Autonomous stores on motorways, GenAI tools, and e-cargo bike milestones: 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 Colibri, Sensei, Target, Shopify, Instacart, Evri, REWE Group, Serve Robotics, Nike and Hyperice.

Fairchild RMN and tutch

tutch, a digital platform that aims to get in-store customers to spend more, more often, through a connected experience, is partnering with Fairchild RMN, which organises media networks around shopping centres and malls, through its LOCLshop technology.

The pair say that they will create a unified process designed to drive customers into physical stores, beginning with LOCLshop powered texts incentivising them to visit participating locations.

Once inside, tutch’s platform will continue customers’ experiences through self-service screens.

The experience will enable customers to take advantage of personalised offers, discover new products, connect directly with brands, and access every product a retailer has available.

The LOCLshop platform delivers promotional content to over 14 million unique shoppers each month for more than 160,000 stores, 900 malls and 5,000 shopping centres.

Retailers such as Macy’s, Petco, Luxottica and PGA Tour Superstore currently use it.

Colibri

Colibri has announced the opening of the first autonomous store on one of Grupo Brisa’s highways in Portugal, under the Colibri Express banner.

Located in Colibri de Pombal, A1, towards Lisbon, this is the result of a partnership with Sensei.

José Maria Almeida Lima, General Manager at Brisa Service Areas, says: “Customers can access a wide variety of products and only three steps are needed to make the purchase: the customer opens the door with their bank card, chooses the products they want and leaves, with the possibility of receiving the invoice in digital format."

In a LinkedIn post, Sensei said: “The first ever autonomous store on a motorway in Portugal! A non-stop pit stop. With no waiting lines. Always on the move.”

“Now, if you’re on the fly like a Colibri (the fastest bird in the world, how convenient!), we make sure you have no time to waste. While Brisa takes care of the road, together with Colibri, we take care of the journey.”

Galp

Portuguese multinational energy corporation, Galp, has gone live with its new Smart Store offering at Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics in Portugal.

The autonomous location is powered by Portuguese startup Sensei’s technology.

In a LinkedIn post, Maria Estarreja, Executive Director Retail Innovation Lab (RIL) at Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics, said: “I have the pleasure to announce that we opened last week at Católica Lisbon an autonomous Galp Smart Store, that will allow us to provide improved services to our dear students and, at the same time, will be a research lab for the RIL.”

She added: “This project was only possible due to the hard work and collaboration of the RIL and Católica Lisbon, Galp and Sensei.”

“I would like to thank all the teams enrolled in this project, as well as send a special thank you to Ana Casaca (Global Head of Innovation at Galp) and Joana Rafael (COO at Sensei) for dreaming with us.”

Price Chopper and McKeever's Market & Eatery

Price Chopper and McKeever's Market & Eatery report that Caper Carts, Instacart’s AI powered smart carts, are now available at select stores in Missouri.

These allow customers to scan items as they shop, manage their grocery budget in real-time and skip the checkout line. 

Caper Carts are available starting at Price Chopper in Parkville and McKeever’s Market & Eatery in Lee’s Summit, followed by a broader deployment in the coming months.

They feature an interactive screen to engage customers, track spending for budget friendly shopping, and directly access coupons and deals through a loyalty programme.

Caper Carts also have features available to engage customers throughout the entire shopping journey - from personalised recommendations as they shop and gamification elements that reward customers once a spending threshold is achieved.

parcelLab

parcelLab has announced the launch of Returns Forecast AI, a tool that leverages AI to estimate inbound parcels for retailer warehouses, with the aim of allowing retailers to forecast returns volumes and identify trend changes more accurately, better plan warehouse resources, reduce processing times and operational costs.

“The increasing number of returned parcels presents a unique challenge to retailers, who need better visibility to understand trend changes, manage staffing levels, reduce processing times and create effective distribution plans,” says Tobias Buxhoidt, Founder and CEO at parcelLab. 

“With Returns Forecast AI, we’re giving warehouse managers and logistics specialists the power to turn that challenge into a business opportunity with a tool they can self-configure to visualise patterns and measure percentage errors.”

“By reducing operational costs and improving financial planning, our Returns Forecast AI delivers a new level of transparency and returns forecast reliability by tapping into the power of predictive planning to make data driven decisions that will revolutionise the returns process and dramatically decrease operational costs for retailers.” 

Target and Shopify

Shopify merchants can now sell their items to Target shoppers.

Sellers on the commerce platform can apply to join Target Plus, the retailer’s third-party marketplace where merchants can sell and manage orders.

Target is the first major retailer to collaborate with Shopify to introduce its merchants’ products into physical stores. The first Shopify sellers to be featured at Target include True Classic and Caden Lane.

“If you’re selling today, you need to be everywhere potential customers are, period. We’re constantly unlocking opportunities for our merchants to reach new customers wherever they shop,” says Shopify President Harley Finkelstein.

