Primark goes big on Click and Collect service: RTIH presents the retail technology week in numbers
Do you like numbers? Do you like retail systems news? Then this is the article for you. Including Taylor Swift, Shopify, Made With Intent, Retail Technology Show 2024, Walmart, Roblox, Zippin, Lidl GB, and Invent Analytics.
600-700%…The Taylor Swift Effect isn’t just a pop culture headline, it’s also big business, and online retailers are well positioned to take advantage, says Shopify President Harley Finkelstein.
In a LinkedIn post, he flagged up the example of creator and entrepreneur Cassey Ho, founder of Blogilates.
With the release of Swift’s latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, she released a viral video in her For a Fortnight challenge. The video shows a three-second clip of her wearing a Blogilates skirt.
Since the feature, Blogilates instantly sold out of their Pirouette skirt in 13 colour ways and, for the first time ever, had to open pre-sales to meet the overwhelming demand for their product.
They saw a 600-700% increase in sales and had the second best day of all time, only beaten by their 2023 Black Friday sales.
£1.5 million…Made With Intent, a UK startup that has developed a platform helping online retailers to understand and target customer intent, has raised £1.5 million.
Led by Mercuri, with Portfolio Ventures and previous investors Haatch following, the seed funding will support the fully remote team of 15 with their product, marketing and partnership efforts.
Made With Intent has raised £2.1 million in total to date.
The idea came after the founder, David Mannheim, recognised a fundamental flaw in online retail strategies.
After 15 years of optimising conversion rates in e-commerce, he realised the industry’s fixation on conversion metrics was the very thing holding it back.
12,500…Retail Technology Show 2024, which took place at London Olympia last week, welcomed over 12,500 retail professionals to its two-day event, an increase of attendee numbers by +28% year-on-year.
Described by Charles Tyrwhitt’s Nick Wheeler as “eye opening”, the event delivered its biggest innovation showcase to date, with 400+ technology providers and innovators exhibiting across two exhibition halls.
30…In its 30th year, Lidl GB has announced plans to open hundreds of new stores across the country, creating thousands of new jobs.
This follows a year of significant investment in its infrastructure, during which Lidl opened its largest global warehouse in Luton.
The discounter has also been optimising and enhancing its existing estate.
This has included the completion of an extension to its Welsh distribution centre in Bridgend, along with significant progress in its Belvedere warehouse expansion, which will result in its size and capacity being doubled once the project is complete.
It also introduced enhancements to its store estate, including the roll-out of electronic shelf labels, all of which in turn have supported Lidl’s growth, with market share now standing at 8%.
Richard Taylor, Lidl GB Chief Development Officer, comments: “Having fortified our infrastructure with significant investments like Luton, which is the largest warehouse in the Lidl world, we're proud to have achieved record market share this month.”
“We have also been the fastest growing bricks and mortar supermarket for the past seven months in a row. With an exceptional store network and our laser focus on operational excellence, we’re welcoming more customers through our doors than ever before, which positions us perfectly for continued expansion.”
“As we celebrate our 30th year, our commitment to ensuring that all households across the country have access to high quality produce at affordable prices is stronger than ever. We’re planning to open hundreds of new Lidl stores but ultimately see no ceiling on our ambition or growth potential.”
“This is why we’re continuing to invest in new locations whilst exploring innovative routes to expansion. As we look ahead, we’re excited to welcome even more new shoppers to our existing stores, as well as those we’re planning to open across the country in the coming months and years.”
Lidl is specifically looking for sites in prominent locations with easy access and strong pedestrian or traffic flow, with 1.5+ acres for a standalone store and up to four acres for mixed-use schemes.
Sites should allow for unit sizes between 18,000 and 26,500 sq ft and over 100 dedicated car parking spaces, and Lidl will consider freehold, leasehold or long leasehold opportunities.
$17 million…Invent Analytics, a retail planning solutions provider, has secured $17 million in Series B funding.
The round was led by LFX Venture Partners, in partnership with existing investors European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Collective Spark.
The company has raised $24.5 million in total to date.
