co-Founder of Nextail, steps into the role of CEO.
Joaquín Villalba, Co-Founder and former CEO, will remain on the board.
Miragall says: “I am thrilled to re-join the leadership team as CEO at such a pivotal moment in Nextail’s journey. The commitment to additional investment from our current investors reinforces their confidence in our mission, and I am excited to drive our company forward with innovation, ambition, and a renewed focus.”
“Together with our talented team, we are ready to achieve new milestones and deliver even greater value to our partners."
Focus on Snowflake as Clekt teams with UK shoe retailer Pavers on its journey to become a data driven business
Pavers has announced Clekt as its official data partner in a tie up that involves the Snowflake platform.
"We’re thrilled to partner with Pavers on their journey to becoming a data driven business. This partnership reflects our commitment to helping organisations unlock data’s full potential, leveraging our commercial expertise and Snowflake’s world class data platform," says Andy Tudor, CEO at Clekt and former fashion retail CIO.
“Clekt shares our vision that data holds the key to unlocking the potential to drive more value and happiness into our customers. Working in partnership with Clekt, we’re excited to collaborate to become a data first business,” says Dan Arden, Marketing Director at Pavers.
Pavers will be achieving a single view of company data on the Snowflake platform, to be leveraged for analytics, as well as operational, data science and AI use cases.
Gen Z and Millennial shoppers help drive physical stores revival, new RetailNext research finds
Gen Z and Millennial shoppers are the most frequent visitors to UK stores, helping drive the post-Covid physical retail revival, according to research from RetailNext.
Its research of over 1,000 UK shoppers showed that while 40% of UK consumers now visit non-food stores once a week, 46% of Millennials make weekly trips to stores (+6 percentage points compared to the average UK shopper).
When it comes to fashion, younger Gen Zs were also the most frequent in-store shoppers, with the demographic more than twice as likely as the average UK consumer to head into apparel locations every week (28% vs 13%).
And, despite the stereotype of being wedded to social commerce, 66% of Gen Z prefer physical experiences for discovering fashion trends and products, according to a recent UNIDAYS report.
Benefit Cosmetics enlists immersive e-commerce company Obsess for its first 3D virtual shopping experience
Benefit Cosmetics has announced the launch of its first virtual 3D shopping experience, The Benemart, in partnership with Obsess.
This is available in countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and France beginning 4th November. Shoppers will have a chance to add Benefit's sets to their digital cart, virtually try on their favourite products, shop with friends, and play games with a chance to win discounts at checkout.
"The Benemart is our very first 3D virtual shopping experience, and we are thrilled to welcome visitors inside to experience beauty like never before,” says Toto Haba, SVP Global Omnichannel Marketing at Benefit Cosmetics.
“This immersive shopping adventure blends our unique brand storytelling with the unforgettable, grocery inspired world that only Benefit can offer. Making people feel good and having fun is part of our DNA, so leading with entertainment to bring our holiday collection to life was a no-brainer.”
"Obsess has been a strong partner in creating a branded world that blends storytelling with play-driven discovery in a way that elicits the same kind of thrill as the in-store shopping experience. The virtual experience mimics a video game, which we know is something that will resonate with young digital shoppers."
Retail Technology Startup Stories interview: Alex Ovcharov, Co-Founder, Wayvee Analytics
RTIH gets the lowdown on Wayvee Analytics, which recently emerged from stealth with $5 million in pre-seed funding led by Tetrad.vc. By uniting radio frequency (RF) waves with proprietary AI algorithms, Wayvee’s technology anonymously analyses emotional responses based on physiological signals in real-time, evaluating customer satisfaction score and key performance metrics for retailers.
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