Don’t believe the Just Walk Out hype: check out RTIH’s most read retail technology articles from last week
Check out the articles on this here website that caught your fancy last week, including Amazon, tutch, Lily AI, Blue Yonder, Hims & Hers, Retail Technology Show 2024, TikTok, Ocado Retail, Re-Up, Nala Robotics, Shopsense AI, and NewStore.
AI powered convenience store chain Re-Up teams with Nala Robotics to deploy autonomous kitchens
AI powered gas stations and convenience stores specialist, Re-Up, is installing autonomous chefs at locations powered by Nala Robotics.
The Wingman is an autonomous fry station that can be added or configured to any restaurant or commercial food service operation.
Re-Up will leverage Nala Robotics' artificial intelligence technology to enhance its food service offerings, enabling customers to enjoy freshly prepared, fully customisable, fried chicken, french fries and other menu items on demand, without human intervention.
Amazon dumping Just Walk Out isn’t the big retail technology story it’s cracked up to be. Here’s why
This will be replaced by smart carts that allow customers to skip the checkout line but also see their spending in real-time.
Just Walk Out will continue to be offered in Amazon Go stores and some smaller Amazon Fresh stores in the UK. Amazon will also continue to offer the technology to third-party retailers.
“We’ve invested a lot of time redesigning a number of our Amazon Fresh stores over the last year, offering a better overall shopping experience with more value, convenience, and selection, and so far we’ve seen positive results, with higher customer shopping satisfaction scores and increased purchasing," said spokesperson Jessica Martin.
“We’ve also heard from customers that while they enjoyed the benefit of skipping the checkout line with Just Walk Out, they also wanted the ability to easily find nearby products and deals, view their receipt as they shop, and know how much money they saved while shopping throughout the store.”
The media has been reporting the removal of Just Walk Out as if it were a major development. But it isn’t, according to Brittain Ladd, a supply chain consultant and former Amazon executive.
Shopsense AI launches retail media platform for broadcasters with Paramount Global onboard as partner
Shopsense AI has launched an AI powered retail media platform, with Paramount Global as its inaugural partner.
Shopsense says that its patent pending technology unlocks new advertising and incremental revenue opportunities for broadcast and streaming networks by making content seamlessly shoppable within their own apps and e-commerce sites.
Paramount Global will debut the new mobile shopping experience during the CMT Music Awards red carpet pre-show coverage airing on CMT on Sunday, 7th April. The live CMT Music Awards will air on CBS and Paramount+ directly following the red carpet coverage.
“Paramount’s premium entertainment content consistently influences consumer shopping journeys,” says John Halley, President at Paramount Advertising.
“TV is no longer just a top-of-the-funnel awareness generator. It is a 1:1 vehicle that brings the full funnel to the living room. We’re thrilled to launch with the Shopsense AI platform at the CMT Music Awards to capitalise on fandom and see it expressed through commerce.”
Checkout-free store startups crush stadiums and micro markets, struggle with convenience and groceries
And so is Frank Beard, Head of Marketing at Rovertown, who in a recent post on X (formerly known as Twitter) gave the thumbs up to those companies betting on stadiums and micro markets.
Although he added: “Convenience? Not buying the tech. Grocery? Small pilots, no scale, challenging format.”
tutch appoints Microsoft veteran Greg Jones as CEO as retail technology firm expands in to the USA
tutch, an in-store digital platform that gives shoppers a self-service option for discovering every product in a retailers’ ecosystem, has announced the appointment of Greg Jones as Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Jones previously served as Global Director of Retail and Consumer Goods Solutions at Microsoft, and North America Retail and Consumer Goods Lead at Avanade.
In his new role, he will lead tutch as it scales adoption of its software as a service (SaaS) platform by US bricks and mortar stores and enters into new industry partnerships.
During his tenure at Microsoft, Jones was responsible for establishing the company’s Travel and Transportation vertical, including forging partnerships with Boeing and SITA.
At Avanade, he developed the North America Retail & Consumer Goods Advisory practice, which guides retailers as they leverage AI and technology to digitise core functions.
Former DoorDash, Tinder, Amazon and eBay exec Christopher Payne joins Hims & Hers board of directors
Online health and wellness platform, Hims & Hers, has announced the appointment of Christopher Payne to the company’s board of directors.
“Christopher brings extensive experience working directly with some of the world’s most innovative tech founders to drive incredible growth, by helping to bring their visions to life and achieve global scale,” says Andrew Dudum, CEO and Co-founder at Hims & Hers.
“He has a history of innovating across industries, building trusted brands globally, and evolving businesses to meet shifting customer needs. I’m inspired by the work Christopher has led in his tenured career and he will bring incredible insight and knowledge to the board as we continue to scale and grow our health and wellness platform.”
