Starring LAFC, BigCommerce, and InPost UK: 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 Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology, ESProfiler, Dexory, Iron Mountain, Evri, The Body Shop, Currys, John Lewis, and Newcastle United.
Los Angeles FC boosts guest experience as it debuts Amazon Just Walk Out technology at BMO Stadium
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.
British cybersecurity startup ESProfiler secures £2.8 million funding round led by Nauta Capital
ESProfiler, a British cybersecurity startup, has announced a £2.8 million seed round, led by Nauta Capital.
This builds on angel investments received in 2023.
The company says it is on a mission to tackle the widespread inefficiencies in enterprise cybersecurity investments.
The founding team, leveraging their first hand experience, identified critical gaps in how cybersecurity tools were being utilised. These tools often overlapped, were underutilised, and misaligned with the actual methods of adversaries and continued a frustrating cycle of inefficient security tooling churn.
John Lewis Operations Director Naomi Simcock discusses making retail technology count, CX and AI
“I’ve got a huge supply chain and other fixed costs, so interactions have to count. Pre- and post-sales customer experience (CX) data analytics tools can help the business improve,” added Simcock.
Fun virtual experience tools can also help retailers, such as how make up or glasses would look on your face.
“But be sure to focus on the outcome you want before you deploy any retail technology,” cautioned Simcock, before adding: “Stock is our biggest cost for instance, so inventory management and real-time availability are crucial project metrics.”
Investments in that area must positively impact the bottom line.
Simcock highlighted at Smart Retail Tech Expo 2024 how even simple installations like the roll-out of headsets can help. They have helped the UK-based retailer:
Increase customer interactions and metrics.
Decrease shrinkage, which is a real problem in the UK where theft has risen as the cost-of- living crisis has hit.
Staff safety. This is related to the rise in organised criminal gangs targeting high value goods.
“Our partners must feel safe,” insisted Simcock, referencing the mutual co-owned status of her more than 150 year-old organisation where employees are partners in the business.
Iron Mountain implements Dexory artificial intelligence and robotic solution into UK warehouses
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.
Wembley Stadium and Delaware North launch Bar Tap at Carabao Cup final as Liverpool take on Chelsea
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 tis 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.”
Paul Scannell, Head of Hospitality at Wembley Stadium, commented: "We are thrilled to introduce our first food and drink service with cutting-edge frictionless technology.”
“We are constantly seeking innovative solutions to enhance the stadium experience, and the launch of Bar Tap represents a significant step forward in our mission to elevate the fan experience."
‘Dig two holes with one shovel’: Ikea’s Cristina Rutgers-Astolfi praises new REWE Ready smart shop launch
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.
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.”
Parcel locker firm InPost UK are our fave retail technology thing on Twitter (aka X) right now. Here’s why
InPost recently became an official partner of Premier League football team Newcastle United.
As a result, Newcastle United supporters are able to use bespoke parcel lockers at St James’ Park – the first in the country at a Premier League stadium.
Doffing a cap at the the black and white of Newcastle United, the specially designed lockers will be located outside the iconic Gallowgate End, offering customers a city centre location, with InPost also having a number of collection points around Newcastle and wider Tyneside area.
Peter Silverstone, Newcastle United's Chief Commercial Officer, commented: “This first of its kind Premier League partnership clearly shows a shared commitment from InPost and Newcastle United to be innovative and creative, whilst putting our fans at the heart of activity.”
“We are excited to partner with InPost, providing an incredible platform to support their UK and European growth plans. We are delighted to welcome InPost to our family of partners.”
Another result of the tie up has been InPost UK tweeting during games. And their social media guys played a blinder this weekend.
Foldable bicycle specialist Brompton launches composable e-commerce site on BigCommerce platform
BigCommerce has announced the launch of foldable bicycle company, Brompton, on its platform.
After struggling for years with its previous e-commerce platform and tech stack, Brompton sought a new platform that offered flexibility and the ability to scale as the company grows and its priorities shift.
“Our old system arguably could have been called composable, but it wasn’t purpose-built that way,” says Oliver Boardman, IT and Digital Director at Brompton.
“The components didn’t work together well, and we didn’t have nearly as much flexibility as we needed. BigCommerce showed us that they could provide a true composable platform capable of scaling with us and our customers.”
Former The Body Shop Chief Executive David Boynton hits out at unfair UK business headline narrative
David Boynton, former Chief Executive at The Body Shop, has taken to social media to counter what he views as an unfair narrative around the troubled high street retailer’s UK business.
The UK arm of The Body Shop was put into administration recently, a couple of months after it was bought up by Aurelius, a German private equity firm.
It is set to shut up to half of its 198 stores in the UK and cut the size of its head office, leading to hundreds of job losses. The cuts would "help re-energise" the brand, administrators have said.
In a LinkedIn post, Boynton, who was at The Body Shop from 2017 to 2023, said: “I can’t believe The Body Shop is gone from our high streets! Well … notwithstanding my sad picture taken in Cheapside as two blokes loaded products into green tote boxes … IT ISN’T!! “
“Sorry for using shouty capital letters … but there’s a headline narrative out there that The Body Shop has sadly gone out of business (for a bunch of different reasons, depending on what you believe), and it isn’t true.”
‘AI isn’t magic’: Currys CIO Andy Gamble discusses the pros and cons of artificial intelligence adoption
Andy Gamble, Chief Information Officer at Currys, has taken to social media to discuss time spent reviewing progress on some of the retailer’s AI initiatives.
In a LinkedIn post, he said: “As a CIO, I have already seen lots of examples of AI creating value and efficiency, but I have also seen many AI projects go nowhere.”
“The biggest trap for AI adoption was aptly described to me this week in the words of writer CEO May Habib as getting stuck in “POC Purgatory”! That is to say - AI projects stay in the proof-of-concept stage without scaling or delivering results.”
“It’s a good reminder - AI isn’t magic - it needs the same guardrails as any other initiative.”
Evri and sports nutrition specialist KBF Enterprises announce partnership to fuel global expansion
UK-based parcel delivery company, Evri, has inked a new deal with KBF Enterprises.
KBF Enterprises, owner of Warrior, a sports nutrition brand, has awarded Evri a three-year extension to its delivery contract which will now include fulfilment via its UK, European, USA and rest of world distribution sites.
It will leverage Evri's fulfilment warehouses located across the world; from Basildon, UK to Utrecht, Netherlands and New Jersey, US to Oman in the Middle East, to stock and distribute its range of protein bars and supplements.
The collaboration will enable KBF Enterprises to accelerate its global expansion in North America, MENA and European regions, expanding its e-commerce offering internationally for the first time.
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