How to resonate with young digital shoppers: 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 Benefit Cosmetics, Obsess, Miros, VoCoVo, Plato, Trustly, Wayvee Analytics, Cypheme, and the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards.

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."

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.

RTIH Innovation Awards finalist VoCoVo hires retail tech veteran Martin Smethurst as Chief Customer Officer

Retail communications specialist, VoCoVo, has announced the appointment of Martin Smethurst as Chief Customer Officer.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining VoCoVo at such an exciting time for the business,” says Smethurst.

“Bricks and mortar retail continues to be an incredibly competitive market, where implementing small changes can give retailers a crucial edge. The requirement to connect retail teams to each other, to customers, and to real-time information is essential in order for retailers to delight their customers.”

“I have seen how VoCoVo’s solutions can change the entire fabric of a store’s operations, and I want to bring that change to every successful retailer on the planet.”

Smethurst’s career includes senior leadership roles at companies such as Oracle, Cisco and Diebold Nixdorf, implementing technology solutions to the retail and hospitality sectors.

Visual search technology startup Miros raises €6 million as it looks to expand market reach

Miros, a visual AI e-commerce search solution, has raised a €6 million pre-Series A investment led by EBRD Venture Capital and Tera Ventures.

Former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves also participated as an angel investor. Miros will use the funding to enhance R&D, further develop the technology, and expand market reach. To date, the company has raised €8 million.

Using visual AI technology, Miros can predict online shoppers’ intent, enabling users to find what they are looking for faster than traditional  search. 

It understands the context of products from the product images, even when product metadata is insufficient. Its AI recognises shopping patterns and mirrors users' wishes to help them find the intended item in 60 seconds or less. 

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.

Trustly appoints former Sinch and Klarna executive Henrik Wallström as European Chief Technology Officer

Open Banking payments firm, Trustly, has announced the appointment of Henrik Wallström as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for its European operations. 

Based in Stockholm, he joins from communications platform Sinch where he served as CTO for the Applications business unit, leading global teams and focusing on integrating acquired companies and creating a shared operating model and technical platform.

Prior to Sinch, he was at Swedish FinTech Klarna where he launched the company’s Consumer Growth domain. Wallström also has an entrepreneurial background, previously founding Finsit, a business intelligence tool for accounting data, which was used by over 30,000 companies prior to its acquisition by Wolters Kluwer in 2018. 

Lacoste onboard with Cypheme AI powered tool that detects fake products and eliminates counterfeits

French company Cypheme reports that Vrai AI, its AI anti-counterfeit technology that can detect fake products based on just a picture of a specific detail of a product or label, purely with visual analysis, is now available to brands worldwide.

Lacoste is the first company to tap this technology.

By incorporating Cypheme’s solution, which examines microscopic visual details of a specific feature of the product, the AI can differentiate a real from a fake, much in a way similar to a human expert.

No modification of the product, no special label, or hidden marker is needed. For Lacoste, Cypheme uses the famous and iconic crocodile logo to identify fakes among a wide variety of the firm’s products.

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.