Including Sam’s Club, Ikea and Currys: RTIH rolls out the biggest retail technology news stories of the week
It’s Friday, the weekend is almost upon us, so let’s kick back and reflect on another eventful week for the retail systems space. Here's your briefing on the most important stories from the past five days, including AI powered store exit technology, electric cargo bike online deliveries, and sustainable shopping pushes.
1. Sam’s Club claims retail industry first as it deploys AI powered exit technology at 120 plus locations
Sam’s Club reports significant progress in its roll-out of technology that resolves a key member concern - waiting in line for receipt verification to exit the club.
The retailer’s application of artificial intelligence and computer vision technology has been deployed in more than 120 clubs since first unveiling it at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January.
This is pitched as the largest-scale implementation of member facing AI powered technology in the retail industry.
Sam’s Club says that other retailers have struggled to deploy similar technology at scale, with some abandoning efforts, just starting initial pilots or having no plans to enhance customer experiences through check-out and store exit technologies.
In clubs where the technology has been deployed, more than half of members are getting the friction free exit experience. This translates to all members leaving the club 23% faster. Sam’s Club plans to deploy the exit technology to all of its clubs by the end of 2024.
It builds on existing digital solutions such as Scan & Go.
2. JYSK goes live with new Unified Commerce PoS platform in Portugal store, with Spain, France, Austria set to follow
Home furnishing retailer JYSK has announced deployment of its new Unified Commerce PoS platform in Portugal.
In a LinkedIn post, Jens Norby, Retail Process Coordinator at JYSK, said: “We’ve taken a huge leap forward!”
“This week has been a milestone for us as we’ve installed our new Unified Commerce PoS platform in a pilot store in Portugal. We’re now ready to roll-out the new platform to more stores, and the number will only increase week by week. Next stop: Spain!”
He added: “A big shoutout to everyone involved, from the local forces who have worked hard on the preparation to our dedicated IT developers at JYSK who have put in tremendous effort to reach this milestone.”
“Now, we’re facing the Hypercare period, and then we’ll set our sights on the next two countries: France and Austria. We’re ready to continue this journey.”
JYSK’s global PoS systems are powered by Enactor.
3. Amazon goes live with electric cargo bike online deliveries to Belfast, Northern Ireland customers
Amazon has opened its first micromobility hub in Northern Ireland at its delivery station in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter.
This now houses a fleet of electric cargo bikes which will deliver thousands of packages per week to Amazon customers.
Belfast joins more than 40 cities in the UK and across Europe which have Amazon micromobility hubs facilitating electric cargo bike and on-foot deliveries, part of a £300 million investment to electrify and decarbonise Amazon’s UK transportation network.
Electric cargo bikes and walkers are now expected to make millions of deliveries to customers across the UK every year.
4. Walmart’s Justin Breton talks key takeaways from US retail giant’s real-world commerce launch on Roblox
Justin Breton, Director of Brand Experiences & Strategic Partnerships at Walmart, has taken to social media to share three things he’s heard from the retailer’s community and the industry following a real-world commerce launch on Roblox last week.
In a LinkedIn post, he said: “I ordered the tumbler and got it the next day! It came so fast.” – We’re instilling Walmart as a reliable digital destination with fast delivery.”
He added: “Someone asked where I got this bag. I told them I bought it from Walmart on Roblox.” – We’re helping establish a new commerce platform.”
“This will create money making opportunities for creators.” – While we’re still testing, people already see the long-term potential.”
Breton concluded: “There’s so much more to come from our team this year, so keep your eyes peeled for what’s next. And something’s coming soon.”
5. Ikea UK ramps up sustainable shopping push with return of car boot sales following pilot at select stores
Ikea has announced that it will be hosting car boot events across more of its stores this spring, following a pilot last year.
The retailer is set to host the events at its Cardiff and Exeter stores on 18th and 19th May, and in Milton Keynes on 19th May.
The aim is to give locals a space to sell unwanted home furnishing goods, decorations and more (which don’t have to be Ikea products) to give a new lease of life to old items.
With a growing environmental awareness shaping the way consumers value the things they own, and how they shop, the event also aims to support buyers looking for more budget friendly and sustainability conscious solutions.
6. Trigo powered REWE Pick&Go Düsseldorf store starts new test phase for retailer’s autonomous shopping experience
Christoph Eltze, Chief Digital and Technology Officer at German grocery giant, REWE Group, has taken to social media to discuss the retailer’s Pick&Go store format landing in Düsseldorf, Germany, and how this marks the start of a new test phase for its autonomous shopping experience.
In a LinkedIn post, he said: “This is because we are constantly working on responding more and more flexibly to the needs of our customers, including with our Pick&Go innovation. For the first time in Düsseldorf, we are relying on the principle of four wins.”
Customers in Düsseldorf can decide at the exit of the store which shopping route they want to take, choosing between four options:
Cashierless payment via the Pick&Go app; manual scanning of products at the self-checkout terminal; payment at the conventional tape cash register; or payment at self-checkout terminals with computer vision support, which eliminates the need for scanning.
7. Currys partners with Accenture and Microsoft as omnichannel retailer looks to accelerate adoption of generative AI
Currys, an omnichannel retailer of technology and electrical products and services, has selected Accenture and Microsoft to deliver its core cloud technology infrastructure that will enable it to leverage the latest AI technologies to enhance operations, elevate the shopping experience, and improve the colleague experience for its 25,000 people.
Accenture and Microsoft, together with their joint venture Avanade, will work with Currys to modernise, secure and simplify its technology estate, enabling Currys to accelerate the adoption of Microsoft AI technologies such as Azure OpenAI Service.
Alex Baldock, Group CEO, Currys, says, “AI is the biggest technological leap of our life time. Currys exists to help everyone enjoy amazing technology, so as well as bringing the benefits of AI to millions of customers, we’ll do the same to our own business.”
“We couldn’t have better partners for this, and together we aim to put Currys at the forefront of digital transformation in retail. We’re just starting out here, but the possibilities are vast. I’m looking forward to unlocking big benefits for our colleagues, customers and shareholders.”
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