Featuring Patchworks, Rovertown, Ikea, and Fresha: 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 Mattel, Mint Velvet, Ikea, Pets at Home, Scandit, Boxbar Tech, Global Payments, East of England Co-op, Retail Insight, and the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards.
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.
Mint Velvet taps Patchworks iPaaS solution to seamlessly connect essential systems in its technology stack
Mint Velvet has gone live on Patchworks’ e-commerce integration platform.
In a LinkedIn post, Jim Herbert, CEO at Patchworks, said: “This integration is a testament to the power and flexibility of our iPaaS solution, seamlessly connecting some of the most essential systems in their tech stack.”
He added: “This integration is an enterprise grade integration layer that connects NetSuite, Shopify, Retail Assist Merret, Givex, Centric Software and our MACH Alliance partners Cloudinary and Bloomreach.”
“By bringing these platforms together, Mint Velvet can now enjoy streamlined operations, enhanced data flow, and a more connected digital ecosystem.”
Former Yesway senior loyalty manager Michael Caldwell onboard with mobile apps firm Rovertown
Mobile commerce specialist Rovertown reports that Michael Caldwell has joined the team as its new Customer Success Manager - Enterprise.
He was previously at US convenience store chain, Yesway, where he built and grew its loyalty programme from 35 stores to more than 435.
“I’ve known the Rovertown team for several years, and I’ve always admired the work they’ve done to move our industry forward,” says Caldwell.
“It’s so important for the digital experience to match a brand’s reputation and give customers that same ‘feel good’ feeling they get when they walk through the door.”
“I’m thrilled to leverage more than seven years of experience at Yesway to serve our enterprise clients and enhance the customer first approach that has made Rovertown so successful.”
After joining the retailer in 2017, Caldwell built and grew Yesway Rewards.
Following Yesway’s 2019 acquisition of the Allsup’s brand, Caldwell incorporated its more than 300 stores, giving them their first ever loyalty programme and unveiling Yesway & Allsup’s Rewards.
Focus on online retail and physical stores as RTIH gears up to launch seventh issue of its printed magazine
In this edition, we showcase the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards, sponsored by CADS, 3D Cloud, and Retail Technology Show 2025, and Business France.
Deadline for entries is Friday, 25th October, with winners being announced at the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony, to be held at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on Thursday, 21st November.
We also present the Retail Technology Innovations Report, sponsored by 3D Cloud.
This highlights the top 50 retail tech plays of the past 12 months as decided by myself and an independent advisory panel.
Innovation and technology play a critical role in the success of the retail sector, and it is great to celebrate this with the Retail Technology Innovations report.
We have now started work on the 2025 edition, which will be published both in our magazine and on our website in March of next year. In this issue, we run through a few early contenders for the next top 50.
Elsewhere, RTIH talks social media, physical locations and online opportunities with Louis Rose, Co-founder of Sofa Club, and our secret shopper delves into the online experience offered by Cider, the fast fashion firm that is challenging Shein.
Also, our Editor Scott Thompson highlights the continued importance of high streets and town centres amid the rise in popularity of streaming services and online shopping.
They are vital for the UK’s economic success. But it goes beyond that. They also play a massive role in civic and community life, in a way that Netflix, Amazon et al will never be able to do.
And last but most certainly not least, regular contributor, Mike Cadden, talks about how building a community around your e-commerce brand is a powerful strategy for driving long-term sales and enhancing customer lifetime value.
If you are a retailer and would like to receive a free copy of issue seven of RTIH magazine, please complete the form at the end of this article and we will add you to our mailing list.
Focus on ML and AI powered robotics as beauty and wellness marketplace Fresha bags $31 million in financing from J.P. Morgan
Fresha, a marketplace platform for beauty and wellness, has secured a $31 million venture debt facility from J.P. Morgan.
The funding will accelerate its expansion into new markets and drive the growth of its machine learning capabilities and AI-powered robotics.
By offering a subscription free business software with embedded payment processing and a consumer marketplace, Fresha helps beauty businesses, such as salons, barbershops, spas, and aesthetics clinics, to streamline their entire operations and connect with more customers.
To date, it has raised over $185 million in venture capital funding, including a $150 million Series C round in 2021 led by General Atlantic.
Fresha lays claim to a network of over 110,000 merchants, with a strong presence in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe.
The platform's reach extends across 120 countries, where customers book tens of millions of appointments monthly. To date, Fresha has facilitated transactions worth over $35 billion in gross merchandise volume.
In 2023, the company grew revenues by 67% year-over-year, with a similar level of performance expected in 2024. It says that it is approaching probability, although it did not provide further details in a press release.
Scott Dawson takes on CEO role at payments specialist DECTA as company expands its UK presence
DECTA, a UK-based end-to-end payment solution provider, has promoted Scott Dawson to the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO), less than two years after he joined the company as Head of Sales and Strategic Partnerships.
DECTA’s main sectors include e-commerce, construction, furniture, retail and travel, with an emphasis on SMEs.
