2024 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony set for Thursday: our most read retail technology articles from last week

Check out the articles on this here website that caught your fancy last week, including Amazon, Birmingham City FC, Boxbar Tech, Burberry, Boots, LiveRamp, Criteo, Indivd, DSQUARED2, and ESW.

As Tony Hoggett joins Marc Lore’s Wonder, here’s why Amazon is struggling in the physical grocery space

As Tony Hoggett departs Amazon, where he served as SVP of Grocery, to join Marc Lore’s food delivery startup Wonder as Chief Operating Officer, supply chain consultant and former Amazon executive Brittain Ladd has taken to social media to argue that his former employer is failing in its attempts to crack the physical grocery market.

In a LinkedIn post, Ladd said: “According to over a dozen sources I spoke with since Tony Hoggett left for Wonder, Amazon’s physical grocery strategy is failing.”

“On 6th July 2021, Amazon hired Tony to be SVP for both physical stores and online. Tony was recruited from Tesco. He is truly an expert in all aspects of running a successful grocery retailer. He learned very quickly that Amazon doesn't understand the grocery business.”

Ladd argues that, instead of solidifying a single integrated grocery offering supported by a best-in-class distribution and logistics network, Amazon chose to build a chain of competing offerings - Amazon Fresh and now Amazon Grocery - even though it had acquired Whole Foods Market (WFM) in 2017.

According to his sources, "Amazon Fresh is struggling to keep products on the shelves because our supply chain is so bad. The stores are nice but sales are low as customers know the products they want will be out of stock. The customer experience is terrible.”

Burberry taps latest in web 3D and augmented reality technology for first virtual scarf try on experience

Burberry has announced a new immersive AR experience.

This festive season, it is launching its first virtual scarf try on offering.

In a LinkedIn post, Seema Kukadia, Digital Innovation Manager at Burberry, said: “Using the latest in web 3D and augmented reality technology, our new immersive experience encourages customers to virtually explore Burberry’s iconic scarves and visualise how the brand's best known accessory will look.”

Available online via Burberry.com and in select stores, customers can use their mobile phone camera to view the scarf styled on themselves in real-time.

The experience has been developed in partnership with WANNA, a provider of AR and 3D experiences for luxury brands.

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.

Boxbar Tech makes a big new signing as Birmingham City FC gives stadium bar a self-service makeover

EFL League One football team Birmingham City FC has worked with Boxbar Tech to overhaul the Globe & Ball bar in its St Andrew’s stadium and give it a self-service twist.

In a LInkedIn post, Boxbar Tech said: “Alongside our partners at Levy UK, we’re thrilled to announce we have transformed the Globe & Ball bar at the St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park stadium, delivering a structurally integrated, fully bespoke and permanent in-built self-service bar wall.”

It added: “Since the start of the season, the Globe & Ball has been treating Blues fans to a choice of self-serve draft beer and cider including Cruzcampo, Birra Moretti, Beavertown Neck Oil and Strongbow Dark Fruits, pouring from: a fully branded installation; with six in-built Boxbar terminals; and 12 serving taps”

“With each terminal able to serve two pints end-to-end in under 30 seconds, fans have welcomed the new experience with open arms. So much so that additional terminals have now been introduced to a second location in the stadium to keep up with demand.”

Amazon launches drone delivery service in Arizona as online giant reports great customer feedback

Amazon has launched Prime Air drone delivery for customers in Tolleson, Arizona.

Customers who live near Amazon's same-day facility in the city, which is located west of Phoenix, can now have deliveries completed in under an hour using the company’s MK30 drones.

These smaller sites are hybrid, part fulfilment centre, part delivery station.

More than 50,000 items are available for drone delivery in Tolleson, including household products, beauty items and office supplies. Products have to weigh five pounds or less to be eligible, and there is a fee for the service.

Boots becomes the first retailer to tap LiveRamp omnichannel retail media partnership with Criteo in UK

LiveRamp has announced a tie up with Criteo, and Boots is onboard as a launch partner.

Uniting Boots’ Advantage Card data with online exposure and offline sales data, the collaboration aims to provide advertisers with more transparent attribution across the retailer’s digital and physical retail environments for improved ROAS.

Ollie Shayer, Omni-Media Director, Boots UK and Boots Media Group, says: “I am proud Boots is at the forefront of this groundbreaking collaboration with two of our key retail media partners. As omnichannel behaviour among consumers accelerates, we now possess unparalleled insights into our customers' shopping journeys.”

“This powerful partnership empowers our brand partners to fully grasp the true omnichannel impact of their on-site activities on Boots.com, driving enhanced performance and deeper consumer understanding."

AI tech startup Indivd bags $1.4 million in funding to help retailers better understand their customers

Swedish startup Indivd, which has developed technology for footfall analysis and visitor insights, has raised $1.4 million.

The investment comes from both existing owners and new investors within the retail sector, including Per Setterberg (Senior Advisor at EQT and former CEO of Global Blue) and Carl Setterberg (former CFO at H&M Tech).

The cash will be used to accelerate growth and prepare for a larger funding round next year.

"After nearly 20 years in retail, I know how challenging it is for stores to understand customer movement and in-store behaviours. Indivd has found a solution to this problem, something that was previously only possible online," says Setterberg.

"They are using AI in a smart and innovative way to solve a real issue. With their competent team, I'm convinced they can make a significant impact in the industry."

Indivd has been on the market for a year and has customers in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the United States.

Luxury apparel brand DSQUARED2 announces international DTC tie up with e-commerce specialist ESW

DSQUARED2 is partnering with ESW to power its international DTC expansion.

Through the tie up, ESW has enabled DSQUARED2 to offer ship-from-store capabilities, which has resulted in a 12% increase in GMV across its entire online business in the first four months of implementation.

In addition, the latter has seen an 8% increase in checkout conversions this year and an improvement in customer satisfaction ratings, up from 1.5 to 4 on Trustpilot.

"Partnering with ESW has been a game-changer for us,” says Raffaele Nardo, Chief Digital Officer at DSQUARED2. “Its expertise in luxury e-commerce has helped us expand globally and improve our operations. With ESW’s support, we’ve streamlined our import processes and enhanced our online shopping experience, making ESW a key part of our success in reaching more customers around the world."