Engaging the next generation of customers online: 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 Barçın Spor, Rnv.ai, Polytag, Vente Unique, Dexory, Walmart, Ant Group, EDEKA Jäger, Diebold Nixdorf, Hugo Boss, Emperia, and Nike China.

Barçın Spor

Turkish sports retail brand, Barçın Spor, is tapping technology from startup Rnv.ai (aka Rnv Analytics).

In a LinkedIn post, the latter said: “With our cutting-edge AI powered inventory management solutions, we’re ready to help Barçın Spor streamline their operations, maximise efficiency, and deliver an exceptional shopping experience to their customers.”

It concluded: “Together, we’re shaping the future of sports retail.”

Ant Group and Nike China

Ant Group and Nike China have signed an MOU that will see the latter use Ant Cloud Customer Service Solution to enhance its e-commerce operations in China, improve customer service efficiency, and enhance sustainability performance.

As part of an expanded partnership, Nike E-commerce will integrate Ant Cloud Customer Service Solution to address staffing needs during major promotional events.

With features like smart scheduling, AI powered staff training, and AI driven quality assurance, the solution aims to meet the growing demand for online customer service, and also creates flexible job opportunities for groups such as freelancers, stay-at-home parents, young people in small towns, and individuals with physical challenges.

Additionally, by enabling remote work, this model helps reduce carbon emissions compared to traditional customer service centres.

"Nike firmly believes that protecting the planet is protecting the future of sport,” says Stanley Chang, Vice President, Supply Chain for Nike Greater China. ”We have been investing in localised innovations and seeking solutions that integrate sustainability into every aspect of our business. With the expanded partnership, we look forward to driving more innovations for a sustainable future."

Amazon

Amazon this week opened a new Amazon Fresh store in West Hampstead, London.

The US online giant launched its first such store in the UK - its first physical retail site outside North America - in Ealing, London in 2021. It reportedly planned to open hundreds of Fresh locations in the UK, but that didn’t happen, with the number now standing at 21, all of which are in London except one in Sevenoaks, Kent.

In July last year, the company announced Ealing was to close, along with two others, in Wandsworth and East Sheen.

Amazon has also been working on an overhaul of its UK stores, with the reopening of its Aldgate location earlier this year. The stores originally launched as checkout-free offerings, powered by Just Walk Out technology. But the focus is now on adding more payment options, such as self-service checkouts.

Worldpay

Worldpay is laying claim to a first of its kind service that delivers near instant refunds, depending on the receiving financial institution.

This is available to the vast majority of UK shoppers using Mastercard and Visa cards when making purchases at participating retailers, including HMV. Consumers who make an eligible return can now receive near instant refunds when returning goods for online purchases.

“UK consumers can pay for goods and services instantly, however, refunds have not kept pace with that level of immediacy,” says Alan Marquard, Head of Transfer Solutions at Mastercard.

“Leveraging Mastercard Move’s money movement capabilities, we are supporting Worldpay to increase the speed of refunds to some of the UK’s most well known brands, giving shoppers greater peace of mind and helping retailers offer a first rate service.”

Vente Unique

Vente-unique.com, an online furniture retailer, has partnered with Dexory, a robotics and data intelligence company.

Through the integration of Dexory’s autonomous robots and DexoryView platform, it says that it gains new levels of visibility and precision of its warehouse operations, significantly surpassing the capabilities of the drone based solution it was using previously.

Following an initial test, where Dexory was able to improve the accuracy from 92% to 98% in just three days, Vente Unique can now enhance its warehouse accuracy across its entire site in France and maintain it daily.

Polytag

Over 60 businesses have joined Polytag, a technology business specialising in sustainability initiatives, to call upon environment minister Mary Creagh to review Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) legislation.

An open letter calls for the removal of “return-to-retail" prescriptions, framing plans in an open way and offering modern, digital solutions that would mean consumers would be able to recycle their plastic bottles at home and still get their deposits back.

The UK is on the brink of implementing a DRS, a positive step toward a circular economy. But current DRS proposals lean toward a strictly “return-to-retail” model, where consumers would need to store plastic bottles and cans at home and then collect their deposits by using reverse vending machines (RVMs), which are usually only available at large retail locations.

In the open letter to the environment minister, Polytag calls upon the government to set the UK’s DRS up for success by allowing and encouraging at home digital scanning within the regulations, alongside the physical return of containers to shops. Polytag and Ocado Retail's world first trial back in 2023 saw over 20,000 rewards redeemed in 56 days.

Walmart

Walmart’s second No Boundaries drop on ZEPETO has gone live.

This drop includes ten virtual twins of real-world NoBo items from the US retail giant’s winter collection and a “cozy chalet” video booth backdrop for the ZEPETO community to create and share with their friends.

Walmart has also partnered with ZEPETO creator, TuLiP TLP to create three limited edition items inspired by the broader winter collection.

“This type of activation might not resonate with you, but it does resonate with the more than 20 million MAU on ZEPETO,” says Justin Breton, Head of Brand Marketing Innovation at Walmart.

“It’s another example of how we’re meeting the next generation of customers where they are online and empowering them to discover, try-on, and express themselves with virtual fashion, all of which translates to real-world brand love and purchase intent.”

