Sustainability, inclusivity, and convenience: RTIH runs through March’s coolest retail technology plays
RTIH Editor, Scott Thompson, brings you his stand out ‘future of retail’ systems deployments from March, including Walmart, Morrisons, Currys, Matalan, Waitrose, itsu, Princess Polly, and REWE Group.
STRONGER
Sizekick, a Munich-based startup specialising in AI driven size recommendations for online fashion retail, has announced a partnership with STRONGER, an activewear brand based in Stockholm, Sweden.
Sizekick provides precise size recommendations based on individual body measurements.
“We believe STRONGER is a perfect partner for us. Their unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional user experiences and sustainability aligns seamlessly with our mission to eliminate returns based on size uncertainty," says David Oldeen, Co-founder and CEO at Sizekick.
"Together, we aim to enhance STRONGER's profitability through reduced return rates and improved conversion rates, offering customers a seamless and sustainable shopping experience."
Morrisons
savi has announced the roll-out of its digital coupon clearing technology into Morrisons.
The supermarket chain becomes the first retailer to implement this platform in the UK (it is already in use in Europe).
A spokesperson for Morrisons says: “Our partnership with savi supports our commitment to using digital technology to provide easy, accessible, and convenient services for customers.”
“Giving shoppers the power to redeem mobile coupon offers in-store is yet another way in which Morrisons strives to serve its customers better.”
savi’s digital platform connects retailers and brands by providing real-time coupon validation and settlement for paper and mobile coupons.
The SSE Arena, Belfast and Amazon
The SSE Arena, Belfast has announced a collaboration with Amazon to implement the US online giant’s Just Walk Out technology at the venue, making it the first indoor arena in Europe to offer checkout-free shopping.
This will be located on the first floor and named PAY & AWAY.
Guests will enter by using their chosen contactless payment method at the entry gate, with the technology then detecting what customers take from or return to the shelves and creating a virtual shopping session.
When they complete their shopping experience, they can leave without waiting in line, and their chosen payment method will be charged for the items taken.
itsu
itsu, a healthy eating restaurant, is expanding across Europe with the help of Attensi AI, reducing the time it takes to make and translate training content.
By using Attensi AI, the International Training Manager at itsu has overcome several time-consuming barriers that previously added months in content creation time for staff training in multiple locations.
The company says that, as it expands at pace, its training team is now confident that their geographically dispersed colleagues are up-to-date with seasonal and changing training needs across the business.
AI features including automated voice-overs, auto-translations, creative prompts, and co-pilots enable a faster and more efficient roll-out of training across the whole itsu network, providing the same high standards of training in every region.
Waitrose and WRAP
This took place in Waitrose’s Thatcham store near Reading, with eye tracking software monitoring shopping habits.
Catherine Loader, Sustainability Manager at Waitrose, says: "We are committed to supporting customers in buying what they need, and during Food Waste Action Week we’re running trials to understand how signage and customer communications influences purchase of loose fruit and veg.”
“This trial is part of a wider strategy and pledge to offer more loose fruit and veg in store, which also reduces plastic waste. We’re committed to helping our customers reduce household food waste, with over 100 lines now packaging free.”
“We look forward to sharing the results of the trials and continuing to help our customers choose what they’ll use."
e.l.f. Cosmetics
e.l.f. Beauty has announced that e.l.f. Cosmetics will be the first brand featured in a TikTok Shop Super Brand Day, running 31st March to 3rd April.
The highlight will be the debut of Power Grip Dewy Setting Spray, e.l.f.’s newest product.
e.l.f. Cosmetics has penned an original song for the debut of Power Grip Dewy Setting Spray on TikTok Shop. The lyrics – set to a hip-hop beat - break down how to use it.
“Being the first brand partner in a TikTok Shop Super Brand Day unites an unique trifecta: introducing a new product, debuting an original song, and shining a spotlight on our shop. We wanted to surprise and delight our community who have been with us since our first viral moment on TikTok,” says Kory Marchisotto, Chief Marketing Officer at e.l.f. Beauty.
“It was important for us to make a bold entrance and show up in a disruptive way to this party, and what better way than a new product and another original song for the platform.”
Sibstar
Sibstar, a debit card and app for people living with dementia that has appeared on the Dragons Den TV show, has been unveiled as the winner of the FinTech’s Pitch Live 2024 competition, held this week at the Pay360 trade show in London.
The UK competition, sponsored by Mastercard, involved the top three companies selected by a VC judging panel out of eight entrants, pitching live on the Pay360 exhibition floor, disruption stage, on Tuesday at the ExCel arena in London.
The winner was unveiled after an overnight judging process was combined with live votes collected from the audience.
Currys
Currys has become the first tech retailer to partner with WelcoMe, with the aim of improving the shopping experience for customers with disabilities.
The partnership launches in conjunction with Neurodiversity Celebration Week.
A purpose built web app, the aforementioned platform works by allowing shoppers with a disability to register an in-person store visit, online.
Through filling out a quick form indicating any specific disability related needs or information, and an estimated date/time of arrival, stores are then notified of the upcoming visit giving them the opportunity to prepare for and accommodate any specific requirements etc.
The tool also gives retail partners access to pointers and best practice techniques to help accommodate anybody, specific to certain disabilities.
The trial will be piloted across 20 Currys stores around the Birmingham region, including: Birmingham Castle Vale, Birmingham Highgate, Birmingham Selly Oak, Burton, Cannock, Kidderminster, Leicester Fosse, Leicester St Georges, Loughborough, Merry Hill Retail Park, Shrewsbury, Solihull, Stafford, Stoke Festival Park, Stoke Longton, Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth, Telford, Wednesbury J9 and Wolverhampton.
