Flying Tiger Copenhagen upwardly mobile in UK: these are our biggest retail technology articles on LinkedIn right now

We’re big fans of LinkedIn and are busy building an amazing community of retail tech enthusiasts on the social media platform. As we head towards the 20,000 followers mark, these are the articles that are currently on their radars, including Papa Johns UK, x-hoppers, Lekkerland, InPost UK, The Very Group, Ikea Switzerland, Future Stores, and the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony.

2024 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony takes place in London this week. Don't miss the year's biggest retail tech event

Earlier this month, we announced the finalists for the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards, sponsored by Vista Technology Support, CADS, 3D Cloud, SCALA, Brightpearl by Sage’s Lightning 50, Retail Technology Show 2025, and Business France celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

We received a record number of submissions this year across 20+ categories and many fantastic examples of the continued resilience and dynamism of the retail space during hugely challenging times.

It was then over to our judging panel to decide the winners to be announced at the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, which will take place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London.

The event will be held this 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.

Our 2024 runners and riders can be viewed here.

Flying Tiger Copenhagen launches new mobile app and Customer Club with UK one of first markets to go live

Flying Tiger Copenhagen is launching a new app with an accompanying Customer Club.

The latter is is a new initiative that’s part of its omnichannel strategy and it will be a key element in understanding customer preferences, delivering a better experience, rewarding loyalty and ensuring marketing efforts are more targeted and personalised.

The club was launched yesterday and customers that sign up to the app will be immediately rewarded with discounts ranging from 10% to 20% which can be applied to in-store purchases. 

Andre Filomeno, Senior Vice President for "Customer & Digital" at Flying Tiger Copenhagen, comments: “In 2023, we had around 100 million customers across our markets, and the majority of transactions happen in physical stores.”

“However, we are rolling out a number of initiatives to improve the experience, whether customers interact with us in the stores or digitally. Therefore, we are enhancing our customer experience across all platforms, making the new app a valuable addition to all of our channels and a key foundation of our omnichannel approach.”

Papa Johns UK reports improved digital payment experience after tapping Checkout.com technology

Checkout.com has helped Papa Johns UK improve its digital payments experience for customers, enabling smooth and secure online transactions across its 400 locations nationwide. 

Papa Johns UK has seen a 6% increase in acceptance rates for card transactions as a result of utilising Checkout.com including network tokens.

This approach turns card credentials into encrypted tokens that are used for payment processing, making each individual transaction more secure. It also allows for creating a smooth customer experience by automatically updating card details assigned to each token, which reduces false declines even when cards are replaced or expired.

Additionally, the implementation of Intelligent Acceptance, which optimises payments performance using machine learning, has led to a further 0.6% uplift in acceptance rates across all transactions.

x-hoppers preps soft launch of AI powered retail theft solution in France at Tech for Retail 2024 event

x-hoppers, an AI powered retail communication platform, has announced its debut into the French market with a soft launch at Tech for Retail 2024, taking place on 26th-27th November.

Building on a roll-out across the US and UK, x-hoppers is now looking to help French retailers address pressing industry challenges, from theft reduction to workforce retention, while enhancing the in-store experience.

Through its proprietary AI Video Alert (AIVA) system, x-hoppers provides an all-in-one solution, integrating with existing CCTV setups to detect and instantly alert staff to suspicious behaviour. In UK trials, AIVA reduced shrinkage by up to 60%, saving stores like Tenby Stores approximately £26,000 annually.

The platform also includes an AI driven assistant offering hands free access to training and product knowledge, reducing onboarding time by up to 50%. Smart call points and communication tools, meanwhile, enable associates to improve the customer experience.

Convenience firm Lekkerland opens first of kind AI powered unmanned REWE ready store in Germany

Lekkerland, part of REWE Group, has opened its first Smart BOX, an unmanned REWE ready convenience store at an EnBW fast charging park in Kamen, Germany.

In a LinkedIn post, Lekkerland said: “Go in, take items, go out - that's how convenient shopping in the shop is. Artificial intelligence (AI) makes it possible: cameras record which items customers take out. After completing the purchase, the invoice amount is automatically debited from a cashless means of payment that was recorded upon entry.”

