Raunchy rapid deliveries and shoppable CTV experiences: running you through this week's coolest retail technology plays

RTIH Editor, Scott Thompson, brings you his top ‘future of retail’ systems launches and deployments from the past week, including Walmart, Emperia, AutoStore, Deliveroo, HURR, Ninja, VIZIO, Lekkerland, SkinCeuticals, Bambuser, Veesual, Adore Me, Snappy Shopper, and Ikea Switzerland.

Amazon

Amazon is broadcasting a new online chat show featuring broadcaster and TV personality Rylan Clark and various celebrity guests to reveal some of the best deals during Black Friday week.  

It kicks off this week and features Olympic swimming champion Adam Peaty, broadcaster Clara Amfo and documentary maker-come-Strictly star Stacey Dooley.

All of the guests on the show will be revealing their favourite Black Friday deals, diving into their purchase histories, sharing amusing tales around their shopping habits and talking about what they’re looking to bag for their loved ones this holiday season. Viewers will also be able to watch them go head-to-head in some challenges in a bid to outsmart their fellow guests. 

The show has been launched to celebrate this year’s Amazon Black Friday Week event, which runs from 21st November to 2nd December, and will feature hundreds of thousands of deals on brands including Ninja, Bose, Shark, Philips, Oral-B, LEGO, KitchenAid, and Le Creuset. 

The first episode is now live on Amazon’s Instagram and can be watched here.

PUMA

AutoStore and systems integrator Bastian Solutions have announced an expansion of their partnership with PUMA by implementing the former’s system at a new distribution centre in Phoenix, Arizona.

With this new facility, PUMA aims to increase daily order fulfilment from 100,000 to 200,000, enhancing speed, efficiency, and accuracy across the entire retail supply chain.

AutoStore’s cubic storage and retrieval system has been the default automated fulfilment solution integrated with PUMA’s warehouse operations since 2015, serving distribution facilities in Indiana and California.

“Speed is central to our value proposition. That's why our system not only delivers high speed but also ensures accurate operations with minimal energy consumption. This new partnership exemplifies how our solution is perfectly suited for high throughput operations, even during peak demand,” says Mats Hovland Vikse, CEO at AutoStore.

“We are grateful to the team at PUMA for our ongoing collaboration and for trusting us to provide a fulfilment solution that meets the evolving demands of customer service.”

Walmart

Walmart Realm has announced a festive update which includes four new virtual shops inspired by social trends from Pinterest and TikTok with gifts and holiday ideas curated by influencers.

This allows customers to see products in their own personal space. A Wish List feature, meanwhile, enables people to create and share gift lists with family and friends and there is also improved product discovery for more seamless commerce.

And in the spirit of giving, Walmart will be giving guests the opportunity to win a Meta Quest 3S, HP Envy 2-in-1 Laptop, HART Tools Toolkit and more, via weekly giveaways and mini games between now and 20th December.

Digital Catapult and AF Blakemore & Son

Digital Catapult has announced the results of a pilot programme it delivered to address the environmental impact of empty trucks on roads across the country. The initiative trialled a new solution to decarbonise the transport logistics sector, demonstrating a potential to cut CO2e emissions by 15-30%. 

The pilot scheme was delivered by Digital Catapult in partnership with AF Blakemore & Son, the company behind SPAR convenience stores, to explore how a shared digital infrastructure could establish more intelligent vehicle slot filling, routing, and tracking.

Scaling of the solution would allow competing logistics providers to safely share information on available truck space across their collective fleets, without the need for a single party to have full control or visibility of the entire system. 

The solution was trialled in a real-world industrial environment, and saw distributed ledger technology (DLT) and the internet of things (IoT) combined with an algorithm developed by project partner Fuuse, to optimise route planning and truck use.

It achieved this by matching vehicle transport capacity with shipment needs across multiple UK organisations, and saw a 37% decrease in overall transport costs and a 9% improvement in vehicle fill rate for AF Blakemore & Son.

Johnston Retail Services and Privately

Stores across Ireland can now tap an AI solution that estimates someone's age with almost 100% accuracy, thanks to a new partnership between Johnston Retail Services and Privately.

Privately’s AgeAI app provides automated and accurate facial age estimation, removing guesswork from age checks and mitigating the risk of fines for selling vapes to children. It is 100% anonymous, with no images transmitted or stored, GDPR certified, and helps protect staff by reducing the need for unnecessary ID checks for adults that are a source of major conflict.

“Underage vaping is a problem in Ireland, and there's a pressing requirement to prevent sales to minors,” says Deepak Tewari, CEO, Privately. “But store owners and managers need help, and our partnership with Johnston Retail Services delivers that, with an automated, accurate and speedy solution that allows staff to avoid the confrontation that comes from requests for ID and turning people away.”

HURR and Deliveroo

A HURR x Deliveroo rapid delivery service has gone live in the UK.

Lauren Roberts, COO at HURR, says: “Built around a “Dress to Door in 20 minutes” concept, the partnership will allow us to take the friction out of those last minute “eek I have nothing to wear” moments, and bring a truly innovative offering to both customer bases.”

“It’s also been an absolute pleasure to peak behind the curtain at the Deliveroo machine. Despite being a “grownup organisation” the speed, agility and creativity they have injected into this project is something most startups would aspire to.”

InPost

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.

Ninja and VIZIO

VIZIO has announced the return of Spirits Network’s culinary series The Pantry for its second season.

Presented by Ninja, the branded entertainment series features kitchen tips and tricks from celebrity chef Tom Colicchio, and an end-to-end shoppable CTV experience.