Nickelytics and Starship Technologies
Nickelytics, a B2B AdTech startup, has announced a partnership with Starship Technologies, a provider of autonomous delivery services.
This involves an advertising campaign on two campuses where Starship operates, the University of Utah and UCLA.
Brands and advertisers will be able to connect directly with the student population, with the goal of expanding to all 50 campuses that Starship serves. The company operates at 80 global locations and has completed more than six million deliveries.
To pilot the partnership, Nickelytics and Starship are supporting the national “Love, Your Mind” campaign with a six-week deployment of autonomous delivery vehicles, beginning 25th March.
This was developed by Huntsman Mental Health Institute and the Ad Council with the aim of creating a society that is more open, accepting, and proactive when it comes to mental health.
The campaign PSAs (public service advertisements) remind everyone to nurture their relationship with their mind, and direct to LoveYourMindToday.org for free mental health resources.
Walmart and unspun
Walmart has announced a pilot project with unspun, a fashion tech company using 3D weaving technology, a collaboration that, if successful, could help reduce the environmental impact of garment production, offer a more sustainable process for meeting apparel demand and support the companies’ commitment to shift more textile manufacturing back to the US.
Out of its micro factory in Oakland, California, unspun’s technology aims to more quickly and efficiently transform yarn into garments.
The pilot project addresses concerns about waste in the apparel industry driven primarily by fabric loss from traditional flat weaving, cutting and garment assembly, and from discarded extra inventory built to meet growing consumer demand and fashion trends.
These issues, combined with the emissions generated from transporting garments and fabrics supplied offshore, have created demand for more sustainable apparel manufacturing supply chain solutions.
Princess Polly
True Fit has partnered with Princess Polly to build AI powered size and fit recommendations into shopper journeys as the latter looks to increase conversions and drive down returns.
Originally launched in Australia, Princess Polly now offers on-trend, affordable fashion to shoppers in the UK and US.
With aspirations to drive sustainable business growth, it will leverage True Fit’s AI platform, which connects data from 82 million shoppers and 20,000+ brands to give people size recommendations based on their unique fit preferences.
Dexory and DB Schenker
Dexory has announced the first deployment of its robotics and artificial intelligence solution in the United States.
Its technology is now in use at one of DB Schenker’s sites in Utah. This follows Dexory’s expansion announcement into the North American market in early February.
The Retail Trust
Retail industry charity, the Retail Trust, has developed a generative AI powered dashboard to help retailers including FatFace and Next improve staff mental health and prove the value of their wellbeing strategies.
The new ‘happiness dashboard’, built in partnership with a handful of retail employers and the Retail Trust’s technology partner BJSS, allows companies to track staff wellbeing trends and improve the effectiveness of support.
The platform works by identifying trends around which Retail Trust wellbeing services employees are using to generate recommendations on how to improve engagement, reduce levels of absenteeism or presenteeism, and increase staff retention.
It also shows each employer exactly how much initiatives to improve mental health are saving their business and the economy, by calculating the financial value of fewer staff calling in sick, working while unwell, quitting their jobs or turning to the NHS as a result.
Co-op
Co-op has become the first UK convenience retailer to have its net zero targets validated by the globally recognised Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
SBTi - a body that assesses corporate climate targets - has given the thumbs up to its near-term and overall targets to become net zero across its own operations by 2035, and entire value chain by 2040.
Co-op, which operates 2,400 food stores across the UK, also lays claim to being one of the first companies in the UK to set science-based targets for its forest, land and agriculture (FLAG) emissions.
The ratified targets include stretching commitments to reduce the absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions from its own operations by 66% and absolute Scope 3 emissions from energy and industrial sources by 58.8% by 2030 from a 2016 baseline year.
Amazon
An Amazon One app has gone live, enabling customers to sign up for the service by taking a photo of their palm.
Amazon One is a palm recognition service for entry, identification, and payment.
Until now, people had to visit a physical location to hover their palm over a device to sign up for the service.
Now, they can sign up from home, work, or on-the-go via the aforementioned app.
As a result, first time users will no longer require additional time to get onboard up during checkout.
They can create their online profile by logging into their Amazon account, taking a photo of their palm(s), and adding a payment method, all within the app.
Once they’ve signed up, customers can begin using Amazon One for payment, entry, age verification, and loyalty rewards by hovering their palm over a relevant device at any one of the 500+ Whole Foods Market stores in the US, several Amazon stores, and over 150 third-party locations in stadiums, airports, fitness centres, convenience stores etc.
Amazon says that the solution has been used more than eight million times, and over 80% of shoppers who use it at Amazon and Whole Foods Market stores choose to do so repeatedly.
Matalan
Matalan, a fashion and homeware omnichannel value retailer, has announced the launch of a new Generative AI (GenAI) tool.
Matalan has partnered with Kin + Carta on the GenAI and Large Language Model (LLM) offering, which creates detailed product descriptions for items listed on its website.
The move is pitched as the first time a UK retailer has used AI in this way and forms an important part of Matalan’s digital transformation journey.
The tool will be implemented across all departments, including clothing and homeware. According to a press release: “As well as making shopping online with Matalan even easier, it is expected to deliver a 4x increase in productivity.”
REWE Group
German retailer REWE Group has inked a deal with Israeli startup Catch to test Catch AI, a platform that operates across the likes of smart carts, smartphones, and self-checkout kiosks.
In the first phase of the agreement, the solution has been implemented in 110 carts at supermarket REWE Center, located in Cologne.
Each cart will be equipped with a tablet delivering a smart personal assistant to shoppers.
This allows people to scan their handwritten shopping lists or digitally transfer their shopping lists using a tablet. It does not require registration or app download, enabling anonymity throughout the shopping process.
Catch was founded in 2022 by Shlomi Dayan, CEO, and Itai Lishner, CTO, both former executives at Trax.
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