Including Wolt, Currys, and Simbe: our biggest retail technology articles on LinkedIn right now
We’re big fans of LinkedIn and are busy building an amazing community of retail tech enthusiasts on the social media platform. As we cross the 20,000 followers mark, these are the articles that are currently on their radars, including Joybird, 3D Cloud, Retail247, Snappy Shopper, Reckon.ai, Ikea, NewStore, Zelt, Outdoor and Cycle Concepts, and Pricer.
Currys tests out in-store QR code powered 'want to know more?' experience for product browsing
Currys has launched a pilot of an initiative the retailer intends to bring to market across its stores, a QR code enabled “want to know more?” experience that customers can trigger on their smartphone as they’re browsing products.
In a LinkedIn post, Dan Rubel, Brand & Marketing Director at Currys, said: "I believe this will be a gamechanger for us. I can’t believe we didn’t do it like this earlier. Mimic the in-store shopper experience by clicking here for yourself.”
"For nearly every piece of tech we sell, our physical fixtures don’t have enough space to wax lyrical about everything that tech can do. We skim the surface and that will become even more of a reality as AI becomes ever more embedded in the tech we buy. Sometimes customers want to know more than the fixture can tell them, but they’re not quite ready to chat to an expert colleague."
He added: "So Ainsley Sykes (Head of Commercial Initiatives at Currys) and his crew have grabbed hold of that challenge and smashed it to pieces with a blend of old and new tech.”
On triggering the QR code, shoppers will experience a social inspired dramatisation of the product’s key benefits (short sharp vignettes, using motion graphics or video). The content aims to be easy to skip through (bearing in mind that people are interested in different things) and with links to deeper detail for those who need that. And in the future there will be an AI fuelled chat function enabling customers to ask specific questions.
Chris Jensen departs Ibotta to take on Chief Commercial Officer role at retail tech firm Simbe
Simbe, a provider of store intelligence solutions, has appointed Chris Jensen as Chief Commercial Officer.
He will oversee sales, strategy, business development, and customer experience, operations and support, with a view to driving Simbe’s next phase of expansion.
Jensen joins from performance marketing firm Ibotta, where, as CRO, he led a 250+ person team, helped drive its 2024 IPO, and grew revenue to $400 milion. Prior to that, as the Global Marketing Director at Whole Foods Market, he spearheaded digital initiatives that generated $300 million+ in incremental revenue.
Joybird enhances free design tools with 3D Cloud powered Space Planner mobile experience
Joybird, a subsidiary of La-Z-Boy Incorporated and manufacturer and retailer of customisable upholstered furniture, has announced the roll-out of its upgraded 3D Space Planner design tool.
This has been built to bridge the digital and in-store shopping experience for shoppers and interior designers and is powered by 3D Cloud.
“The demand for a seamless mobile experience was clear, with at least 70% of our traffic coming from mobile devices,” says Gerardo Ornelas, VP and General Manager at Joybird. “This enhancement means that customers and associates can stay connected in real-time, with immersive 3D tools that truly bring designs to life, whether they’re collaborating in a showroom or at home.”
London calling as Reckon.ai preps launch of first autonomous microstore with Ikea
Reckon.ai reports that its first autonomous microstore in partnership with Ikea is about to open in London.
In a LinkedIn post, Ana Pinto, CEO at Reckon.ai, said: "By streamlining customer access to Ikea products, optimise inventory management, and boost efficiency - food service revolution is there and our technology is ready to support. Stay tuned for this super launch and new stores, close to you, are coming too."
Pinto did not respond to RTIH’s request for comment re. the exact store in London and the opening date. We will update this article as soon as this information is available to us.
London-based people operations software specialist Zelt snags Nauta led $6 million funding round
Zelt reports a $6 million funding round led by Nauta, with participation from Venrex and Episode 1.
The company enables organisations to manage their whole workforce across the employee lifecycle in a single system, enabling them to simplify and automate people processes across HR, finance and IT functions.
The cash will be used to expand its product set to include more areas of operations, expand to new geographies and add new and improved features to support customers.
Zelt was founded in 2020 by Chris Priebe, a former VC and PE investor with experience in HR tech, and Polina Vorms, former product lead at Talkwaker and GfK. The platform is used by over 150 customers including Shakespeare’s Globe, Club L and Mumsnet. Through its core offering, companies can manage diverse areas of people ops such as payroll, expenses, device security, goal tracking and holiday bookings.
