Starring Tesco, Iceland, UPS and Verity: 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 Sainsbury’s, SAP, Accenture, AWS, Primark, Shopify, Roblox, Currys, Roku, HomeByMe, AutoStore, and the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards.
Tesco sets sights on Ocado by offering its store pick technology to international grocery businesses
Transcend Retail Solutions, a Tesco subsidiary led by its Strategy Director Oliver Vogt, is providing the UK supermarket giant’s software and hardware to international grocers, leveraging its vast experience in this space to enable them to fulfil online orders from their own stores.
According to The Sunday Times, a first deal has been signed with New Zealand’s biggest grocery retailer, Foodstuffs North Island, and talks are being held with other companies.
Tesco currently handles more than a million online orders a week, 85% of which are picked from its supermarkets.
“Our solutions are tried and tested,” Vogt told The Sunday Times. “We set up Transcend because we truly believe we have something to offer the market.”
Foodstuffs is tapping Tesco’s cloud-based picking software, which receives online orders and then maps, on handheld devices, the most efficient route for staff to pick the items from supermarket shelves.
The technology is live in two stores, operating under the PAK’nSAVE and New World brands, and plans are afoot to expand the roll-out across 150 locations. Transcend will also be able to deploy micro fulfilment centres inside retailers’ stores.
Tesco’s new venture sees it square up to UK rival Ocado, whose Ocado Solutions spin off offers smart e-commerce technology to global retailers.
Iceland and CALM partner on Missed Birthdays installation at Westfield White City to combat youth suicide
The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) and Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation (IFCF) have unveiled an installation of 6,929 birthday balloons in Westfield shopping centre, marking the missed birthdays of young people lost to suicide.
Suicide is now the leading cause of death for young people aged 15-24 in the UK, with data revealing that two fifths of those people aged between 18-34 have experienced a mental health crisis or suicidal thoughts over the past five years.
Earlier this year, Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation pledged £300,000 in funding which could help CALM have over 37,000 life saving conversations via their helpline –and now the retailer has donated an additional £350,000 and joined forces with CALM for the aforementioned installation.
The Missed Birthdays installation at Westfield White City, London, marks the launch of a new report from CALM which reveals that only 20% of parents and adults in the UK have discussed suicide with children aged 16-23.
The future of logistics and warehousing: UPS teams with Verity to implement autonomous inventory tracking
UPS is working on a project with autonomous indoor drone systems specialist Verity.
In a LinkedIn post, it said: “We’re raising the game in warehouse automation.”
“We’ve recently teamed up with Verity to implement autonomous inventory tracking to better serve our customers. Keep an eye out as we share more on how we’re shaking up the future of logistics and warehousing.”
Further details here.
Grocery giant Sainsbury’s enlists SAP, Accenture and AWS for multi-year transformation programme
Sainsbury’s has announced a new multi-year partnership with SAP that will see the consolidation of its legacy systems, with the aim of achieving increased business agility through cloud-based solutions, as well as a simplified and cost optimised technology estate.
SAP has been appointed to lead the design of the new solution in partnership with lead transformation partner Accenture and cloud provider AWS.
By adding new capability and capacity to its commercial systems, the retailer says it will be able to manage products on promotion in increasingly flexible ways, allowing a more tailored value experience for our customers.
The project will simplify and integrate Sainsbury’s systems and tools into one cohesive platform and create a single ecosystem for Sainsbury’s colleagues and suppliers to communicate.
Rhian Bartlett, Chief Food Commercial Officer at Sainsbury’s, says: “We’re excited to be working with a brilliant partner network in SAP, Accenture and AWS to completely revolutionise our commercial systems, which are the heart and lungs of our business operations.”
“This is a huge step forward in our Next Level Sainsbury’s plan, as we continue to invest in market leading technology that allows us to keep growing at pace and maintain our momentum towards becoming first choice for food.”
AutoStore promises a game changer for grocery retailers as company moves towards Product 2.0 strategy
Automated fulfilment solutions specialist AutoStore has introduced new Grid capabilities: the AutoStore Multi-Temperature Solution, an expanded 18-Level Grid, a Motorised Service Vehicle, and enhancements to its cube control software.
“We are shifting to a regular cadence of product announcements, focusing on innovation and execution to better serve our customers. This fall, our new products directly address the challenges our customers face, while providing them with new tools to improve operational efficiency,” says Mats Hovland Vikse, CEO at AutoStore.
“We continue to lead in automated fulfilment, innovating technology to tackle complex operational challenges. Today’s announcements will enhance efficiency, reliability, and speed. We’re particularly proud to introduce the Multi-Temperature Solution, which will be a game changer for grocers and open new use cases for AutoStore,” says Parth Joshi, CPO at AutoStore.
Primark launches self-checkouts in Llandudno, Harlow, Mullingar stores and ramps up Click and Collect drive
It is also adding 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.
After debuting 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.
The first new stores to offer Click & Collect are launching towards the end of this year.
Elsewhere, Primark is continuing its deployment of self-checkouts. Its Truro, Broughton Park, Oxford Street East, and Chester stores officially went live with the tech last month.
The sixth edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards is now open for entries
The awards, sponsored by CADS, 3D Cloud, Retail Technology Show 2025, and Business France celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Download our handy guide to entering the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards.
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.
HomeByMe research focuses on supercharging home improvement customer experiences
Home improvement retailers are under constant scrutiny today. Every customer interaction, whether online or in-store, is a chance to earn a positive review – or risk a negative one. And a staggering 95% of consumers read online reviews as part of their purchasing journey for home products (Brand Rated).
So, how can furniture and DIY retailers consistently deliver top quality customer experiences?
The answer lies in innovation, personalisation, and a seamless omnichannel approach. HomeByMe research shows that digital first companies are 64% more likely to have exceeded their top business goals.
Shopify pilots integration of Checkout solution into gaming platform Roblox with larger launch set for 2025
Virtual gaming platform Roblox has its sights set firmly on the e-commerce space.
It has announced a global partnership with Shopify that will allow creators of Roblox experiences, including brands and retailers, to sell physical goods directly within the platform via Shopify’s checkout.
In a LinkedIn post, Harley Finkelstein, Shopify President, says: “It’s official: we are the first commerce integration partner on Roblox. This year we’re piloting integrating our world class Checkout into Roblox, with a larger launch coming in early 2025.”
“Soon, you’ll be able to shop physical products like clothing, accessories and collectables designed by your favourite creators and brands, all within Roblox, powered by Shopify. This means that developers, creators, and brands who are on Shopify can sell directly within their Roblox games.”
Streaming giant Roku and omnichannel technology retailer Currys kick off first of its kind retail media partnership
Roku has launched the first stage of its partnership with Currys Connected Media, the retail media network offshoot of omnichannel tech retailer, Currys, to run Connected TV (CTV) video ads on its platform.
In a first of its kind partnership for Roku UK, Currys and its partner brands will be able to access Roku Media ad inventory, starting with videos ads and expanding to other creative ad formats.
Launched late last year, Currys Connected Media enables the retailer’s partner brands to leverage its first-party data to understand, reach, and engage customers.
The aforementioned tie up enables Currys and its partner brands to reach customers across all Roku streaming devices in the UK, including streaming players and Roku TV models.
“Combining our expertise in TV streaming advertising with Currys’ leadership as an omnichannel tech retailer, we believe this partnership can combine the power of retail media and streaming video to help brands improve the effectiveness of their marketing investment,” says Richard Halton, Country Manager at Roku UK.
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