Lily AI opens first international office in London to support roster of retailers and brands in UK and Europe
Lily AI, a US-based company specialising in AI solutions for retailers and brands, has announced the opening of a London office as the base for its EMEA business.
“Fuelled by our accelerated growth in the US, we are bullish on bringing our robust capabilities to retailers and brands across Europe,” says Purva Gupta, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Lily AI.
“In the UK, we are seeing both e-commerce leaders and brand marketers embracing our proven, customer centric approach to shopping experiences and conversion, and we are only at the beginning of this surging global demand curve.”
Leading the European expansion, Christopher Roye, former Head of Global Sales at Astound Commerce, has been named Senior Director EMEA, and will report directly to Ahmed Naiem, President, Lily AI.
Additionally, Terry Hunter and Martin Newman, two UK-based digital commerce veterans, have been added to the advisory board to share their expertise in the global e-commerce landscape.
Supply chain technology big hitter Blue Yonder thinks about the future with One Network Enterprises acquisition
Blue Yonder has announced the signing of an agreement to acquire One Network Enterprises for approximately $839 million.
The latter is known for its autonomous and resilience services and is a provider of intelligent control towers.
“Supply chains have become more complex, and as more and more companies reduce risk by diversifying sourcing of products globally, there is an increased demand for the sharing of information and resources across the whole value chain,” says Duncan Angove, CEO, Blue Yonder.
“This, along with increased disruptions and geopolitical risks, have put the pressure on organisations to build more resilient and robust supply chains.”
“Combined with One Network’s capabilities, Blue Yonder will establish itself as a leading supply chain solutions company that can offer a unified, end-to-end supply chain ecosystem that is resilient enough to withstand today’s challenges, and synthesised with innovative, future focused technologies.”
Australian brands Universal Store and Perfect Stranger select NewStore omnichannel retail technology
Universal Store Holdings is to deploy NewStore’s Omnichannel PoS solution across the company’s retail banners in Australia.
The roll-out will span two brands, Universal Store and Perfect Stranger, and 89 stores, replacing each organisation’s legacy PoS systems.
The NewStore platform will allow each retailer to provide a more personalised level of service by consolidating customer, order, and inventory data into an iOS app.
As a result, each brand’s store teams will be able to assist and check out customers from anywhere on the store floor, using only an iPhone.
Ocado Retail focuses on thinking local first as pureplay taps Sunderland Gift Card for employee platform Mint
Online grocery retailer Ocado reports that it is taking a local first approach to its employee reward and recognition initiatives in Sunderland.
The 200 plus employees at the Ocado Retail contact centre at the Riverside, Sunderland can earn a virtual currency called ‘Ocadough’ to either save or spend on their employee platform Mint.
This launched in 2023 and applies gamification to reward and recognition.
Opening three times a year, the Mint ‘shop’ gives employees access to a range of tangible products, including the Sunderland Gift Card from Sunderland BID which can be spent with over 190 national and independent businesses in the city.
Ocado Retail also uses the Sunderland Gift Card to stock the Mint shop with physical gifts that employees can buy with their Ocadough. The top selling item in 2023 through the Mint shop was the Sunderland Gift Card, with employees using it in a range of local businesses.
The latter is part of the Town & City Gift Card initiative from Miconex active across the UK and Ireland with over £30 million spent with local businesses to date.
Retail Technology Show 2024 research: Millennials most likely shoppers to be influenced by retail media
Millennials are the most likely shopper demographic to have their buying decisions influenced by retail media ads at the shelf-edge, according to research from Retail Technology Show 2024, which is taking place on 24th and 25th April at London’s Olympia.
A survey of over 1,000 UK adults showed that 47% of Millennial consumers would be influenced to buy a new product having been served immersive, digital ads in-store, compared to 35% of average UK shoppers.
A further 49% said that retail media ads delivered in-store helped validate their buying decisions when shopping brands they already buy from, helping retailers drive greater brand engagement and loyalty amongst existing shoppers.
Daniel Rafaeli departs sustainable delivery specialist bodo to take on E-commerce Manager role at TikTok
Daniel Rafaeli has been appointed FMCG E-commerce Manager at TikTok.
He joins from bodo, a sustainable same-day delivery service used by UK e-commerce brands, where he held the role of Head of Partner Management.
Prior to that, he spent three and a half years at Amazon, joining as Brand Manager before becoming Vendor Manager.
In a LinkedIn post, Rafaeli said: “I’m happy to share that I’m starting this new position at TikTok. Huge thanks to Fred Fishlock (E-Commerce Lead FMCG) for hiring me into the organisation.”
He added: “For anyone interested in joining, please reach out as we are still hiring for the following roles: FMCG Key Account Lead; FMCG Account Manager (Homecare & Pets); FMCG Account Manager (Health & Wellness); FMCG Acquisition Manager.”
Continue reading…