And then there were three. Retail247 adds digital and marketing veteran Zoe Donovan to advisory board
Retail247, known for its PIM (Origin), stock platform (Archean) and retail consultancy services, has announced Zoe Donovan as the third member of its advisory board.
Donovan has held senior roles such as Digital and Marketing Director at LK Bennett and Head of Digital at Topshop and Topman.
She joins Andy King on the board who has served as CEO at Evans Cycles, Dobbies Garden Centres, and Notcutts Garden Centres. Additionally, he has held NED roles at several prominent businesses including Topps Tiles and Bannatyne Health Clubs.
And also Andrew Staff, currently Managing Director at Forbidden Planet. Staff has held senior roles such as Chairman, Managing Director, Non-Executive Director, CFO, and COO across a wide variety of industries.
Snappy Shopper hits home run in 2024 as quick commerce becomes essential part of everyday life
UK quick commerce platform, Snappy Shopper, closed out 2024 with a record breaking December.
It saw weekly trading volumes rise by 42% year-over-year, marking the platform’s most significant growth since the surge in demand during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Facilitating over £14 million in monthly transactions, it reported an average order value of £29 - nearly four times the typical in-store transaction value (ACS Local Shop Report, 2024).
Snappy’s technology enables independent and group retailers to operate quick commerce offerings.
During December, Hayat’s Premier Store, based in Dundee, hit more than £200,000 worth of grocery deliveries in a single month from a convenience store, at times doing more deliveries per hour than a nearby supermarket.
The store owner told the press: “Snappy Shopper has revolutionised how we serve our community. Achieving more than £200,000 in deliveries in one month exceeded our expectations and highlighted the incredible potential of quick commerce. The platform’s efficiency allows us to deliver faster and more effectively than even larger supermarkets at peak times. It’s proof that independent stores can compete and succeed in the digital age."
UK retailer Outdoor and Cycle Concepts partners with Pricer for digital in-store pricing initiative
Outdoor and Cycle Concepts (O&CC) has leveraged shelf-edge automation to improve operational efficiencies in-store, increase labour productivity and enhance customer service, in a partnership with Pricer.
As the UK’s largest specialist outdoor, run and snow sports retailer, O&CC operates Cotswold Outdoor, Runners Need and Snow+Rock. As well as offering a range of specialist sporting and outdoor goods, it builds in ‘value adding’ services, such as 3D foot scanning and running gait analysis, and outdoor footwear, pack and ski-boot fitting, into its store offer.
“Inspiring and supporting customers to get outside and enjoy the outdoors is our brand mission, and the services we build into our store offer are central to delivering this,” says Chris Jones, Strategic Operations Director at Cotswold Outdoor.
“Our store associates - all passionate experts with a shared love of the outdoors - play a key role in delivering that customer experience, sharing their knowledge, expertise and passion to kit out customers with the equipment to make exploring the outdoors all the more enjoyable.”
Red Ant research looks at what has changed for store associates since adoption of retail technology
The key results brought a number of differences into focus, including:
Store associate knowledge – there has been a 44 percentage point increase in confidence in product knowledge (53% in 2015 compared with 97% in 2025)
Customer expectations - customers now expect even more from store associates: 77% expect them to find stock, compared with 66% in 2015; 65% expect them to provide more product information, compared with 45% in 2015; 63% expect them to make recommendations, compared with 47% in 2015.
Technology and training – there were two constants spanning the ten-year interval: Belief that technology has a positive effect on their role (74% in 2015, compared with 73% in 2025); Lack of training – store associates are still not getting full, comprehensive training (58% got less than half a day’s training in 2015 compared with 63% in 2025).
2024 RTIH Innovation Awards winner NewStore available on SAP Store online marketplace
Unified commerce platform specialist, NewStore, is now available on SAP Store, the online marketplace for SAP and partner offerings.
NewStore integrates directly with SAP Omnichannel Sales Transfer and Audit via the SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP), enabling real-time sharing of critical retail data into SAP S/4HANA Cloud.
“With NewStore and SAP, enterprise retailers can transform their in-store experience by unlocking omnichannel capabilities that drive significant sales growth and foster lasting customer loyalty,” says Michael DeSimone, CEO at NewStore.
“By addressing critical industry challenges such as evolving consumer expectations, rising labour costs, and fluctuating demand, this partnership equips brands to scale efficiently and achieve lasting success in an increasingly competitive retail environment.”
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