Including Sensei, Slerp, RTS 2024, and Cegid Retail: check out our biggest retail technology articles on LinkedIn this week
We’re big fans of LinkedIn and are busy building an amazing community of retail tech enthusiasts on the social media platform. As we head towards the 20,000 followers mark, these are the articles that are currently on their radars, including autonomous microstores, 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards judges, and retail media partnerships.
Retail technology analyst and influencer Natalie Berg added to 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards judging panel
The awards celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our 2024 winners will be announced at the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony, which will be held at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ on Thursday, 21st November.
Entry forms and FAQs can be found here.
Natalie delivers valuable insights on the trends shaping the global retail sector, with a particular focus on the convergence of physical and digital commerce.
She is passionate about how retailers can enhance the customer experience and has co-authored two books on retail, including Amazon: How the World’s Most Relentless Retailer Will Continue to Revolutionise Commerce.
Natalie hosts the Retail Disrupted podcast and is a regular keynote speaker on the retail conference circuit.
She is an objective TV and radio commentator with frequent appearances on the BBC, Bloomberg and Sky News, and also writes a guest column for Retail Week and Forbes.
In addition to her media work, she is an elected member of the KPMG Retail Think Tank where she provides quarterly insights and analysis on the health of the UK retail sector.
New EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg EV charging station includes REWE Ready autonomous microstore
EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg has opened a NextLevel Ladepark EV charging station in Chemnitz, Germany.
This includes a Reckon AI powered REWE Ready microstore.
In a LinkedIn post, Francisco Vasconcelos, COO at Reckon.ai, said: “Another state-of-the-art microstore, powered by Reckon.ai.”
“Last week was the official opening of EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg NextLevel Ladepark in Chemnitz. This EV charging station has 24 high power charging points and is the first of many.”
He added: “With game changing developments to address different aspects of sustainability, the customers of this charging station have a 24/7 fully autonomous microstore from REWE Ready with approximately 200 products.”
Asia Jewellers embarks on store expansion in Bahrain and announces Cegid Retail technology deployment
Cegid, a specialist in cloud management solutions for the finance (treasury, tax, ERP), human resources (payroll, talent management), accountancy, retail and entrepreneurship sectors, has been chosen by Asia Jewellers to support its store expansion in Bahrain.
Based in Bahrain, Asia Jewellers is the official retailer for over 60 luxury brands which include Cartier, Bottega Veneta, and Van Cleef & Arpels.
It had previously been using another system to manage its retail operations but sought a more user-friendly, streamlined solution that provided superior reporting capabilities.
Following research into the innovative technology tools used by other luxury retailers, Cegid was the name that kept coming up.
Closing the loop: Zitcha and Venvee partnership pitched as a major advance for in-store retail media space
Zitcha and Venvee have teamed up with the aim of closing the loop on in-store retail media measurement, enabling retailers and brand advertisers to create more targeted, effective and measurable advertising campaigns.
Venvee is a specialist in using spatial AI for retail media networks to understand and activate audiences and measure campaign performance based on in-store behaviour.
The integration of its shopper journey data with retail media platform Zitcha’s sales and conversion data means advertisers have a clearer understanding on the return of their digital advertising spend to make more informed investment decisions.
Italian job for autonomous store technology firm Sensei as Conad opens Grab and Go store in Trento
Sensei, a Portugal-based provider of autonomous store technology, has announced a deal in the Italian market with the opening of the country’s second autonomous supermarket.
Located in the historic centre of Trento, Conad’s new neighbourhood store TuDay Prendi & Vai promises a faster and more convenient shopping experience without the need to queue or scan products.
Sensei, which has autonomous stores across Europe and South America, has teamed up with the DAO cooperative that manages Conad in the provinces of Trento, Bolzano, Vicenza and Verona.
The opening comes six months after the launch of a first store, located in Verona, for the same client. This has so far pulled in more than 90,000 people.
