Drone deliveries and automated warehouses: RTIH pulls together 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 Wolt, The North Face, Waitrose & Partners, M&S, Domino’s Pizza, Amazon, JYSK, Best Buy, and Rohlik Group.
Wolt
Finnish food delivery and technology company Wolt has announced the launch of Double Order, a feature that allows customers to order from two restaurants or stores at the same time with one delivery fee.
Kaisa Salakka, VP Consumer Product, Wolt, says: “Let's face it, we've all been there. Whether your taste buds are torn between pizza and doughnuts, or you fancy sushi but need to do the weekly grocery shop, now you can have both while paying one delivery fee.”
Customers can place their first order as usual.
After tapping the 'add more for less' button at the bottom of the app screen, the Wolt app suggests nearby additional stores, ranging from restaurants and groceries to pharmacies and pet supplies, which can be bundled into the first order.
The new feature builds on earlier tests in Helsinki, Finland, and will be rolled out to more Wolt cities across other countries soon.
The North Face
The North Face has announced the launch of The North Face Renewed in the UK.
Powered by Archive, this offers customers the opportunity to buy repaired and refreshed product directly from The North Face.
Each item listed on Renewed will go through an evaluation process then be cleaned/repaired as needed to bring it back to good as new.
To promote the launch, customers will be able to purchase Renewed product at the retailer’s Regent Street store for one week, starting on 29th April.
SML RFID
SML RFID has been chosen to showcase its RFID solution for retail demonstrations at the Microsoft Industry Experience Center (IEC) located in Redmond, WA.
The IEC, a private facility that is not open to the public, is located in Microsoft's headquarters and serves as a hub for showcasing cutting-edge solutions that drive transformation across various industries.
SML RFID is illustrating the potential of item level RFID in a large scale brand retail setting.
“We are thrilled to be among several outstanding solutions showcased at the Microsoft Industry Experience Center,” says SML RFID’s President, Dean Frew.
“This selection underscores our commitment to innovation and our dedication to empowering businesses with transformative technology like item level RFID.”
“We are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with Microsoft to highlight the immense potential of our solutions in driving compelling returns for retailers and brands.”
Waitrose & Partners
Reapp has added Waitrose & Partners to the list of major UK retailers available on its AI driven platform, Reapp Insights.
This helps brands and retailers understand what products are selling, where and when.
Through the use of artificial intelligence, it utilises factors such as temperature and trends to help inform decisions at shelf-edge.
The news means brands in Waitrose stores can clearly understand performance across the estate at store and SKU level, as well as garnering the ability to react to underperformance of promotional activity live within the cycle of a promotion.
Brands can ensure shelves are stocked at all times through peak periods, as well as being able to track NPD sales, with the ability to identify non-selling stores.
Other major UK retailers available through Reapp Insights include Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Co-op, Poundland, and Marks & Spencer.
Marks and Spencer
M&S is calling on the public to donate their unwearable clothing, alongside their wearable clothing, through the trial of a free postal donation service, in partnership with Oxfam.
It is estimated that UK homes contain 1.6 billion items of unworn clothing which have the potential to be used, re-used or recycled.
However, new research conducted on behalf of M&S found that one third of the UK doesn’t know what to do with clothes that cannot be re-worn – with three in ten consumers admitting to disposing of unwearable clothes in their household waste bin.
The bag, which is made from 100% recycled plastic, allows for preloved clothing to be separated into two groups - those that are good quality and wearable and those that are unwearable - but equally too good to waste - and return them for free via a local courier where they will then go directly to Oxfam to be resold, reused, or recycled.
Amazon
In an online post, Amazon says: “Since starting drone delivery in College Station, Texas and Lockeford, California in 2022, we’ve delivered thousands of items to customers in less than an hour.”
“Last year we also began delivering prescription medications in partnership with Amazon Pharmacy to customers in College Station. We’ve received great feedback from customers and communities as we’ve rolled out the service.”
“We’re now adding a new location and entering into the next stage of the programme’s evolution. Later this year, drone deliveries are coming to the West Valley of the Phoenix Metro Area in Arizona.”
