Including Joybird, Hooters, and Tesco: check out 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 Target Darts, 3D Cloud by Marxent, The Bicester Collection, REISS, Teamwork Commerce, Cécred, Futon Company, Gophr, OnBuy, Co-op, and TCS.
Joybird
Joybird, a unit of La-Z-Boy and furniture manufacturer and retailer, has announced the full integration of 3D Cloud by Marxent’s 3D Cloud Room Scanner technology into its online 3D Space Planner tool.
Joybird is the first furniture retailer to offer this integrated 3D floor plan creation experience to customers.
The 3D Cloud Room Scanner technology enables Joybird customers to create a floorplan 10x faster than traditional measuring, recreating a room in three dimensions in just minutes.
It leverages algorithms to precisely capture room dimensions, layouts, and existing furniture, allowing users to virtually design and arrange Joybird's furniture pieces within their actual living spaces.
3D Room Scanner joins 3D Space Planner and Modular Sofa Builder.
The Modular Sofa Builder tool provides real-time customisation to mix and match components to build a customised couch, loveseat, sectional sofa, or double sided lounger.
Gémo
Gémo, a French footwear and clothing retailer, reports that it has chosen Manhattan Active Warehouse Management (WM) to support its digital transformation journey in response to increased consumer demand for omnichannel and sustainable shopping.
The move will see the solution deployed in Gémo’s three logistics centres.
Tesco and Vauxhall
Tesco has partnered with Vauxhall to deliver a new programme of services provided through the Tesco Media & Insight Platform, powered by dunnhumby.
This will see Tesco Media & Insight Platform support Vauxhall to refine and better target its advertising to customers interested in electric vehicles, promoting Vauxhall products through channels within the Tesco Media & Insight portfolio, including social, digital, and connected TV, as well as in-store radio and Tesco Magazine.
The deal will also see charge points operated in car parks at Tesco stores Vauxhall branded, as a further strand to the manufacturer’s Electric Streets campaign.
It will cover a total of 2,700 EV charging bays across 619 Tesco stores nationwide, with 12 months’ free EV charging credit at stores offered to anyone buying a new Vauxhall electric vehicle.
Co-op
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has expanded its partnership with The Co-operative Group (Co-op) to adopt a cloud first strategy that will support its business growth and sustainability initiatives.
TCS has been the strategic partner to Co-op for the past 14 years, supporting a number of business critical and workplace projects.
These include a retail business transformation, core system transformation and franchise programme.
The expanded partnership will see TCS help Co-op move from a traditional datacentre model to a fully managed, scalable cloud environment powered by TCS Enterprise Cloud.
TCS will also manage the hybrid cloud and SaaS estate for enhanced resilience and agility.
Hooters
ParTech reports that Hooters of America, the franchisor behind the Hooters and Hoots Wings brands, has selected PAR Brink PoS and PAR Data Central to enhance its table service operational efficiency and order accuracy in 367 Hooters restaurants across 36 states and 18 countries.
Hooters is an existing customer of PAR’s loyalty solution, PAR Punchh. This engages and retains guests, supporting the aim to drive diners’ lifetime loyalty.
Target Darts
Target Darts, a dart designer and manufacturer, has selected Brave Bison to optimise its e-commerce platform.
The appointment follows a growth period for Target Darts, which recently acquired a business in the US and has a significant presence in Europe and APAC.
In part, this growth is due to exposure from the company’s work with several world champions, including Rob 'Voltage' Cross and 16x World Champion Phil 'The Power’ Taylor. Its sponsorship of Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler, recently led to a surge of sales from fans looking to shop the player’s range.
Brave Bison was selected for the project for its ability to advise Target Darts on how and where to optimise for improved performance and modernisation.
This proficiency formed a pivotal part of the pitch process, which involved a working session to review and provide feedback on the scheduled pipeline of work.
Its expertise in Adobe Commerce, as a strategic and certified partner of the core technology, was also cited as a reason for the appointment.
The Bicester Collection
Payments firm JCB International Co and Value Retail, creator and operator of The Bicester Collection, have announced the expansion of their partnership for another two years, following an initial three-year tie up.
This offering will be available in eight luxury shopping destinations across Europe.
