Starring Joybird, TikTok, and flaconi: RTIH rolls out this week's coolest retail technology plays
RTIH Editor, Scott Thompson, brings you his top ‘future of retail’ systems launches and deployments from the past week, including virtual try-on solutions, smart stores, 3D technology firsts, and the return of Asos Insiders.
Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business
Mashgin reports deployment of its self-checkout technology at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business in Hanover, New Hampshire.
New touchless self-checkout kiosks speed up the checkout experience for Tuck students, with average transaction times at Mashgin kiosks said to be between 10 and 16 seconds.
These use AI powered computer vision to recognise and ring up objects up to 10x faster than traditional checkout with a cashier. Mashgin instantly identifies packaged goods, produce, and open plated food items (e.g., a piece of fruit, salad, combo meal plate) from any angle.
Consumers place their items on the kiosks and are ready to pay without barcodes, apps or RFIDs.
Anthropics
Anthropics has announced the launch of Zyler Virtual Try-On for Menswear.
Customers can upload a headshot, enter some measurements, and then see themselves on screen wearing an outfit.
Anthropics claims that Zyler fashion retail partners have seen an increase in browsing time and higher engagement among other positive outcomes.
Powered by AI tech, the offering creates a lifelike virtual representation of the user, allowing them to see how different garments fit and look on their unique body shape.
Asos
Jisp
Jisp says that Scan & Save retailers are thriving despite the UK slipping into a technical recession following a 0.3% drop in GDP in the last quarter of 2023.
The AR solution reads product barcodes and presents exclusive promotions, which customers can then save and redeem with their mobile phones.
"As a convenience store owner, partnering with Jisp has been a game-changer for my business,” says Harmeet Singh, Nisa Local Convent Road, Ashford.
“The discounts they provide not only attract more customers but have significantly boosted my turnover by nearly 20%. Their commitment to supporting small businesses is truly commendable."
According to Jisp, retailers have seen returns of £900,000 in the year so far through Scan & Save, with the app encouraging repeat visits to stores through discounts that are available everyday of a promotional period.
TikTok
“TikTok is a trusted platform today,” said Amanda Uduku, Merchant Growth Strategy Manager, on the opening day of Smart Retail Tech 2024 (27th February) at ExCel London, as she outlined how to make shoppable content on its For You Pages (FYP) creator portal.
This is the first page you land on in the app with algo suggested recommendations of things you might like.
Victoria Beckham recently launched a t-shirt on TikTok, linking it with the popular Beckhams TV documentary, in the knowledge that the fast growing social media platform would get her fashion business new eyes and potential customers.
Many brands, such as L’Oreal, Oakley and adidas, already partner with TikTok, explained Uduku at Smart Retail Tech 2024, as she outlined the growing importance of the platform for retailers in the Keynote Theatre.
The #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt garnered 88 billion+ video views by January of this year.
“This success led to the establishment of TikTok shop,” said Uduku, which is backed up by the new Product Optimiser AI tool unveiled late last year.
REWE Group
Cristina Rutgers-Astolfi, Global Head of Analytics Ikea Customer Support, has taken to social media to praise REWE Group’s recently launched 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.
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.
Gateway Centre Oldham and Be.EV
Gateway Centre Oldham has received a new ultra-rapid EV charging hub, in a £1 million deal with Manchester-based Be.EV.
Switched on and ready for use, the site is home to 16 ultra-rapid charging bays, making it one of the largest ultra-rapid EV charging locations in Greater Manchester.
The Gateway Centre shoppers will benefit from a charging experience while browsing the shops that are within a one minute walk, including Aldi and B&M Home Stores. Drivers can also monitor their charge level from their mobile whilst doing their shopping through a QR code.
LAFC and Amazon
American soccer club LAFC has added Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology to the King’s Hawaiian Grill on the main concourse at BMO Stadium.
This made its debut at LAFC’s home opener on Saturday, 24th February.
Guests use their mobile wallet or credit card at the entry gate, and the technology detects what shoppers take from or return to the shelves and creates a virtual shopping session.
