Including Shopic, Zippin, and Jisp: RTIH presents last week’s biggest retail technology plays at a glance
RTIH rounds up the stand out retail systems deals, launches, deployments and pilots from the past seven days. Including Walmart Chile, Primark, One Stop, Snappy Shopper, Watches of Switzerland Group, Asda, Pets at Home, Newcastle United, TrusTrace, and Everseen.
Walmart Chile
After a pilot with Walmart Chile, Shopic’s AI powered smart cart technology is now rolling out to five Líder Express stores.
“We are committed to helping our customers save money and live better. Implementing new technologies that save time for our customers is one of the ways we bring this mission to life. We are excited to expand into five new districts, bringing innovation to more people, enhancing their shopping experience, and putting a smile on our customers' faces with every visit," says Frank Eckert, Central Operations Manager at Walmart Chile.
With a clip-on device, any trolley turns into a smart cart. Equipped with two cameras, the smart cart recognises thousands of SKUs with over 95% accuracy in product recognition, according to Shopic's analysis.
Cannon Beach, AZ
Cannon Beach, AZ, a new mixed use destination in the US, is deploying Zippin’s checkout-free shopping experience.
Spanning 37 acres, Cannon Beach is anchored by the Revel Surf park, the world’s first to feature both a large traveling wave and a stationary rapid surf wave.
The development also includes a four story hotel, office buildings, co-working spaces, a fitness centre, experiential dining, retail shops, and community spaces complete with fire pits, cabanas, splash pads, and outdoor games.
With Zippin’s checkout-free technology, guests can enter, pick up what they need, and leave, whether they’re grabbing a post-surf snack or stocking up on essentials. The autonomous store will be placed in the Cloud 7 Family Entertainment Center at Cannon Beach AZ.
TWINSET
TrusTrace reports that TWINSET, a high end Italian fashion brand, has selected its platform to help identify suppliers, support eco-design initiatives, and measure each product’s environmental impact.
“By partnering with us, TWINSET has deepened its commitment to tracing their supply chain in granular detail. Now, they can better understand where and how their clothing is produced, and track each product’s environmental impact - all within one platform,” says TrusTrace CEO and Co-Founder Shameek Ghosh.
Silvia Zaganelli, Traceability and Business Development Manager at TWINSET, says: “Since signing on with TrusTrace in May 2024, we have started implementing the platform as the backbone of our three-year traceability programme. This is a company wide strategic programme to discover sub-suppliers, map and collect data for key value processes, and achieve PO level traceability.”
Primark
“It's been great to see such a positive reception to the new service from our colleagues and customers, and to be part of bringing the best of Primark to more people. Watch this space after the Christmas break for more launches,” says Grace Fisher, Click & Collect Lead.
Kari Rodgers, UK Retail Director at Primark, says: "We’re already seeing strong uptake for Click & Collect as we continue to roll-out the service nationwide, and we expect this demand to grow as we head into the busy festive shopping season. We hope our customers up and down the country find their shopping experiences just that little bit easier this year thanks to the added convenience our service brings.”
"Now that Click & Collect is available at more than half of our British stores, we’re pleased to be offering shoppers more opportunities than ever to enjoy our great value, affordable fashion."
Flink
retailmediatools has added Flink to its retail media community.
Marius Laue, VP Commercial Division at Flink, says: "After thoroughly evaluating the market, we chose retailmediatools as the best solution to advance our retail media offering, specifically with their out-of-the-box self-service platform, API first approach and support for custom ad formats.“
A spokesperson for retailmediatools says: “Flink is set to unlock new opportunities for their brand partners and enhance their advertising ecosystem. A big thank you to the Flink team for trusting us to support their journey in retail media innovation. We’re looking forward to a successful partnership.”
One Stop and Snappy Shopper
Snappy Shopper has announced an expansion of its partnership with One Stop, with an additional 280 stores joining the quick commerce platform.
Following an initial 250 store launch in October, this will bring One Stop’s total to 530 stores on the Snappy Shopper platform, enabling more communities across the UK to access rapid grocery delivery.
In addition, One Stop is launching Snappy Rewards, an exclusive loyalty programme available at participating stores. This will allow customers to unlock perks based on tiered spending, including free products and discounts on future purchases with Snappy Shopper and One Stop.
The Quality Group
The Quality Group, a specialist in sports nutrition, and supplements, has deployed a new distributed order management solution, Fluent Order Management.
Headquartered in Elmshorn, Germany. The Quality Group sells over 2,000 individual products in the health, weight loss and fitness sector through brands such as ESN and More Nutrition. Its digital direct-to-consumer and social commerce business models have seen rapid growth, attracting investment from CVC Partners in 2022 to support and accelerate international expansion.