In line with JCB’s commitment to expand card acceptance across Europe, the partnership started in April 2019.
Beginning with JCB card acceptance at boutiques in Bicester Village (London) and La Vallée Village (Paris), this has extended to additional Villages across Europe.
Over the past two years, this collaboration has resulted in a 51% YoY growth in spending by JCB cardmembers at The Bicester Collection (as of June 2023).
Card acceptance has also expanded to an additional shopping destination, Maasmechelen Village (Brussels).
Amazon
Amazon has launched a new feature designed to make grocery retail easier for those who shop from Amazon Fresh.
Recurring Reservations helps customers in nearly 1,300 cities and towns in the US plan ahead and get groceries each week on their schedule.
Customers can set up their preferred day and time window for weekly grocery pick-up and delivery up to seven days in advance.
“As shoppers continue to prioritise convenience, Amazon Fresh recognises that convenience looks different for every customer and it’s our job to make grocery shopping as seamless as possible,” says Kim Kornfeld, an Amazon spokesperson.
Cécred
American singer, songwriter and businesswoman Beyoncé’s new haircare brand, Cécred, has gone live on Shopify.
After teasing her fans (aka the BeyHive) about the venture last May, Beyoncé recently took to social media to announce her first ever beauty brand.
Captioning a post on Instagram with “hair is sacred”, an accompanying video interspersed archive footage of her mother’s old hair salon in Houston with clips of hair washing, braiding and Queen B herself.
The brand arrives alongside a world stadium tour announcement and two new singles – Texas Hold ‘Em and 16 Carriages – from the second part of the Renaissance project, set to drop next month.
Futon Company
Last mile, on-demand delivery network Gophr has announced a partnership with Futon Company which will see customers of the homeware business now able to order products for same-day delivery.
They will gain access to Gophr's same-day services which will operate up to 15 miles from each store across the UK, as well as Futon Company’s main fulfilment warehouse in East London.
Futon Company has recently invested in enhancing the customer experience and that has included a new bespoke enterprise resource planning system. It says that the new partnership aims to further build on this.
Bestway Europe
Bestway Europe, a producer of sporting and leisure products, has launched Bestway Italy and France on BigCommerce’s e-commerce platform.
"Our mission is to establish ourselves as a frontrunner in the digital landscape, providing unparalleled customer service to our loyal shoppers in Italy, France and across Europe,” says Simone Zesi, CEO at Bestway Europe.
“We recognise the significance of digital transformation in reshaping industries, and our unwavering commitment to digital innovation enables us to deliver exceptional value, meet evolving customer needs and solidify our position as a leader in the market.”
“Embracing this transformation is not only crucial to our success, but also essential in staying ahead of the competition and ensuring our customers receive the best possible solutions."
REISS
Teamwork Commerce has deployed its mobile Point of Sale (PoS) solution to REISS, the British fashion brand, in all of its US bricks and mortar stores.
The technology has gone live in nine locations across the country.
Prezzemolo & Vitale
Italian delicatessen brand, Prezzemolo & Vitale (P&V), has selected Pricer as its provider of in-store automation and communication solution based on electronic shelf labels (ESLs), rolling out digital shelf labels in all its London stores.
With ten stores in Palermo, P&V sought to expand into the UK market, showcasing the culture of Italy and Sicily through its food and wine produce.
It launched its first UK store on London’s Kings Road, Chelsea, in 2017, and has since opened three further delicatessens in chic London boroughs, including Notting Hill and Wimbledon, as well as Borough Market.
Each week, it imports produce from Italy, from seasonal fruit and vegetables, to charcuterie, cheeses, pasta and wine, as well as offering dining-in experiences, which feature Italian ingredients sold in the deli, in its in-store cafés.
It plans to open a further two locations in Kensington and Clapham Junction later this year.
P&V was already using ESLs within its Palermo store network and wanted to bring digital shelf-edge experiences to London.
OnBuy
UK-based online marketplace, OnBuy, is set to migrate to Google Cloud within the next two weeks.
In a LinkedIn post, Cas Paton, Founder and CEO at OnBuy, said: “It's been a lot of work, but this will secure OnBuy's future - giving us a solid foundation for expansion. There's some big things coming this year... This is laying the foundation.”
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