Getir takes a swipe at its UK rivals: these are RTIH’s most read retail technology articles from last week
Check out the articles on this here website that caught your fancy this past week, including Getir, REWE Group, WhiteStuff, Ikea, Heinz, J.Crew, Luca Faloni, and Lidl Ireland.
Getir claims spike in London sales as Deliveroo, Just Eat, Uber Eats drivers strike over pay
Getir, a Turkish ultrafast grocery delivery firm, reports massive demand during a delivery riders strike in London and Brighton.
Deliveroo drivers went on strike last week demanding higher pay, with thousands estimated to be taking part in the walkout, and support also coming from Just Eat and Uber Eats couriers.
Getir said in a statement emailed to RTIH: “Following the decision of the drivers working on food delivery platforms to call a strike across the entire London area on the evening of Friday 2nd February, Getir, the world's first ultrafast delivery service, is reporting a spike in sales in the capital.”
The company did not give specific numbers whilst taking a swipe at its rivals.
“Unlike many of its counterparts within the delivery space, Getir offers a mix of full-time, part-time and zero hour contracts to riders, ensuring a bespoke approach that suits the personal needs of riders around the country,” it stated.
“Our riders are paid at least the real living wage, with guaranteed pay, holiday pay, tips and bonuses.”
It added: “At a time when consumers are looking for alternatives, we are continuing to operate, offering convenience for customers by delivering their groceries within 10-15 minutes.”
“Customers will continue to have access to an assortment of up to thousands of products, including known and loved brands like GAIL’s Bakery in London, Co-op, meat from HG Walter and fresh fish from the Wright Brothers.”
REWE Group launches REWE Ready ‘smart shop’ at EV charging station, powered by Reckon.ai tech
REWE Group has launched a REWE Ready ‘smart shop’ at the EnBW Hypernetz EV Charging Hub in Lichtenau/Chemnitz, Germany.
Customers can buy Rewe and Go sandwiches, wraps, salads, get a beer, buy cigarettes, and enjoy a cappuccino while they are charging their cars.
In a LinkedIn post, Mehmet Tözge, Director Smart Store Development at Lekkerland SE, said: “Lekkerland SE customer preferences have changed. End consumers want to shop 24/7, fast and with as few contacts as possible.”
The store includes smart fridges from Reckon.ai.
Shoppers scan their card, open the door, take their products, close the door and leave within 30 seconds.
Tözge said: “The combination of computer vision cameras with sensor fusion enables us to offer end consumers a unique, reliable and seamless way of shopping. The time to market and the ease of implementation: smart fridges are plug and play devices. Going live is a matter of seconds.”
He added: “New products are added within a couple of minutes. All temperature zones are possible. Shopping by Tap&Go or by mobile Application and much more.”
Ana Pinto, CEOat Reckon.ai. commented: “This is our first shop at an EV charging station powered by our AI smart cabinets, creating a fully autonomous shopping experience. The future is now.”
Ikea picks US market for launch of new artificial intelligence powered assistant in OpenAI GPT Store
Ikea has launched an AI powered home design, inspiration and shopping tool, available exclusively on the OpenAI GPT Store.
It says that the move marks “a significant step in democratising planning services and creating a better life for the many, by offering a tool that gives users personalised furniture and decor suggestions based on factors such as room dimensions, personal style, sustainability preferences, budget, functional requirements, and more.”
“The new Ikea AI Assistant on GPT Store is an ongoing initiative, and the continuation of a journey that looks to enrich the retail experience and explore additional avenues to interact with our customers and coworkers, as they help us improve and develop further,” says Parag Parekh, Global Chief Digital Officer at Ikea Retail (Ingka Group).
Lidl Ireland deploys hundreds of Re-turn machines in stores and constructs Deposit Return Rooms
Lidl Ireland reports significant progress in the installation of in-store solutions enabling customers to return cans and bottles.
In a LinkedIn post, Alan Barry, Chief Development Officer (CDO) at Lidl Ireland & Lidl Northern Ireland, says:
“In less than 12 months Lidl Ireland has installed 358 Re-turn machines in 179 stores, constructed 88 Deposit Return Rooms and invested tens of millions of euros.”