John Seung, Managing Partner, LFX Venture Partners, says: “We’re on a mission to build a better, more efficient, and sustainable global supply chain.”
“We chose to invest in Invent Analytics for its innovative AI decisioning technology and ability to accelerate retailer planning capabilities to create direct bottom-line return on investment.”
49%…New research from WRAP, a climate action NGO, shows that 49% of people are putting all used textiles in the rubbish bin.
On average, each person in the UK throws 35 items of unwanted textiles straight into general waste every year.
Meanwhile, the textiles that do get donated responsibly have plummeted in price due to saturation of low quality fast fashion on the market, resulting in less income for reuse and recycling sectors.
WRAP is urging key partners across brands, retailers, investors and governments to support the UK’s textiles reuse and recycling sector through grants, investment and legislation so our unloved clothes can catalyse a more circular fashion ecosystem.
£239 million…Digital services firm Valtech has completed its acquisition of the digital transformation consultancy Kin + Carta.
The transaction, valued at £239 million, is funded by a combination of shareholder equity and external debt and sees Kin + Carta delisted from the London Stock Exchange.
Kelly Manthey, Kin + Carta CEO, will become CEO of Valtech Americas and Chris Kutsor, Kin + Carta CFO, will take the role of Valtech Americas CFO. They will also join Valtech’s executive committee.
1…In a retail first, Walmart is now able to sell physical goods directly to users inside Roblox.
From this week, Walmart Discovered users will be able to have real-life items shipped directly to their doorsteps.
They will be greeted with a new storefront showcasing virtual twins of select items sold at physical Walmart stores. The feature will be gated specifically to users aged 13 or older in the United States only.
A pilot will run through the month of May, during which time Roblox will not receive a cut of item sales, with all revenues going directly to Walmart. The short-term aim here is to gauge users’ willingness to purchase physical goods on the platform.
“We are excited to start testing real-world commerce as a key step towards enabling it in the future for our community of creators and brands,” said Roblox VP of Economy Enrico D’Angelo.
“Shopping for virtual items is already an important element of how people engage and express themselves on Roblox daily, so our goal is to gather feedback, test the technology and learn what resonates with Gen Z customers the most when it comes to shopping for physical items.”
1…Rimi has opened its first unmanned, self-service store in the Baltic.
This is situated in Tallinn (the capital of Estonia) in the Noblessner district located by the seaside.
The pilot project lays the foundation for a possible round the clock shopping experience. The Rimi Express store is a 32 square metre, environmentally friendly wooden building.
Kristel Mets, CMD at Rimi Estonia, calls it a “completely new approach in terms of both technical solutions and customer experience.”
She says: “We chose the Noblessner area, which, with its modern and innovative atmosphere, is the perfect place to test a new store. Here we get a good experience on how to offer a shopping opportunity to both locals and tourists and a large number of people simultaneously during major summer events.”
“We thank everyone who has contributed to implementing this pilot project, and we look forward to the customers' first impressions and feedback."
39,978…A new study by tech retailer Currys looks at Google searches in the UK around scam emails, and it seems Evri is the favourite brand scammers are using to target their victims, with 39,978 searches over the past year for “evri scam email”.
These searches have also increased by 823% over the past 12 months, when comparing search volume in March 2023 to February 2024.
The next brand scammers hide behind most is PayPal with 28,900 searches over 12 months for “paypal scam email”, however, the monthly search volume for this has decreased by 19% over the past 12 months.
And Amazon was the third brand most people were searching in relation to scam emails, with 14,000 annual searches for “amazon scam email”.
184…Primark is to expand its Click & Collect service to all its 184 stores in Great Britain by the end of 2025, following an 18-month trial.
It will also add new categories and products available to buy via Click & Collect. The changes will be phased, with new products including home and lifestyle going live now, with men’s to follow.
The first new stores to offer Click & Collect will launch towards the end of the year, with more details on the locations to be announced nearer the time.
After launching in November 2022 in 25 stores in the North West of England, North Wales and Yorkshire, the service expanded to more stores in and around London in autumn 2023. It is currently offered in 57 Primark stores in Great Britain, primarily offering a selection of women and kids clothing and accessories.
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