Replacing various legacy systems, Fluent Order Management provides a real-time view of stock and accurate, flexible order fulfilment. The old systems weren’t scalable for the business, causing overselling, canceled orders and a poor customer experience. The Quality Group needed a modern platform that was flexible and would scale efficiently and quickly.
Canadian Tire Dealer Association
Building on a framework agreement signed with Pricer in 2020, Canadian Tire Dealer Association (CTDA), a dealer network of approximately 500 stores across Canada, has completed the installation of the firm’s electronic shelf label (ESL) infrastructure in all eligible Canadian Tire stores. Of those, it is anticipated that 80% of eligible locations will have 80% of all products labeled with ESL by the end of 2025.
“Implementing Pricer’s digital tags has been helpful for Canadian Tire stores. Real-time price updates and easier product locations have made shopping more convenient and enjoyable, boosting customer satisfaction. We will continue to expand its deployment across the store locations,” says Neil Maizen, EVP and Managing Director at the CTDA.
Jisp
Jisp has invested in new barcode scanning software to improve its loyalty programme and boost its international expansion.
Customers have thus far completed more than five million scans as part of the Scan & Save programme, unlocking discounts and rewards.
For these exclusive offers, the company partners with brands like Budweiser, Cadbury and Asahi. Yet for Scan & Save to enhance the shopping experience, rather than disrupt it, scanning has to be seamless. This makes an intuitive and reliable barcode reader an absolute necessity.
The company’s previous scanning solution was priced per device, hampering its ability to scale. To accommodate its high volume usage, Jisp sought a vendor with a flat pricing model. Moreover, it needed a solution that quickly and accurately reads a variety of retail barcode types. It says that it found this in Scanbot’s Barcode Scanner SDK.
Everseen
Everseen, a specialist in vision AI, has announced key 2024 milestones, including new patents, a loss prevention solution for high value aisles, and a new inventory management solution.
“Vision AI has the power to transform retail operations,” says Alan O’Herlihy, Founder and CEO at Everseen.
“We not only improve business operations and profit margins for retailers but also help ensure positive customer experiences. Over the past year, we’ve made major advancements and expanded our offerings to better support retailers in tackling their most critical challenges.”
Watches of Switzerland Group
Watches of Switzerland Group has partnered with embedded insurance provider Zillion.
Its clients can now get instant coverage for their watch and jewellery purchases on mobile, and without applications, appraisals or app downloads.
“Exceptional client experiences are at the heart of everything we do,” says Lorcan McCabe, Regional Director at Watches of Switzerland.
“Zillion’s innovative product and white glove service aligns with our commitment to providing best in class services to our clients. It also complements how we strive to go above and beyond, even before our client walks through the door of one of our showrooms.”
Asda
Matthew Wilson, Senior IT Project Manager at Asda, has taken to social media to discuss his belief that, overall, tech delivery colleagues celebrate their achievements among the least.
This can be because their outputs often live in the almost mystical ether of the backend, he argued, or perhaps they are improving a process that turns out to feel seamless to the consumer. Either way, they should shout about their successes more often.
In a LInkedIn post, Wilson said: “I’d like to take the opportunity to celebrate a thoroughly successful and also challenging integration between Asda Technology and our partners Cyderes, SailPoint and NCR Voyix.”
“Using Sailpoint ISC orchestration we've integrated core HR, cyber security and retail systems to create a quick, secure, repeatable, seamless, fully automated JML process to support over 110k colleagues in 600+ UK retail supermarkets, superstores and Asda Living locations.”
“Thanks in no small part to the Cyderes team, notably Abhinav Pandey, for your hard work developing, testing and making live our key deliverable, and for answering a billion questions from me about the nitty gritty of the integration.”
Newcastle United
Newcastle United has announced an extension of its partnership with parcel delivery service, InPost. This follows a first 12 months of the tie up which has seen a number of community activations reach thousands of fans in the North East.
To kick things off, InPost installed bespoke lockers at St. James’s Park, the first in the country at a Premier League stadium, and has since gone on to form a key part of the club’s newly launched e-commerce offering, giving fans the option of online deliveries to be sent to any locker across the UK.
Pets at Home
Pets at Home has unveiled its newly designed flagship Pet Care Centre in New Malden. The £2.2 million+ transformation marks the single largest investment in the retailer’s estate history.
At 27,360 sq.ft, it features an increased range of services (such as a newly refurbed and extended veterinary practice), and premium facilities (such as a luxury Pets Grooming Salon with 50% more capacity).
Pets at Home has made a £25 million investment in estate interventions this year.
The New Malden location includes a new community zone at the front of the store, featuring a designated recycling and charity donation area, along with a multifunctional Paws Point. This space is designed for workshops, new pet advice, or simply relaxing and charging a phone while waiting for pets in the Pets Grooming Salon or Vet Practice.
There are also seven new tills to accommodate shopper’s needs – the most in any Pets at Home, and digital and interactive screens to help educate customers with their pet choices.
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