“Our solution puts the customer first with two Re-turn machines in every store ensuring no customer has to queue to return cans or bottles.”
He added: “Every year an estimated 1.9 billion cans and plastic bottles are consumed and by 2029 as part of the Single Use Plastics Directive, Ireland must recycle 90%.”
“With the launch of Re-turn today, we are happy to play our part in creating A Better Tomorrow. All this would not have been possible without a phenomenal effort from a hugely dedicated team.”
Food and retail technology: Heinz launches artificial intelligence cookbook in partnership with VML Spain
In partnership with VML Spain, Heinz is aiming to bridge the gap between food and technology by launching what is pitched as the first recipe book that teaches AI (and humans too) how to cook like a pro.
EE opens new Gateshead Experience store in Metrocentre with Newcastle United legend Shay Given
EE has unveiled its latest Experience store alongside former Newcastle United player Shay Given in the Metrocentre, Gateshead, one of Europe’s largest indoor mall style shopping centres.
This is the fourth of EE’s Experience stores and the first of more than ten brand new EE Experience and Experience Local locations set to open in the UK over the next year.
It opened in the Metrocentre on Friday, with an exclusive appearance from Given. Throughout the day, exclusive-in store deals, offers and entertainment were available for shoppers.
The announcement comes as EE commits to investing £6 million in the British high street in the next 12 months.
Its belief in physical retail has seen the launch of new store formats including its flagship Studio store in London, Experience stores in Manchester, Cardiff and Kent, and most recently its Experience Local stores in Derby and Guildford.
NewStore bags omnichannel retail technology deal with British lifestyle and fashion retailer White Stuff
NewStore, a mobile first unified commerce platform for retail brands, has landed a deal with British lifestyle and fashion retailer White Stuff.
The project is in its early stages, with a NewStore spokesperson telling RTIH that the company is currently unable to share indepth information.
However, in a LinkedIn post, Martin Farrell, Senior Account Executive at NewStore, said: “White Stuff is an iconic British fashion and lifestyle brand, founded by two friends George Treves and Sean Thomas in 1985.”
“They’ve grown to become a high street favourite with >100 stores across the UK and Germany, with even more stores planned (including my hometown, Liverpool).”
He added: “There’s way too many exciting initiatives planned to mention here, so I’ll summarise using the words of Trading Director, Tracey Verghese in her recent Fashion United interview “there’s a real ‘watch this space’ kind of energy". I couldn't agree more, Tracey.”
“Thank you to Jo Jenkins (CEO at White Stuff), Steve Borg (Technology and Transformation Director) and James Brazeley (Enterprise Architect) for your trust in NewStore; we’re delighted to work together alongside AbsoluteLabs. and I can’t wait to see the results!”
Swedish retail technology firm Voyado bags deal with luxury menswear brand Luca Faloni
Voyado, a Swedish retail technology platform, has secured a new partnership with luxury menswear brand Luca Faloni.
The company will be working with Voyado to focus on combining customer interactions and building customer loyalty.
A key element of the partnership will be ensuring easy integration with its existing Point of Sale system.
E-commerce technology startup Octup raises $4 million in pre-seed round led by Tal Ventures
Octup has secured $4 million in pre-seed funding from Tal Ventures as well as the founders of unicorn companies Trax and Rapyd, to broaden the roll-out of its 360-degree end-to-end discovery platform for e-commerce.
The company specialises in processing and consolidating data from various operational domains, including marketing, last mile delivery, customer support, and warehousing.
It detects anomalies, correlations, and trends to pinpoint the root causes of cost inefficiencies.
J.Crew brings Virtual Closet experience to Apple Vision Pro with 2023 RTIH Innovation Awards winner Obsess
J.Crew has launched a Virtual Closet app on Apple Vision Pro, the heavily hyped new spatial computer that blends digital content with the physical world and unlocks spatial experiences.
Created in partnership with Obsess, this allows users to shop J.Crew products in an interactive, ultra-high-definition 3D environment.
It utilises SharePlay, a set of features for shared experiences while on a FaceTime call, to chat with J.Crew's stylists or host group calls to get others' opinions on looks.
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