When people have completed their shopping experience, they are able to leave the stand with their selected food and beverages and their choice of payment method will be charged for the items they took with them.
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.
Boojum
Manna Drone Delivery has announced a new partnership with Boojum, an Ireland-based, Mexican inspired burrito chain, in addition to an expansion of service to include Blanchardstown.
The service will allow around 100,000 people to have fresh burritos delivered to their doorstep in just a handful of minutes.
The company also offers drone delivery in Fort Worth, Texas, in the United States.
“Food delivery today can be expensive and slow. With more than 150,000 deliveries under our belt across two separate countries, we are more than ready to provide delivery service to another market – and Blanchardstown is that spot,” says Bobby Healy, CEO and Founder, Manna Drone Delivery.
“Boojum is also the perfect partner to help us kickstart our expansion to the Blanchardstown area – we are both Irish-born pioneering brands, collaborating to drive innovation in the food delivery industry – and we are excited to see the reaction from the community as we get started.”
flaconi
GreyOrange has been selected by flaconi, a Germany e-retailer for beauty and perfume, to improve overall warehouse operations for faster, more efficient distribution to its customers.
flaconi is leveraging GreyOrange’s GreyMatter fulfilment orchestration platform in combination with a fleet of 70 Ranger Assist robots.
Utiliing the Robots as a Service (RaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS) model, based on demand, flaconi says that it now has peak season flexibility for the warehouse.
It can fulfil orders quickly by leveraging dynamic zoning, hybrid picking, and GreyMatter’s balanced distribution of work to the robots according to fulfilment needs.
Wembley Stadium and Delaware North
Laying claim to being the first European national stadium to use frictionless technology, Wembley Stadium and Delaware North introduced Bar Tap at the Carabao Cup final this past weekend.
The Delaware North team oversaw the project from conception to implementation, with the aim of promising a seamless experience for shoppers.
Upon entry, customers tap their cards, grab their items, and exit without any waiting time.
In a LinkedIn post, Delaware North said: “The adaptability of this innovative retail concept allows us to seamlessly tailor offerings to suit the specific type of event, ensuring a personalised experience for all our customers.”
“These improvements, alongside other stadium wide enhancements, solidify Wembley Stadium's reputation as a globally acclaimed fan first venue.”
Detroit Pistons
Immersive AI company, MeetKai and the Detroit Pistons have announced the beginning of their collaboration with the creation of the team’s first ever virtual world.
Set to launch later this year, Detroit Pistons World will feature the likes of a virtual fan marketplace, themed games, merchandise for purchase, and gated content.
By deploying MeetKai’s AI enabled, digital twin technology, the browser-based virtual fan marketplace will be an exact digital replica of the physical Detroit Pistons Team Store at the Little Caesars Arena located in Detroit, Michigan.
It will feature the same merchandise, as in the store, plus access to collectibles and clothing items available for purchase that can be used by your avatar or shipped home in person. New content and merchandise will be made available throughout the season.
Iron Mountain
Dexory, a provider of AI and robotics solutions, has announced a partnership with Iron Mountain, a specialist in information management, storage, datacentre infrastructure, and asset lifecycle management.
Since 2021, Iron Mountain has expanded into a third-party logistics (3PL) provider, with the aim of disrupting the warehouse and logistics industry with its solutions.
The company has chosen to adopt DexoryView as its preferred inventory and tracking solution at four warehouses across Kettering Symmetry Park, Lutterworth Magna Park North and Rugby Symmetry Park.
Iron Mountain, which lays claim to more than 225,000 customers around the world, was looking for an automated solution to inventory management and space optimisation for these warehouses, rather than opting for a more traditional and manual intensive route.
Using Dexory’s technology, combining analytics with autonomous robots, it will be able to scan 15,000 locations per hour, without impacting its day-to-day operations.
This allows the company to analyse its pallet lifecycle within its warehouses. In addition, it is able to gather full visibility of stock and track inventory movements.
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