It added: “The store that has now opened is the first of its kind in Lekkerland. So far, we operate unmanned shops at more than 20 locations that use different technologies.”

The fast charging park near the Kamener Kreuz, which opened in 2021, is the largest in the EnBW HyperNetz.

Camden London up first as InPost announces opening of parcel locker shops in key urban areas

Parcel locker solutions specialist, InPost, reports that it is opening new Locker Shops in key urban areas.

The first of these has opened in Camden, London, with InPost targeting hyper urban areas where there is huge demand for its lockers.

New locations in London are in the works, including Liverpool Street and London Bridge in 2024, as well as Manchester and further London locations from 2025.

InPost lays claim to over 8,400 locker locations across the country. It says that the Camden pilot, which launched in April, was a hit with locals and proved the value of dedicated stores with a large number of locker compartments.

Ikea Switzerland launches JobBot on WhatsApp tool with aim of making it easier for people to apply

Ikea Switzerland, in partnership with the Ikea Retail (Ingka Group) global digital development team, has launched JobBot, a recruitment tool designed to enhance the candidate experience and streamline recruiter processes.

JobBot automates administrative tasks, allowing applicants to apply through WhatsApp without leaving the app.

The way it works is that the chatbot is pre-written, and it guides candidates through the process, and filters positions based on the information the candidate has given to the bot when creating their profile (and by providing consent). This ensures candidate information is kept secure and manageable.

Ananda Buchmüller, Project and Employer Branding & Talent Sourcing Leader, and her team in Ikea Switzerland, aimed to create a tool that would allow recruiters to focus more on understanding the individuals behind the applications, assessing their role fit, and exploring their broader career aspirations. 

“We believe that people make the difference. We recruit based on values, focusing on the person rather than just the CV,” says Buchmüller. “JobBot bridges the gap between people and technology, enhancing communication and providing access to a valuable, interactive talent pool.” 

Paul Hornby departs online retailer The Very Group and Digital Customer Experience Director position

Paul Hornby has left The Very Group after spending just under four years in the role of Digital Customer Experience Director.

He joined the multi-brand online retailer and financial services provider in January 2021, reporting to Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Andy Burton.

Hornby, who previously held roles including Head of E-commerce and Head of Transformation at The Very Group, rejoined from Matalan, where he was E-commerce Director for three years.

In a LinkedIn post, he said: “Over almost four years, we have achieved a huge amount together; most notably leading one of the biggest composable migrations in Europe, with the creation of our Skyscape platform.”

“I promised myself when I came back that I’d spend three great years here and then embark upon a new challenge, so now that I’ve broken that promise by a year, we have achieved our goal of migrating Very.co.uk’s upper-funnel pre-peak, have signed a deal with Apply Digital which will see them complete the programme by the end of this FY, and successfully navigated pre-build with Apply Digital, it feels right to step aside and let the right people focus on the final leg of delivery.”

The Customer Whisperer Kate Hardcastle joins Future Stores as first location opens on London’s Oxford Street

Future Stores has appointed Kate Hardcastle as Non-Executive Director of Global Consumer Engagement.

The venture is positioning itself as a unique hybrid retail media platform at the intersection of DOOH (digital-out-of-home) media and experiential retail.

The appointment will see Hardcastle leverage her 30 years of global retail experience to drive innovation and growth for Future Stores launches both in London and around the world.

Known as ‘The Customer Whisperer’, Hardcastle is an expert in international shopping habits and brings extensive knowledge of both consumer behaviour and trends and retail data use. She received an MBE award in the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours List for her services to Business and Entrepreneurship and is the founder of retail insight agency Insight With Passion.

Canadian delivery firm Skip announces expansion to retail media offering through partnership with Rokt

Rokt, an e-commerce company using machine learning and AI to make the shopping experience more relevant to customers, is partnering with Skip, a Canadian delivery network, to launch a retail media offering across multiple points in the Skip app.

Rokt will enable endemic and non-endemic advertisers to offer relevant messages to its millions of customers.

Skip serves more than 50,000 restaurants, retailers, and convenience stores across Canada. The new partnership will enable advertisers in the Rokt Ads network to offer tailored messages on the order confirmation and order tracking pages of Skip's app.