Retail Technology Show grows number of senior level retailers and retail decision-maker visitors in 2024
Last month, RTS delivered its biggest ever showcase, with almost 400 tech exhibitors on the show floor and 120+ industry luminaries and leaders speaking on its stages discussing the industry’s hottest topics.
As well as drawing an audience of 12,752 retail professionals to the two-day event at London Olympia, it continued to pull in a senior level audience in 2024, according to its latest Post Show Report.
82% of RTS attendees operate within C-suite, senior management or ‘head of’ roles within their respective retail organisations, with the number of C-level visitors growing by +2 percentage points compared to 2023.
This senior level of retail attendees also meant 83% of those retailers attending the RTS either influenced or authorised decisions on retail technology spend within their organisations, +1% higher than 2023.
As with 2023, once again visitors to RTS indexed highly among fashion and grocery retailers, with the highest number of attendees coming from the fashion and apparel sector (27%), up +6 percentage points year-on-year, followed by grocery (22%), which also grew +8 percentage points compared to last year.
Other categories of retailer visitors included DIY, home and garden (9%), general merchandise and health and beauty (both 5%).
One of the biggest draws for retailers was to stay ahead of industry trends and consumer insights (28%).
Retail and wholesale technology firm Jisp announces ‘groundbreaking’ partnership with FMCG brand HELL Energy
Jisp has announced a new partnership with FMCG brand HELL Energy.
The tie up brings a direct to store buying and distribution service to retailers, utilising Jisp’s app-based technology, in a move that aims to build closer working relationships with retailers for HELL.
Retailers can order its products through the Jisp app direct from the brand’s Walsall depot, with a delivery area initially covering the East and West Midlands, Derbyshire and west into the Bristol area.
The service will reward retailers with special pricing and loyalty rewards, with promotions from HELL then extending into the shopper app to complete the engagement with the end consumer.
Kent State University taps CBORD and Amazon Just Walk Out technology for checkout-free shopping experience
CBORD, a provider of higher education automation solutions, has announced the integration of Amazon's Just Walk Out (JWO) technology at Kent State University in Ohio.
Students, faculty and staff at Kent State University can now complete their shopping without waiting in line.
Upon exiting the store, the purchase amount is automatically deducted from their campus funds account. And they can receive an itemised receipt via email shortly after they depart.
Kroger, Walmart, and Home Depot veteran Michael Lamb joins board of directors at US startup Good2Go
Good2Go, which provides businesses with secure automated access and virtual queueing solutions for restrooms, fitting rooms, and locked merchandise that deter theft, vandalism, and other security risks, has added Michael Lamb to its board of directors.
In a LinkedIn post, the company said: “Mike is a prominent loss prevention and asset protection leader with more than 40 years of experience.”
“Previously serving as VP of Asset Protection at Kroger, Walmart, and Home Depot, he brings his expertise and stellar track record to accelerate Good2Go’s go to market strategy.”
Lamb commented: “Good2Go’s innovative solution is an easy win for LP/AP teams that ensures safety and convenience for staff and customers.”
“When technology improves in-store safety and frontline productivity, it’s a clear priority for any business to implement. I’m excited to join the Good2Go board and support its growth across the retail sector and beyond.”
Tech firm Slerp announces integration with Order with Google to streamline direct ordering for restaurants
Slerp, a technology solution for restaurants and the hospitality sector, has activated an integration with Order with Google, with the aim of enhancing direct ordering capabilities for all its partners that have a Google Business Profile.
This collaboration introduces an online ordering call-to-action button directly linking to their checkout process, simplifying the ordering experience for customers who can now order directly.
Most of us are familiar and frequent users of the options to call, email or make dine-in restaurant reservations via Google Business Profiles on the search engine.
Now, online ordering, powered by Slerp, will be given the same weighting as reservation buttons, enabling customers to order directly, without having to visit a third-party marketplace.
Featuring Wayve, Pipedream and Invent Analytics: five retail technology funding rounds you need to know about
RTIH rounds up five retail systems ventures who have recently secured significant investments in their businesses, including companies specialising in hyperlogistics, embodied AI for autonomous driving, and increasing the shelf-life of food produce.
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