Dawson will focus on evolving the consultative approach of the business and drive the company’s UK strategy forward, while continuing to support SMEs and solidifying the business’s offering
Previously, he served as Director of Operations at Pixxles and Commercial Director at Neopay.
He has also held fraud management positions at PSI Holdings and Neteller, before becoming Senior Fraud Manager and then Business Development Manager at ClickandBuy, which was acquired by Deutsche Telekom.
2024 RTIH Innovation Awards adds e-commerce and digital transformation specialist Leonid Gladilin as judge
The awards, sponsored by CADS, 3D Cloud, Retail Technology Show 2025, and Business France, 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 in Central London on Thursday, 21st November.
Entry forms and FAQs can be found here.
Leonid heads up ECDMA (e-Commerce & Digital Marketing Association).
His CV also includes stints as Head of Commerce and Operations in E-commerce at METRO, Head of E-commerce at 1C Company, and Chief Digital Transformation Officer at Respublica.
Innovation that delivers: Boxbar Tech and Global Payments deploy self-pour beer concept at Birmingham City FC
EFL League One football team Birmingham City FC has installed a self-pour beer solution at its St Andrew’s ground.
The project saw Boxbar Tech and Global Payments teaming up for the first time.
In a LinkedIn post, Steve McArdle, Director -Stadia and Venues at Global Payments, said: “Launch completed. The introduction of the first stadia collaboration between Boxbar Tech and Global Payments. Innovation that delivers.”
He added: “Birmingham City FC included this remarkable self-pour beer concept to the recent £15 million investment at the venue. Investing in a remarkable new fan experience at the club. Global Payments contactless technology ensures a speedy and safe transaction.”
Smart data firm Scandit boosts retail shelf intelligence capabilities with MarketLab acquisition
Scandit, a specialist in smart data capture, has announced the asset acquisition of shelf audit automation technology from MarketLab, a Polish image recognition and AI software company focused on the retail industry.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
As part of the transaction, MarketLab's team will join Scandit to build and expand the new offering.
“The acquisition marks a new milestone in our evolution as we continue to broaden our smart data capture capabilities for the wider retail industry,” says Samuel Mueller, CEO and Co-founder at Scandit.
“Integrating MarketLab’s fixed camera-based shelf recognition experience and technology into ShelfView (Scandit’s retail shelf management and analytics solution) strengthens our ability to empower retailers to enhance their overall store performance, boost store associate efficiency and optimise the monetisation of shelf data with CPG partners.”
UK retailer Pets at Home rolls out digital and interactive screens at new look Brentford Pet Care Centre
Pets at Home has announced the re-launch of its Brentford Pet Care Centre as part of its programme to roll-out new concept stores.
This year, the retailer says it is investing in four either existing or new stores to create a ‘concept’ designed to deliver “a truly customer centric experience for pet owners and convey the full Pets at Home omnichannel offering”.
Pets at Home has invested over £1 million in the new look Brentford Pet Care Centre.
It has expanded from 9,000 sq ft. to 14,000 sq ft. and will give people access to a range of specialist services and in-store experiences tailored to the needs of their furry friends.
The store includes digital and interactive screens to help educate and guide customers through their pet care journey, incorporating interactive experiences. For example, customers can build their own fish tank on-screen.
Brentford marks the second new concept Pet Care Centre opening with the first launched in Hull Anlaby in July. The final two concept locations - Kettering and New Malden - are scheduled to launch later this year.
East of England Co-op deploys ESLs within Retail Insight AI powered WasteInsight solution
East of England Co-op has extended its partnership with Retail Insight for a further three years.
The pair have been working together since 2021, with the retailer leveraging the cloud-based WasteInsight solution to tackle food waste across its estate.
Powered by cognitive technology, this includes forecasting accuracy, expiration management, dynamic markdowns and donations to charities.
East of England Co-op taps WasteInsight to drive better expiration management and smarter markdowns using the Prompted and Dynamic Markdown features within the solution.
Its team works with Retail Insight to implement algorithm changes to optimise the time between each markdown, reducing the burden on store associates improving labour productivity.
As part of its extended partnership, Retail Insight has integrated East of England Co-op’s electronic shelf-edge labels (ESLs) into WasteInsight to drive up labour productivity associated with produce expiration management and markdowns.
Ikea set to expand deployment of drone technology in Europe and North America over next 12 months after year of testing
Ikea has announced the next phase in its drone technology programme: an upgraded AI powered system capable of operating around the clock alongside co-workers.
This will be integrated into fulfilment units, including distribution centres.
After a year of testing at the retailer’s DC in Winterslag, Belgium, Ikea is ready to deploy its drones to more locations over the next year.
The next phase will automate the physically demanding and time-consuming task of stock inventory, which is otherwise handled by employees.
This shift will not only free up co-workers to enhance the customer experience but also provides Ikea with faster, more precise and accurate stock management.
In 2021, Ikea launched a collaboration with Verity, a provider of AI and robotics, to develop a fully autonomous drone solution for its warehouses.
The first drone took flight in Ikea Switzerland, and today, more than 250 drones operate across 73 locations, in nine countries.
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