RTIH runs through this week's coolest retail technology plays
RTIH Editor, Scott Thompson, brings you his top ‘future of retail’ systems launches and deployments from the past week, including 3D technology patents, augmented reality experiences for Halloween, and checkout-free stores in basketball arenas.
3D Cloud by Marxent
3D Cloud by Marxent, a 3D experience platform used by enterprise furniture and home improvement retailers and manufacturers, has announced the addition of a new US patent to its IP portfolio.
This is an extension of the company's Design from Photo patent which enables users to drag and drop 3D products to a custom floorplan by tapping on 2D inspirational images.
Paired with other technologies such as LiDAR powered room scanning for floor plan creation, 3D Cloud by Marxent says that auto-layout will introduce an entirely new, mobile friendly kitchen buying journey to consumers.
Amazon
Amazon is continuing its excursion into physical fashion retail.
The company has opened a second Amazon Style store, with the aim of combining the personalisation of e-commerce with the immediacy of bricks and mortar shopping.
This is located at Easton Town Center in Columbus, Ohio.
Amazon debuted the concept earlier this year at The Americana at Brand, in Glendale, California.
Zippin
As basketball season gets underway, Zippin has announced six new stores powered by its tech in NBA arenas this autumn.
Toyota Center, home to the Houston Rockets, recently launched two checkout-free stores ahead of the season opener on 21st October, and Gainbridge Fieldhouse closes out the final phase of uts “Fieldhouse of the Future” renovations with two more frictionless shopping locations, giving Pacer fans four shops to choose from.
Capital One Arena added two Zippin Lanes in October as well, making Zippin the platform behind one out of four professional basketball arenas nationwide.
Jisp
Jisp, a shopping and rewards app In the UK independent sector, has announced the launch of Jisp Media Insights.
This equips brands, wholesalers, and market operators in the indie space with the ability to understand shoppers and retailers with insights, actions, and recommendations.
Tapping first-party data, Jisp Media Insights will support all three to understand shopper sentiments, attitudes, what they purchase, where they purchase, when they purchase and how they can grow sales, shoppers, distribution, and loyalty on-going.
Walmart
Walmart has announced the launch of a new platform designed around creators.
Walmart Creator is pitched as a one stop portal that makes it easy for the latter to monetise shoppable products from the retailer.
In a press release, Walmart says that those who sign up will have “access to tens of thousands of products and are given the opportunity to earn revenue all while earning commissions on sales they refer with no cap”.
Users of the platform can share product links to any social platform or group of their choice, receive product recommendations based on interests and affinities, and collect performance data to help grow their community and following.
Boots
Boots has partnered with RangeMe to expand the number of new and diverse suppliers it works with on a goods for resale basis both in-store and online.
With over 200,000 suppliers already registered on the platform, the retailer hopes that the RangeMe tie up will be a portal to working with the very best new and emerging brands.
Flipkart
Flipkart has launched a metaverse offering for consumers to more interactively discover and shop new products on its app.
The Walmart backed Indian e-commerce giant has partnered with eDAO, a Polygon incubated firm, to launch Flipverse.
This is in the pilot stage and will be available on Flipkart’s newly launched platform, FireDrops.
Brands including Puma, Noise, Nivea, Lavie, Tokyo Talkies, Campus, VIP, Ajmal Perfumes, Himalaya, and Butterfly India will be participating in the first edition.
Phase one of Flipverse is an Android only experience, and will be live for a week.
Climate Pledge Arena and Amazon
Climate Pledge Arena has announced expanded use of the Amazon One palm recognition and payment solution at three concession areas.
These join the four existing Just Walk Out technology and Amazon One enabled stores, which opened last year and allow customers to take what they want and leave without stopping to check-out.
Evri
Evri has developed bespoke software designed to improve parcel delivery accuracy and customer communication, ahead of this year’s peak Christmas period.
This is currently being trialled regionally in the UK.
Parcel Vision has been designed to detect and flag any safe place photos that are taken by the courier as proof of delivery but which fail to show the parcel and where it has been left.
This is for when the parcel may not be clearly visible, be too close to the lens or the camera lens covered.
The software has been developed using a machine learning model that was trained using thousands of SafePlace photos and will detect these issues, alert the courier explaining the problem and ask them retake the photo.
Sam’s Club
Sam’s Club, a division of Walmart, has announced the completion of a US, chain wide roll-out of Inventory Scan towers that have been added to its existing fleet of robotic scrubbers in partnership with Brain Corp.
The deployment was initiated in late January 2022 and has resulted in Brain Corp claiming the title of world’s leading supplier of robotic inventory scanners.
Snap and Disguise
Snap has partnered with Disguise to let users try Halloween costumes from the latter’s 2022 collection using Snapchat’s AR shopping tool.
Snapchatters can try-on, share with friends, and buy costumes of their favourite characters from the likes of Harry Potter, The Office, Chucky, Minecraft, Power Rangers, Transformers, Cobra Kai and Ghostbusters.
Hugo Boss
Hugo Boss has enlisted Adobe to power its strategy around 3D and immersive design.
“To support our vision of becoming the leading premium tech driven fashion platform worldwide, we were one of the early companies to explore the potential of 3D and immersive design in fashion,” says Sebastian Berg, Vice President, Business Operations Excellence at Hugo Boss.
“Now we have over 400 employees working with these innovative tools to produce more inspiring and sustainable products, and to lead our industry in digital.”
“With Adobe Substance 3D as part of our Adobe Creative Cloud stack, we have a powerful tool that provides hyper realistic renderings of our products. It gives us greater speed in responding to global consumer trends, while helping us experiment with new digital services to drive 3D innovation in fashion.”
Mall of the Emirates
Mall of the Emirates, which is owned and operated by Majid Al Futtaim, has launched a new digital concierge service as part of an omnichannel experience push.
This will enable consumers to shop over 350 international and home grown brands and luxury designers, via WhatsApp, from the comfort of their homes.
They can also receive free delivery to their doorstep within a matter of a few hours.
