AI reshapes and modernises customer experience: RTIH’s most read retail technology articles from last week
Check out the articles on this here website that caught your fancy last week, including Jellycat, Sendcloud, Walmart Live, TalkShopLIve, 7-Eleven, Grabango, Lily AI, The Very Group, John Lewis, DoorDash, REWE Group, and the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards.
Exceptional Jellycat fish and chips pop up at Selfridges London praised for creative store experience
A new and globally exclusive collection features characters inspired by the British dish.
Customers can book a slot and make their order from Jellycat’s Fish & Chips van in the Selfridges Toyshop on floor four.
The pop-up has received a rave review from Brittain Ladd, a supply chain consultant, Top 100 RTIH Retail Technology Influencer and former Amazon executive.
In a LinkedIn post, he said: “I must admit that when I first saw the video that I have posted, I thought I was watching an actual restaurant in action. However, as the video continued to play, I realised that what I was watching was stuffed toys being sold. The fish with a smile on its face gave it away.”
He added: “I believe Jellycat has the most creative store experience I’ve ever seen for any product. The stuffed animals, colours, wrapping, bags and stickers - it is truly exceptional and brilliant.”
“I’m amazed that The Walt Disney Company, Netflix, Amazon or Walmart hasn’t partnered with Jellycat. A TV series or destination shops should be explored.”
Walmart Live heads to Paris 2024 Olympics with Procter & Gamble brands Venus, Secret, and Olay
Walmart Live last week hosted a Paris 2024 Olympics themed event with Procter & Gamble brands Venus, Secret, and Olay.
Powered by TalkShopLive, this enabled customers to join Laurie Hernandez, US Olympic gold medalist, live from Paris to hear how she achieves everyday victories with P&G.
The livestream also featured an assortment of new P&G products available at Walmart, including the Venus Gold Razor and Olay Cleaning Melts Facial Cleansers.
Sendcloud boosts leadership team as e-commerce shipping firm appoints Christopher Dughieri as CPTO
Sendcloud, a shipping platform for e-commerce, has appointed Christopher Dughieri as Chief Product and Technology Officer (CPTO).
He will lead the product and engineering team, focusing on enhancing the platform's capabilities to optimise the shipping experience for merchants and improve delivery options for consumers across Europe.
“While online stores lack the capabilities of e-commerce giants, customers increasingly demand control over their delivery preferences. Sendcloud narrows this divide by providing businesses access to shipping experiences traditionally available only to major retailers,” says Rob van den Heuvel, CEO and Co-founder at Sendcloud (pictured below).
“As we continue to shape the future of e-commerce delivery, we're expanding our leadership team with seasoned executives bringing diverse expertise. Christopher's vision and leadership will play a pivotal role in advancing our shipping platform.”
DoorDash must be more aggressive and bold in hugely competitive restaurant and grocery delivery space
Every restaurant and grocery delivery company has themselves convinced that they're actually a technology and logistics company. They're not. Shipt, Instacart, DoorDash, Uber, and Amazon are falling over themselves to deliver products for retailers; it's a race to the bottom.
So says Brittain Ladd, a supply chain consultant and former Amazon executive.
Pay and Go Down Under: 7-Eleven Australia goes live with first stores to use Grabango checkout-free system
7-Eleven has upgraded its first stores to use the Grabango checkout-free system.
These stores are all located in Australia and represent a new continent for US-based Grabango.
7-Eleven Australia announced last year that it was partnering with the company to develop My 7-Eleven App Pay and Go 2.0.
The Grabango technology uses AI to enable customers the choice to skip the register, without the need to scan purchases using their device.
7-Eleven Australia General Manager -Technology and Strategy, Stephen Eyears, said at the time: “Our current My 7-Eleven App Pay and Go feature lets consumers scan their items, or fill their vehicle at the pump, and complete their transaction on their phone without the need to queue at the register.”
“The enhancement the team is working with Grabango to develop will make it even more convenient for our customers who choose to pay with the Pay and Go feature as they won’t need to scan merchandise items individually.”
“This Australian first partnership with Grabango follows on from our launch of Australia’s first cashless and cardless convenience store in 2019, and the national roll-out of pay and go solutions into all of our stores nationally earlier this year.”
The sixth edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards is now open for entries
The awards, sponsored by CADS, 3D Cloud, and Retail Technology Show 2025, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
This year, we’re bringing you three new categories: AI Innovation, Sustainable Retail Innovation, and Inclusive Technology Innovation.
Key 2024 dates
Friday, 25th October: Award entry deadline
Tuesday, 29th October: 2024 shortlist revealed
30th October-6th November: Judging days
Thursday, 21st November: Winners announced at the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony, to be held at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London.
The Very Group veteran and Head of Technology Tony Rourke departs to recharge, reflect and seek new challenge
Tony Rourke has announced his departure from The Very Group, a multi-brand online retailer and financial services provider in the United Kingdom and Ireland, where he held the position of Head of Technology (Platforms, Infrastructure and Networks).
In a LinkedIn, he said: “After 29 years the time has come to say goodbye to The Very Group. I’ve had a few months to prepare for this but it’s clearly not long enough and I’m struggling to put into words how I’m feeling right now. This company has given me everything…”
He added: “An opportunity to build a career, taking me from a graduate fresh out of university to leading technical teams that have transformed us from a loss making catalogue business to a £2 billion digital retailer. Instilling in me core values you need if you want to be successful, inside and outside of work.”
“Above all else, allowing me to meet and work with so many amazing people. People who are friends not colleagues and have supported me, taught me and basically made coming to work not feel like work. Honestly, 29 years feels more like 8…and for all of this I will be eternally grateful.”
REWE Group CDTO Christoph Eltze: the future belongs to digital and technology obsessed food retailers
So says Christoph Eltze, Member of the Management Board REWE Group (Chief Digital and Technology Officer).
In a LinkedIn post, he said: “Digitisation is changing the food retail sector, and this does not only affect full range retailers. Even though we are leading the way with many projects and trying out new things, especially at REWE, our discounter is also benefiting PENNY Deutschland from our findings.”
Key here is the retailer’s ‘Smarter Work in the Market’ project. As part of this, all market processes, including the perspective of customers, are examined.
Fei Wang departs Chief Technology Officer position at Saks Off 5th to recharge and embark on next chapter
Fei Wang has left Saks Off 5th where he served as Chief Technology Officer.
Saks Off 5th, formerly Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th, is an American off-price department store chain founded in 1990, and a sister brand to the luxury department store chain Saks Fifth Avenue.
Prior to his time there, Wang spent almost 12 years at Amazon, where he held various positions, including Principal Engineer.
New research shows Amazon, Walmart, Stitch Fix leading the way in embracing AI across their organisations
Amazon, Walmart, and Stitch Fix have topped an index ranking the 100 leading retailers and brands that are embracing AI to drive impact across their organisations.
The 2024 Retail AI Index was developed by Lily AI, a technology platform specialising in AI solutions for retailers and brands, in partnership with analytics and strategy consultancy, Radii Group, and focuses on retailers in the apparel, footwear, beauty, and home segments.
“AI continues to empower retail leaders to reshape and modernise the customer experience, and it’s critical for all retailers to understand where they stand,” sats Purva Gupta, Co-founder and CEO, Lily AI.
“AI is becoming table stakes for retailers who want to stay competitive. Not surprisingly, the biggest of the bigs - Amazon and Walmart - have the resources to invest in AI extensively.”
“But, as we found, even relatively smaller companies, such as Poshmark and Revolve, are taking highly innovative approaches and reaping the benefits.”
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