"I’m thrilled to continue this partnership between VIZIO and The Pantry, which provides viewers with an engaging shoppable entertainment and culinary experience,” says Colicchio.

“Viewers can learn new tips and recipes, then easily purchase everything they see on screen—from ingredients to cookware, and recreate the dishes at home. It’s truly an exciting step forward in interactive cooking shows."

Viewers can access season two on VIZIO’s WatchFree+ FAST and AVOD environments. The series integrates Ninja’s kitchen products into the episodes including its latest offering, the Ninja CRISPi Portable Cooking System, leveraging QR codes for viewers to purchase the product on their mobile devices. 

Gather AI

Gather AI has announced its expansion into freezer and cold storage warehouse environments, pitched as an industry first for inventory monitoring automation. 

The firm’s computer vision technology enables drones to fly autonomously through warehouses with no GPS, WiFi, or infrastructure changes needed. The machine learning algorithm analyses inventory pictures and reads and interprets far beyond the barcode including lot codes, text, expiration dates, case counts, and occupancy information.

Warehouse operators can compare their real-time physical inventory with the warehouse management system (WMS) data. Gather AI claims that its solution scans 10X faster than traditional means in the freezer environment - up to 900 pallets per hour - and improves inventory accuracy by up to 70%.

Harmony

UK-based adult retailer, Harmony, has partnered with Quiver to discreetly deliver sex toys and lingerie to London customers within two hours. 

More than 3,500 products are available to order on the Harmony website, to be delivered to London postcodes, spanning categories including sex toys, lingerie, bondage gear and fetishwear. 

The partnership is pitched as the first time a store in the adult industry has offered an on-demand, rapid delivery service for any city in the UK. 

x-hoppers

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.

evian and Humanrace

evian, in collaboration with Pharrell Williams and his skincare and lifestyle brand Humanrace, has launched two limited edition bottles in blue and green: one still and one sparkling.

This marks the first time evian has produced both iterations in glass form, building upon its 15-year track record of luxury designer collaborations. The bottles offer a connected experience focussed on well-being designed by SharpEnd using its io.tt platform

Snappy Shopper and Foodhub

Snappy Shopper, a UK quick commerce platform, has entered into a partnership with Foodhub, an online food ordering specialist.

Through this collaboration, customers will gain access to Snappy’s selection of grocery items alongside Foodhub’s range of local restaurant offerings.

They can now order groceries from Snappy Shopper’s UK wide network of convenience stores, directly with the Foodhub app.

Just Eat and Just for Pets

Just Eat has launched the first pet brand on its platform with Just for Pets.

In a LInkedIn post, Ellie Starr, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Just Eat, says: “A huge step forward to give our customers even better choice and convenience. Whether you desperately need a new toy to distract your pup (been there!) or to stock up on daily essentials you can now get your pet products delivered in as little as 30 minutes.”

People will be able to order thousands of their favourite pet products straight to their door - including dry, wet and frozen raw food for dogs and cats, as well as treats, grooming products and toys.

Lekkerland

Lekkerland has opened its first ‘smart lounge’ in Mönchengladbach, Germany.

The unmanned, self-checkout REWE To Go location is situated in an Aral Pulse electric vehicle charging park.

Those charging their e-vehicles will be able to grab a coffee, snack or drink with workstations and seating available.

Launched in 2011, the REWE To Go format can be found at a number of Aral petrol stations, as well as train stations, airports, city centres, hospitals and REWE Group locations. The range on offer includes coffee and other hot and cold drinks as well as fresh snacks and meals that use natural ingredients and sustainable resources wherever possible.

SkinCeuticals

L’Oréal owned skincare brand SkinCeuticals has partnered with video commerce company Bambuser to debut a new digital clienteling experience, Pro 1:1 Virtual Consultation.

The feature, which is now officially live, will for the first time allow SkinCeuticals to enable online customers to connect directly with a licensed aesthetician for skincare advice, product recommendations, and a personalised skincare routine.

It also allows online customers to connect with licensed skincare professionals in real-time, and is powered by Bambuse's platform. It is supported by Booxi, a cloud-based appointment scheduling and clienteling platform. 

Lekkerland (again)

Lekkerland 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.

Ikea

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.” 

SimplyFresh and SimplyLocal

SimplyFresh and SimplyLocal have opened a new LittleFresh store at GRIDSERVE ’s electric forecourt in Stevenage.

This is powered by Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology, with a third location in the works.

“Simply Fresh has always been at the cutting-edge of convenience retail, and our second collaboration with Amazon and GRIDSERVE solidifies this commitment,” says Kash Khera, MD at SimplyFresh.

“Little Fresh, powered by Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology, is designed to provide an effortless and quick shopping experience that perfectly complements the state-of-the-art EV charging facilities at the Stevenage electric forecourt.”

“With Stevenage, we’re excited to lead the evolution of convenience shopping, making it faster and more intuitive than ever, this is more than a store; it’s a glimpse into the future of retail."

Adore Me

Veesual has announced a partnership with Adore Me, bringing its AI powered virtual try-on experience to the company’s entire product line.

The inclusive lingerie specialist has decided to roll-out Veesual’s Mix&Match experience after an initial test.

Results from that included a 48% uplift in conversions from category page visits, and 2.3x longer time spent on product pages with the technology.

Maxime Patte, CEO and Co-founder at Veesual, says: This partnership isn’t just about efficiency; it’s about building trust with shoppers, making the try-on experience fun, seamless, and accurate, especially for a brand like Adore Me that’s committed to extended sizing and inclusivity.”

“A huge thank you to Ranjan Roy, SVP of Strategy at Adore Me, for his collaboration.”