Starring rediem, Proximity, and TrusTrace: check out our most read retail technology articles from last week

Check out the articles on this here website that caught your fancy last week, including Amazon Fresh, Just Walk Out technology, Alibaba International, AllSaints, Asda, e.l.f. Cosmetics, Obsess, and the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards.

Just Walk Out technology powered Amazon Fresh store opens in West Hampstead, London

Amazon has 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.

Loyalty platform startup rediem announces $1.2 million pre-seed round headed up by Ivy Ventures

rediem, a loyalty software specialist, has announced a $1.2 million pre-seed round.

Led by Ivy Ventures, with participation from Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator; Netcore CEO; Jebbit founders, and e-commerce investors, the capital supports onboarding a 500 company waitlist to rediem’s AI powered Software-as-a-Service customer engagement platform.

"I believe in the vision for transforming legacy, outdated rewards programmes,” says Scott Kraege, Partner at Ivy Ventures. "The early momentum is incredibly promising, and the strong adoption by enterprises further validates rediem’s thesis on the future of brand-customer relationships.”

“rediem meets a moment in which purpose driven brands are eager to demonstrate their core beliefs to customers versus merely communicating them,” says Sarah Ganzenmuller, Co-founder and CEO at rediem.

“We’re inspired by the positive impact brands make when customers are mobilised beyond purchase.”

Led by two under 30 founders - Harvard graduate Regan Plekenpol and former consultant Sarah Ganzenmuller - rediem is currently invite only to allow for an onboarding process of no more than five customers per month.

2024 RTIH Innovation Awards winners announced, including Currys, Ikea, Clarks, Tesco, and Super-Pharm

Last month, we announced the winners from the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards, sponsored by Vista Technology Support, CADS, 3D Cloud, SCALA, Brightpearl by Sage’s Lightning 50, Retail Technology Show 2025, and Business France.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended our 21st November gathering.

Retail technology veteran Marcus Dawson departs UK retailer Selfridges for Proximity CTO role

Proximity, developer of a ‘super app’ for store teams, has appointed Marcus Dawson as Chief Technology Officer.

He joins from Selfridges where he spent almost 11 years, most recently serving as Head of Architecture and Data & Insights.

“Marcus will lead our Product and Engineering teams, playing a pivotal role in our continued growth and innovation,” says Cathy McCabe, CEO and Co-founder at Proximity.

“He brings a wealth of experience in retail technology, having spearheaded transformative programmes and projects in digital, architecture, data, and insights for renowned brands like John Lewis, Asos, Debenhams, and Selfridges.”

She adds: “His expertise will be integral as we scale our global customer base and further enhance our product offerings. We’re excited about the journey ahead and the impact his leadership will bring.”

Black Friday 2024 goes down a storm in the UK as discount hungry Brits splurge £1.12 billion online

Research from Adobe shows that this Black Friday was the biggest single online shopping day of 2024 in the UK. 

Brits spent £1.12 billion online, up 7.2% and £75 million above the £1.04 splashed out on Black Friday 2023), as they sought to take advantage of the deep discounts on offer in the run up to Christmas and make their budgets stretch as far as possible.  

The Adobe Digital Insights team used Adobe Analytics to analyse hundreds of millions of visits to retail sites from UK consumers on Black Friday, tracking the prices of 100 million SKUs across 18 product categories.

Vivek Pandya, Lead Analyst, Adobe Digital Insights, comments: “With UK online Black Friday spending topping £1 billion this year, it’s clear that this remains a hugely important date in the diary, both for retailers looking to boost their sales, and for increasingly price sensitive consumers who are  looking to these deep discounting days as a great opportunity to secure a bargain and make their money go further.”  

Alibaba International launches Pic Copilot AI powered e-commerce design tool tailored for SMEs in USA

Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group has announced the US launch of Pic Copilot, an artificial intelligence driven e-commerce design tool tailored for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

This features 12 tools aimed at making tasks such as swapping image backgrounds, perfecting images and videos, conducting virtual try-ons, and generating ads a hassle free experience.

Leveraging real-life e-commerce data from Alibaba International, Pic Copilot aims to improve product imagery and videos. The application of its first two versions revealed that SMEs and key opinion leaders prioritise graphics that drive sales rather than merely focusing on aesthetics.

The latest iteration of the model is built on 250 million parameters and utilises a data annotation method centred around sales metrics. By analysing how various background elements in images influence click-through rates across 240 product categories, the AI model has been trained not only on visual appeal but also to enhance sales performance.  

The US launch introduces features such as virtual try-on tailored for multiple skin tones and body types, featuring more than 160 models across four major skin tones.

The platform allows users to upload personal images, enabling fashion entrepreneurs and KOLs to serve as models in their own product try-on photos. This feature eliminates the need of hiring professional models or conducting photoshoots.

Additionally, Pic Copilot has introduced US specific graphic theme templates tailored to national holidays and celebrations such as Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and St. Patrick’s Day.

Alfie Meekings calls time on working with Charlotte Tilbury Beauty and heads to AllSaints and John Varvatos

Alfie Meekings has taken on the role of Global Director of Transformation at AllSaints and John Varvatos.

He was previously Organisational Effectiveness Consultant at Charlotte Tilbury Beauty.

Meekings’ CV also includes a stint as Director of Transformation and Change at Selfridges, and Lead Project Manager at Tesco.

In a LinkedIn post, he said: “I can’t wait to get started and to play a part in shaping the future of these two iconic brands!”

“This week also marks the end of my time working with Charlotte Tilbury Beauty - thank you to Rob Otero Viz (Chief People and Transformation Officer) and the wider team for making it such an enjoyable experience.”

TWINSET teams with TrusTrace on supply chain traceability and sustainability initiatives

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.” 

e.l.f. Cosmetics enlists Obsess on first immersive e-commerce experience for brand’s loyalty members

e.l.f. Cosmetics, an e.l.f. Beauty brand, and experiential e-commerce company Obsess have announced the launch of the Virtual Luxe Lounge, an immersive digital shopping experience for e.l.f. Beauty Squad members in the US and the UK.

This is its loyalty programme, now offering members the opportunity to explore a speakeasy themed, 3D environment where they can shop new product drops for the holiday season and access exclusive coupons to redeem at checkout.

“Our community is at the heart of everything that we do and we’re thrilled to offer our most loyal community a unique and interactive way to shop our most coveted holy grail products,” says Ekta Chopra, Chief Digital Officer, e.l.f. Beauty. “e.l.f. Beauty Squad members are incredibly important to us, and we’re excited to bring them an exclusive shopping experience that will give them new ways to earn and redeem rewards.”

“This is the first time we’re incorporating a loyalty programme into a 3D, virtual experience to exclusively offer its most engaged audience a new way to shop,” says Neha Singh, Founder and CEO at Obsess.

“e.l.f. has cemented itself as an innovative brand leader, and we are thrilled to partner with the company once again, following the success of our previous collaborations to launch virtual shopping experiences.”

Matthew Wilson talks challenging integration between Asda Technology and partners Cyderes, SailPoint, NCR Voyix

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.”