Featuring Kammac, GoWit, Mattel, and One iota: 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 Hugo Boss, JD Sports Israel, WeDev Technologies, Reward, Macy’s Media Network, and Rokt.

3PL firm Kammac hires former Footasylum CEO and Chairman Barry Bown as Brand Ambassador

Third-party logistics (3PL) provider Kammac has appointed Barry Bown as its new Brand Ambassador.

Bown brings over 35 years of senior leadership experience within the retail sector and joins Kammac with a track record that includes his roles as CEO and Chairman of Footasylum and Group CEO for 16 years at JD Sports Fashion.

“I am delighted to join Kammac at this pivotal moment in the company’s development,” he says.

“This is an exciting time, and I am eager to use my knowledge and experience to help build the brand, drive growth, and set new industry standards – ensuring Kammac remains at the forefront of innovation and excellence.”

Toy giant Mattel appoints industry veteran Sai Koorapati Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer

Toy and family entertainment company, Mattel, reports that Sai Koorapati has been appointed Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer.

Anthony DiSilvestro, CFO at Mattel, says: “We are thrilled to welcome Sai to our leadership team at Mattel.”

“He brings to our company a strong track record leading digital transformations and proven experience across enterprise applications, customer facing systems, and cybersecurity tools.”

“We look forward to the benefit of Sai’s expertise navigating complex technological landscapes and empowering innovation at Mattel.”

In his role, Koorapati oversees all aspects of Mattel’s technology innovation and implementation, including shared platforms, software and hardware development, artificial intelligence (AI), and connected product design and creation.

He also leads Mattel’s online security and privacy.

Retail media advertising specialist GoWit bags $1.3 million in funding to drive expansion across Europe and MENA

AdTech firm GoWit has secured $1.3 million in funding to help drive expansion across Europe and MENA.

Headquartered in Delaware, USA, GoWit works with marketplaces and retailers - including Kingfisher - to offer digital and physical advertising spaces to brands.

In turn, those brands, such as Nespresso and Reckitt, benefit from high impact ad formats displayed across onsite, off-site and in-store channels.

In this investment round, it received support from existing investors Formus Capital (based in the USA), APY Ventures, and Mindvest, while welcoming DCP as a new backer.

It follows a $1 million investment announced last year, which has helped the company to grow its teams in the UK, France, the Netherlands, and the Middle East.

John Hoyle, founder of RTIH Innovation Awards winner Sook, joins Diriyah Company as Development Director

John Hoyle has started a new position as Development Director at Diriyah Company, which offers property development, project planning, residential sales, leasing, asset management, and investment solutions in Saudi Arabia.

Hoyle was previously founder of Sook, a UK-based startup operating in the pop-up retail space that closed for business earlier this year after failing to raise sufficient funding.

In a LinkedIn post, Hoyle said: “I’m devastated to announce the closure of Sook.”

“In spite of the extraordinary efforts of our team, growing sales and achieving international scale we were unable to raise sufficient investment to continue in the current environment.”

He added: “I’m so proud of all that we achieved and incredibly sad that we cannot continue. Please support our team members as they search for new roles.”

“They have first hand experience of disrupting the retail and real estate sectors during incredibly challenging times. Thank you to everyone who supported us over the last five years.”

Hugo Boss partners with One iota on launch of smart fitting room at flagship store in Düsseldorf, Germany

Hugo Boss has gone live with a smart fitting room in its new flagship Boss store in Düsseldorf, Germany, which has around 1,000 square metres of sales space, spread over two floors.

It worked with One iota on the project, integrating the solution into eight of 17 fitting rooms in the store for the first time.

This is a screen that reads items taken in via RFID, displays the items (and other items that may go with it) and allows customers to select different size/colour variants if required.

This triggers a request to an iPad app for a store member to pick the item and take it to the nominated dressing room number.

PoS specialist Harrison Retail unveils rebrand and expansion plans amid period of significant growth

Harrison Retail, a display Point of Sale partner for retailers, has completed a rebrand, driven by a period of significant growth for the company which has seen it take on new partnerships with the likes of Morrisons, B&Q, Aldi and Jysk.

Harrison Retail says that it took an in-depth look at what it does as a business, what this meant for its current and potential customers, and how this change will impact the way they do business.

The new logo features an ‘H’, inspired by the angular shapes of Harrison’s PoS.

JD Sports Israel teams with WeDev Technologies on complex and rewarding launch of new in-store digital kiosks

JD Sports Israel has launched new digital kiosks in its stores.

In a LinkedIn post, Hay Dick, Head of E-commerce at JD Sports Israel, said: “After months of hard work, collaboration, and countless hours of work, our digital kiosks are now available in JD Sports physical stores.”

“This project has been one of the most complex and rewarding experiences I’ve worked on, alongside our incredible development partners at WeDev Technologies, together we’ve crafted a solution that enhances the in-store shopping experience in a big way.”

He added: “Ever walked into a store and couldn’t find the product you wanted in the right size, colour, or model? Our new kiosk is here to solve that problem.”

“It's directly connected to our e-commerce website, providing real-time access to our entire inventory. Now, if the product you’re looking for isn’t on the shelf, you can easily locate it through the kiosk and even place an order on the spot and get it right to your door.”

Dick concluded: “This project is a testament to the power of innovation and collaboration. I’m incredibly proud of the work our team has done to bring this to life, and I can’t wait to see how it transforms the shopping experience for our customers offline and online.”

“Here’s to making shopping easier, more efficient, and more enjoyable.”

Macy’s Media Network expands retail media capabilities with Rokt tie up using AI powered technology

Macy’s Media Network - the US retailer’s in-house media platform dedicated to connecting advertising partners with its own loyal and engaged customers - has expanded its retail media capabilities through a partnership with Rokt.

This is a programme allowing Macy’s to deliver its customers premium offers post-purchase, driving relevancy and engagement.

“Macy’s is an iconic American retailer, and we are extremely proud to partner with the incredible Macy’s Media Network team to drive increased value for its customers,” says Elizabeth Buchanan, Chief Commercial Officer at Rokt.

“This partnership is empowering Macy’s to connect more closely with its online customers by delivering highly relevant messages from our non-endemic advertising partners at the end of the purchase when they are still in a transaction mindset, making the shopping experience more memorable, personal, and impactful.”

Comment: charity shops are finally disrupting the retail sector and Generation Z is our secret weapon

By Kate Bishop, Director of Retail and Brand Strategy, Save The Children. 

For too long the charity retail sector has been perceived to be on the outskirts of the mainstream.

We’ve made our way into some specific categories with high fashion specialists in the designer second hand market, furniture specialists including up-cyclists becoming more sought after and second-hand high street fashion taking on the fast fashion labels we have become accustomed to.  

Loyalty programmes specialist Reward brings in FinTech and data veteran Yekaterina Gusin as CFO

Reward, a specialist in customer engagement and commerce media, has announced the appointment of Yekaterina (Kate) Gusin as Chief Financial Officer.

With over 20 years of experience in global financial executive positions at data and FinTech brands including American Express, Finastra, Thomson Reuters, and Planet, she brings knowledge in data and technology, as well as experience in market expansion and supporting global growth.

The appointment follows the announcement that Experian has acquired a strategic stake in Reward, supporting the business in bolstering its commerce media products and services.

Gusin joins the board as a director of the company and will lead Reward’s Finance, Legal, Risk and Compliance functions.