REWE Group

Christoph Eltze, Chief Digital and Technology Officer at German grocery giant, REWE Group, has taken to social media to discuss the AI revolution in the retail space.

In a LinkedIn post, he said: “Is AI revolutionising today's (bricks and mortar) shopping? Since ChatGPT at the latest, there has been a real hype about AI applications.”

“But one in four retailers considers AI to be a trend that will soon be over, according to the results of a Bitkom survey at the end of last year.”

“My assessment: The effects of AI are sometimes overestimated in the short-term, but completely underestimated in the long-term.”

“Artificial intelligence offers numerous opportunities both to support our colleagues in the right places in the store and to continuously develop the shopping experience of our customers. However, we are still in the testing phase industry wide.”

Eltze went on to give various examples of how REWE Group is tapping AI solutions.

For instance, the HOLMES tool (Holistic Management of Exceptional Salespattern) is currently helping colleagues in around 100 PENNY stores to find items that are hidden on the shelf or are currently sold out, for example.

Walmart

In April, we reported that Walmart was now able to sell physical goods directly to users inside Roblox.

Walmart Discovered users can have real-life items shipped directly to their doorsteps.

They are greeted with a new storefront showcasing virtual twins of select items sold at physical Walmart stores. The feature is gated specifically to users aged 13 or older in the United States only.

Walmart is now launching a Walmart Discovered AR experience, built in partnership with Sawhorse Productions and Metavertising.

In a LinkedIn post, Walmart Director of Brand Experiences and Strategic Partnerships Justin Breton, said: “It’s important for us to continue identifying new, innovative ways to deepen our relationship with our Roblox community.”

“That’s why, today, we’re launching the Walmart Discovered AR Experience, the first ever immersive AR experience that allows customers to step inside Walmart Discovered in the real-world.”

Customers can shop trending user generated content, discover indie experiences, and see the month’s free virtual item (with the purchase of a Roblox gift card from Walmart.

The featured UGC and experiences are made by and sourced from the retailer’s community on Roblox.

It has also partnered with Flaunt, a Roblox loyalty platform, to power monthly quests that connect the AR experience with the on-platform experience.

Breton said: “It introduces cross-platform gamification and provides our customers with an element of surprise and delight once a quest is complete.”

He concluded: “Customers can easily access the Walmart Discovered AR Experience on their mobile phones by scanning a QR code on the Roblox gift card display in stores nationwide, visiting a dedicated Roblox gift card landing page on Walmart.com, or joining our growing Discord server for early access to our monthly quest.”

Target

Target has announced plans to roll-out a new generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tool to team members at all of its nearly 2,000 stores by August.

This makes it the first major retailer to share that it is bringing this technology to its store team members across the US.

The tool, called Store Companion, is a chatbot designed by Target that can answer on the job process questions, coach new team members, support store operations management and more.

Store Companion's goal is to make the teams' jobs easier and allow them to work more quickly and efficiently, offering faster service and deeper guest engagement.

The initiative is part of Target's broader strategic approach to using GenAI across its business to empower its team, enhance the guest experience and support the company's long-term growth.

Evri

UK parcel delivery company, Evri, has announced a £19 million investment in new plans to fast track the roll-out of electric cargo bikes.

The move, which is expected to give Evri the UK’s biggest fleet of e-cargo bikes for parcel delivery, are part of a wider £19 million investment in sustainability.

This will see Evri grow its fleet of e-cargo bikes from 33 to 99 and electric vehicles (EVs) from 168 to 270 within the next year.

The firm also has plans to grow its fleet of electric cargo bikes to 3,000 over the next decade - as part of its wider plans to reduce carbon emissions across its network and become a net-zero company by 2035.

Evri has established a dedicated "final mile electrification taskforce" which will spearhead innovative solutions, explore partnerships, and implement strategies to transform last mile deliveries into a zero-emission operation.

Nike and Hyperice

Nike and Hyperice have teamed up to launch new boots and a vest - wearable technology designed to help athletes perform at their best throughout training and competition.

“Recovery is an important part of any athlete’s journey, but we’re hearing from athletes that this concept of ‘pre-covery’ is equally as important,” says Tobie Hatfield, Senior Director, Nike Athlete Innovation.

“The footwear and vest that we’ve developed with Hyperice help get the body ready for activity, whether you’re playing for a title or you’re on your feet a lot at work.”

Serve Robotics

Serve Robotics has announced the expansion of its autonomous delivery operations into Koreatown as part of a long-term plan to broaden its geographic reach in Los Angeles and across the US.

Additionally, in preparation for the scale up of its fleet for future expansions, it is expanding its lidar supply agreement with Ouster to equip its robots with upgraded sensors for enhanced performance.