Starring StrongPoint, Ecomtent, and SMG: 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 power towards the 25,000 followers mark, these are the articles that are currently on their radars, including Carrefour Belgium, Circus SE, REWE Region West, Currys, Zebra Technologies, H&M Group, Centra, Asda, LiveRamp, and Attensi.
Carrefour Belgium gears up to deploy StrongPoint Order Picking solution for fulfilment of e-commerce orders
Carrefour Belgium has picked StrongPoint’s Order Picking solution for in-store fulfilment. Deployment is expected to begin and be completed in 2025.
“We chose StrongPoint’s solution to fulfill our scheduled home delivery orders because their order picking system is responding very well to our needs when it comes to in-store grocery order picking. It’s purpose built for handling grocery orders with exceptional speed and accuracy,” says Jan Pollier, Carrefour Belgium Digital & E-Commerce Director.
“The solution enables us to improve efficiency, reduce operational costs, and deliver a more reliable service to our customers. StrongPoint’s deep expertise in grocery operations was clear throughout the process and gave us confidence in their ability to support our ambitions.”
“That such an esteemed and globally recognised brand has chosen StrongPoint’s Order Picking solution is a clear testament to the world class nature of our technology. Its deployment outside our core markets further demonstrates the solution’s scalability and adaptability, and highlights our ability to support leading grocery retailers no matter where they operate,” says Jacob Tveraabak, StrongPoint CEO.
Circus SE and REWE Region West launch pilot partnership involving deployment of CA-1 cooking robots
Circus SE, a specialist in AI software and robotics for the food service industry, has announced an exclusive pilot partnership with REWE Markt, West Regional Branch.
This will see the autonomous cooking robot CA-1 being deployed in several REWE supermarkets in Germany, together with the cloud-based Circus Software Suite. The pilot will begin during the autumn and is pitched as the world’s first integration of autonomous food production in grocery retail.
Under the agreement, REWE Region West will receive three CA-1 units along with a software package that includes ordering systems, kitchen control, and AI driven production management. The eight-month pilot phase includes joint operations, training, marketing activities, and a performance evaluation based on customer satisfaction, technical performance, and operational feasibility.
Zebra Technologies lays claim to saving 900 management hours in two months at electrical and tech retailer Currys
Zebra Technologies says it has saved 900 management hours over a two-month period at UK electronics and tech retailer Currys.
Currys, which operates 296 retail stores across the UK and Ireland, wanted to improve scheduling, communication and task allocation.
“At many branches, task management and workforce allocation weren’t as effective as they could be,” says Brad Porter, Process Product Support Manager at Currys. “Store managers were spending excessive time manually adjusting colleagues’ schedules, leading to inconsistent availability.”
Using Zebra Technologies’ scheduling and task management software, Currys was able to give its frontline workers more time to spend on customer service, improve workload distribution and implement certifications for job roles.
“During the busiest shopping season, we were able to cut store schedule edits by 8,000 per week, preventing a total of 90,000 edits from November to the end of December,” adds Nathan Holland, Workforce Management Systems Development and Insight Analyst at Currys. “That has saved us approximately 900 management hours which were reallocated to customer-facing activities.”
Ecomtent Shopify and OpenAI integration helps firms get product listings featured in ChatGBP Shopping
Ecomtent, a startup focused on helping sellers and retailers with AI powered search that was founded by former Amazon executive Max Sinclair, has launched a Shopify and OpenAI integration.
This enables companies to get their product listings featured in ChatGPT Shopping. Further details here.
SMG appoints former Boots exec Ollie Shayer as Senior Director of Global Strategy and Innovation
SMG, a retail media specialist, has announced the appointment of Ollie Shayer as Senior Director of Global Strategy and Innovation.
His decision to join SMG stems from “the company’s dynamic approach to media, technology and AI, which align with his passion for market leading innovation.
He will lead the development of future focused capabilities across media amd insight, AI, and new to market propositions, identifying new growth opportunities and developing innovative strategies for retailers, brands and agencies.
Swedish retail giant H&M Group takes minority stake in fashion focused e-commerce platform Centra
Centra has announced an investment from H&M Group. The exact amount involved, which gives H&M Group a minority stake in Centra, was not disclosed in a press release, although media reports put it at SEK 50 million.