Rohlik Group
European e-commerce grocery delivery firm Rohlik Group has gone live with Knuspr.de in Berlin, Germany, powered by an automated warehouse and AutoStore technology.
This is part of its plan to reach €10 billion in revenue by 2030 and to expand into 15 additional German cities. The service reaches across the entire Berlin area, extending to neighbouring Potsdam and parts of Brandenburg, and operates from a Schönefeld distribution centre.
"In my experience in the online grocery industry, it is only a true leader who can transition a brand, automate a warehouse and launch with a large SKU range in four months,” says Vineta Bajaj, Group CFO at Rohlik Group, and formerly of Ocado Group.
“I'm extremely proud of what Rohlik Group is doing as a business, and excited about our future.”
JYSK
JYSK has chosen Willy Naessens Netherlands as the contractor for its new distribution centre in the Netherlands.
The automated facility, spanning 147,000 square metres, will be situated in Lelystad. Construction will soon commence to convert the current temporary distribution centre in Lelystad to a full size DC.
The project will be certified according to the international sustainability standard LEED, with JYSK aiming for the highest level.
“I’m very pleased that we have now found the right partner in Willy Naessens Netherlands to construct our new distribution centre in the Netherlands,” says Ole Thomsen, Executive Vice President Logistics at JYSK.
“The new facility will reduce the driving distance to our many JYSK stores in the Netherlands, of course, but also in Belgium, the United Kingdom and Ireland. Containers will mainly be brought in via the barge terminal Flevokust to further reduce transport on land. This will literally bring us closer to our customers.”
The site will be landscaped with plants and open water for rainwater collection.
The office will have a roof garden and the lower parts of the building will have green roofs, and solar panels will generate part of the electricity used in the facility.
Best Buy
Best Buy has launched Envision, an app designed by the retailer’s team exclusively for the Apple Vision Pro that helps users plan their ultimate home technology setup.
This uses augmented reality to let people preview 3D models of some of their favourite products.
That means while wearing Apple Vision Pro, they can see 3D images of how a variety of different products will look and feel in their space before they buy them. It includes big screen TVs, large and small appliances, fitness equipment, and furniture.
Shoppers can put on their Vision Pro, open the Envision app and scroll through hundreds of options to see them appear digitally in their physical space.
Once they find the right option, they can access product ratings and pricing, send the product directly to a friend through text/email, or open the product page within the Vision Pro Safari app to make their purchase online.
“Best Buy Envision is another way we’re utilising innovative technology to humanise consumer electronics like no one can,” says Brian Tilzer, Chief Digital, Analytics and Technology Officer at Best Buy.
“The app allows our customers to see, in a lifelike way, how technology will look and feel right in their own homes, delivering an immersive and personalised shopping experience.”
G.H. Bass EU
G.H. Bass EU has launched a web-based footwear scanning solution powered by ReaLift that allows shoppers to receive their ideal shoe size by scanning their feet on their mobile devices.
Upon clicking the call to action button on a product page, shoppers are redirected to a web application experience that gives them step-by-step instructions on how to use the application to scan their feet.
Once the shopper scans their feet, they are redirected to the original page where they receive their ideal shoe size and foot dimensions.
Once scanned, their measurements are saved via their local storage so they do not have to scan again and can visit other pages to receive their ideal size in different styles.
The solution scans the shopper's feet using their mobile device and any credit card sized card in their wallet or purse. ReaLift says 74% of shoppers who use the experience do not use cards with identification or currency associated with them.
Domino’s Pizza
Domino’s Pizza has launched a promotion that tips US customers who tip their delivery drivers, beginning 29th April.
“Our drivers have been hustling to deliver hot, delicious pizzas since 1960, and we love that customers have been tipping them for their great service since day one,” says Kate Trumbull, Domino’s Senior Vice President – Chief Brand Officer.
“But these days, everywhere you go, there’s a tip screen. The pressure to tip is real, even when no extra service is provided. So, we decided to flip the script and show our appreciation by tipping customers back.”
When customers tip their Domino’s delivery driver $3 or more online, they’ll receive a $3 coupon to use on the following week’s online delivery order.
Domino’s says that it is the first quick service restaurant to offer this.
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