EDEKA Jäger

A third EDEKA Jäger store with self-checkouts and AI supported age verification has opened its doors to the public in Stuttgart Plieningen, Germany.

These are powered by Diebold Nixdorf.

In a LinkedIn post, Alexander Klein, Account Manager at Diebold Nixdorf, said: “All good things come in threes! The third EDEKA Jäger store with self-checkouts and AI supported age verification in Stuttgart Plieningen is live. In addition to a diverse assortment and regional offers, Florian Jäger sets new standards for an innovative shopping experience.”

He added: “The intuitive self-checkout solutions make the operating process even faster and more convenient for customers, especially for age restricted products. Come by and experience the future of shopping first hand! We are pleased to be able to accompany EDEKA Jäger on its journey and wish them every success with the new stores.”

Goddiva

Zyler, a specialist in fashion try-on technology, has announced the launch of its AI driven Digital Dressing Room with occasionwear brand Goddiva.

This is activated by clicking on the "Try on & Find Size" button. Shoppers are then able to try on apparel virtually, by using just a few measurements and, if desired, a headshot. After this, they are presented with an on-screen visualisation of themselves in their chosen outfit and can browse through hundreds of items.

The tool also incorporates size recommendation technology from Prime AI, which analyses customer measurements to suggest the best size, factoring in garment fit and brand specific detail for a more accurate and personalised fit.

Raymour & Flanigan

Raymour & Flanigan, a US furniture retailer, is leveraging 3D Cloud’s Sectional Configurator solution. This tool joins 3D Cloud 360 Spins, WebAR (47x ROI), and Room Planner, which has been used to create thousands of buyable room designs.

The aim is to simplify the sectional sofa buying process, offering easy, error free customisation that integrates seamlessly with hybrid online and physical showroom experiences.

The 3D Cloud Sectional Configurator is a key addition to Raymour & Flanigan’s 3D product page strategy.

With over 85% of customers pre-shopping on the website before visiting showrooms, the tool showcases the variety of sectional options available.

"The 3D Cloud platform offers a single source of truth, making it easy for us to manage and deploy 3D content across applications," says Katharine Martin, Senior Site Merchandiser at Raymour & Flanigan.

"With more customers browsing online before visiting showrooms, the 3D Cloud Sectional Configurator helps us deliver a seamless experience. It’s one of many tools we use to provide consistent, top-notch service, connecting shoppers with our associates whether they start or finish their purchase online or in-store.”

BOSS

BOSS (Hugo Boss) is releasing a new virtual store.

Developed by Emperia, using its Creator Tools platform, the immersive experience is aiming to encourage consumers to engage more deeply with the brand and discover, shop, and gift its range of 24/7 lifestyle products that include styles from the holiday collection alongside top gifting items in a gamified environment, with the aim of simplifying and infusing the process of finding the perfect gift with a bit of fun. 

Fully shoppable, the new BOSS Holiday Virtual Experience is centred around BOSS XP, the brand’s loyalty membership programme, while accessible to the general public.

The experience is set in a villa like setting with fully transparent walls, allowing visitors free movement, while exploring the various items, encouraging exploration and provoking curiosity; all leading to a holiday courtyard, accessible to loyalty members, called the Private Garden.

The Private Garden offers a glimpse into the benefits of becoming a BOSS XP member, including a raffle, event invitations, exclusive experience access, complimentary alterations and product sneak peeks, all animated and clickable, offering visitor education and reflecting the brand’s shopper appreciation.

Perfect Corp. and Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles

Perfect Corp. has partnered with Japan’s Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles baseball team, bringing a touch of nostalgia to the stadium with retro style player images. The tie up, unveiled during the Rakuten Eagles’ recent games, allowed fans to experience AI driven photo editing.

YouCam Perfect’s engine turned images of the Rakuten Eagles players into vintage, retro styled portraits inspired by Japan’s Showa and Heisei eras. Displayed on stadium screens, these AI enhanced images retained the players' unique features while adding nostalgic backdrops and outfits.

“We’re thrilled to offer fans an innovative way to celebrate the players they admire through the power of AI,” says Alice Chang, Founder and CEO at Perfect Corp. “By using our AI Studio feature to transform photos into nostalgic artwork, we hope to add a bit of magic to the fan experience, combining timeless styles with the latest technology.”

PUMA

PUMA has officially opened the doors to its second North American flagship store in Las Vegas at the BLVD Las Vegas. The 25,000-square-foot retail space, which spans three stories, aims to “redefine what it means to be a bricks and mortar location in today's rapidly evolving digital world”.

“I am thrilled that we are opening a state-of-the-art flagship store in Las Vegas as part of our brand elevation strategy. Located along the iconic Las Vegas Strip, this flagship allows us to expand PUMA’s presence in North America to connect with US consumers and international visitors alike,” says Arne Freundt, Chief Executive Officer at PUMA.

“I believe that our new Las Vegas Flagship is essential for conveying the true character of our brand and for creating an immersive, interactive shopping experience as it will redefine in-person shopping by seamlessly merging sports performance, latest fashion trends, and technology.”

The store features a variety of immersive and interactive features powered by technology. It offers customers attractions such as a professional F1 racing simulator, an interactive arcade, and a customisation studio where customers can personalise apparel and footwear.