The cash will be used for research and development, as well as to scale up in Europe and the US.
Centra was founded in 2016 and operates as an e-commerce platform for fashion companies that want to sell directly to consumers. It has partnered with several H&M brands, including COS, ARKET, & Other Stories and Weekday, which all transitioned to the firm’s platform in 2024.
"We started Centra with the simple idea that there’s a better way to run a global fashion brand. Our approach is different from the rest of the market - we focus on providing fashion specific solutions that help brands scale and innovate in ways others can’t,” says Martin Jensen, CEO at Centra.
“The results we’ve seen with H&M's portfolio brands show how effective this approach is, and the investment from H&M Group is a strong vote of confidence in the value we’ve built together. We’re excited to continue driving innovation and proving that there’s a better way for fashion brands to thrive in today’s fast changing commerce landscape."
"We’ve been truly impressed by Centra’s journey so far. Their ability to combine deep industry insights with technical innovation is helping fashion brands solve real challenges in e-commerce. That’s why we’re proud to strengthen our partnership through this investment, supporting Centra’s continued growth and the next phase of their exciting journey ahead,” says Nanna Andersen, Chief of New Growth & Ventures at H&M Group.
Asda taps LiveRamp data collaboration platform as grocery giant expands retail media proposition
LS Eleven Media Services has selected LiveRamp as its data collaboration partner to bring Asda Access to market.
The solution will leverage LiveRamp's platform to enable planning, audience activation, and campaign measurement powered by Asda's first-party data. This is underpinned by LiveRamp's global Data Collaboration Network and supported by an identity infrastructure, with the aim of improving brands' ability to deliver a more personalised advertising experience to Asda customers, as well as measuring the impact across upper funnel media channels.
Utilising Plan-Apps, brands have the opportunity to pick from approximately 3,000 predefined first-party audience segments or build custom audiences to suit a brief, supported by access to in-flight measurement and reporting. To further scale campaigns, brands can reach these customers across multiple offsite channels including Meta.
In addition, they can work with the Asda Creative studio team to produce bespoke creative to better engage with customers online.
Rachel James appointed VP of Marketing at AI powered workplace training and performance platform Attensi
Former CMO of Applaud HR, Rachel James, has been appointed VP of Marketing at Attensi, an AI-based gamified training specialist recently named as one of the World's Most Innovative Companies 2025 by Fast Company.
CEO Trond Aas says: “As Attensi continues to gather pace globally, it is a pleasure to have Rachel on board to support our ambitions and lead our teams to meet and exceed our growth targets and bolster our strong reputation for innovation.”
James says: “Attensi is well known in the industry for harnessing AI in deep and meaningful ways, so I'm looking forward to driving commercial gain across HR tech and learning and development (L&D).”
BearingPoint: two thirds of UK consumers consider sustainability when buying new products
A new European study suggests consumers in the UK are more eco-conscious than those in Germany or the Netherlands as 65% consider sustainability when making a purchase.
Management and technology consultancy BearingPoint surveyed 4,000 people across the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and The Netherlands about their purchasing habits.
It found two thirds of UK consumers say they consider sustainability when making a purchase decision, compared to 59% of those in Germany and 60% in the Netherlands. The UK was slightly behind both Italy and France where 74% of consumers think about going green.
BirBir bags $10 million investment as it looks to expand P2P e-commerce platform in Uzbekistan
BirBir, an Uzbekistan-based peer-to-peer (P2P) classifieds platform, has raised $10 million in funding. The investment will be used to accelerate the company’s growth, allowing it to enhance its product offering, including AI driven features, scale its engineering team, and expand its presence in Uzbekistan and beyond.
Founded in 2023 by FinTech entrepreneur Alexander Pekin and EdTech strategist Alexander Bayzarov, BirBir was created to solve a gap in Uzbekistan’s e-commerce landscape: the need for a convenient, mobile first platform that simplifies buying, selling, and trading goods. It is currently attracting over 500,000 active monthly users and facilitating three million monthly sessions.
The platform supports local languages and enables users to buy, sell, or rent a wide variety of goods, from electronics and household items to vehicles and real estate.
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