RTIH Newsletter 18.09.24

Hello everyone,

The countdown to the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards is well and truly underway, and we're thrilled to announce some exciting new categories that reflect the future of retail technology!

This year, we’ve introduced three brand-new categories:

?? AI Innovation – Celebrating AI projects that have moved beyond proof-of-concept and are delivering real value across the omnichannel retail landscape.

?? Sustainable Retail Innovation – Recognising retailers and brands that are embedding sustainability into their core operations through innovative tech, demonstrating both green credentials and business benefits.

?? Inclusive Technology Innovation – Shining a light on how retailers are leveraging technology to drive inclusivity and create more accessible shopping experiences for everyone.

These new categories represent the dynamic changes happening in retail tech, from AI-driven transformation to sustainability and inclusivity at the heart of retail operations.

There's still time to enter, so if your company is pushing the boundaries of retail technology, make sure to submit your work.

Now lets dive into this week’s top stories from the world of retail technology:

FT Live: Future of Retail 2024 review – Tesco CEO Ken Murphy talks about the seismic impact of AI

“AI will revolutionise how customers interact with retailers. It will be seismic,” said Ken Murphy, CEO at Tesco, at FT Live: Future of Retail 2024, taking place today at Convene in the City of London.

“There have been waves of technology disruption historically. We are on the cusp of another one with AI,” said Murphy in conversation with moderator, Laura Onita, Retail Correspondent at the Financial Times, during the opening session of the conference. “AI will impact every facet of our business.”

US retailer Northeast Grocery deploys Simbe’s Tally AI and automation solution across its store aisles

Northeast Grocery has launched Simbe’s Tally robot in select Price Chopper, Market 32 and Tops Friendly Markets locations.

It has introduced the AI and automation solution across many of its markets in New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Vermont, and New Hampshire.

Scott Kessler , EVP, CIO at Northeast Grocery, says: “Tally’s autonomous, AI powered technology will navigate store aisles, scanning shelves to identify out-of-stock items and pricing discrepancies. This means more accurate pricing at checkout and better product availability for customers.”

“For shoppers, Tally’s impact will be huge - up to ten times more out-of-stock items identified compared to manual checks, and a 90% improvement in pricing accuracy. With this technology, store shelves will be better stocked, and prices will be more accurate, ensuring a smoother, more reliable shopping experience.”

GO Outdoors York boosts in-store journey with Volumental technology powered GO Fit Station deployment

GO Outdoors LTD recently opened a new store in York, boasting 125,000 sq ft of space with over 380 brands covering walking, camping and caravanning, watersports, running, fishing, horse riding, climbing, and cycling.

The retailer has developed a KUDOS RUN initiative and integrated Volumental's 3D foot scanning and dynamic gait analysis technology as the centrepiece of its GO Fit Station.

Shoppers are able to scan their feet, walk across the dynamic pressure plate, and get personalised recommendations on their ideal type, style, and size of running shoes.

Retail technology innovation of the week: Best Home Furnishings boosts online shopping experience with 3D Cloud platform

Retail Technology Innovation of the Week is a series brought to you by RTIH, highlighting stand out deployments, launches, and initiatives by retailers and tech suppliers.

Every week, we will showcase forward thinking tech plays that have impressed our Editor and the Retail Technology Innovations Report judging panel, alongside the publication of the 2024 report.

And this week we’re focusing on Best Home Furnishings which has announced a partnership with 3D Cloud, a provider of 3D digital asset management and product visualisation solutions for furniture retailers and manufacturers.

“We continually seek innovative ways to enhance our customers' shopping experiences," says Brian Lange, President at Best Home Furnishings.

"We are excited to collaborate with Best Home Furnishings and bring their exceptional products to life with the 3D Cloud platform," says Beck Besecker, CEO and Co-Founder at 3D Cloud.

Former Notonthehighstreet CEO Ella d’Amato looks to rewrite commerce for good with launch of i love it

Ella d'Amato , the former interim CEO of online marketplace?Notonthehighstreet, has co-founded i love it.

Founded last year, the venture is aiming to ‘rewrite commerce for good’, by tapping AI to create a recommendation led video and image shopping app that rewards users for their genuine product endorsements.

Exotec appoints new Head of Projects and VP of Business Development for UK market expansion push

Warehouse robotics provider Exotec has announced the appointment of Ada Ajoku as Head of UK Projects, and Bassem Awada as VP of Business Development.

It says that these hires will help further drive the company’s growth in the UK, following the recent deployment of Exotec’s Skypod system with its latest UK customer, Alliance Automotive Group UK (AAG), in its newly established major Sheffield warehouse.

Thomas Genestar , Managing Director of Western Europe at Exotec, says: “The appointment of both Ada and Bassem will be instrumental in the development of our UK activities, combining Ada’s extensive knowledge of the logistics ecosystem and Bassem’s expertise in building and nurturing customer relations.”

World first claimed as AutoStore installation handling frozen foods is installed by StrongPoint

StrongPoint has installed the world's first AutoStore Multi-Temperature Solution with a frozen zone. The inaugural site is Haugaland Storhusholdning , part the Norwegian food distribution group Dlvry Software in a facility based in Sveio, Norway.

"Frozen greatly boosts our operational efficiency and creates a safer work environment for our employees," says Oskar Kirkeleit, CEO at Haugaland Storhusholdning.

“We are excited to see the Multi-Temperature Solution go live. The solution will revolutionise grocery operations by enabling safer and more efficient picking of frozen inventory,” comments Parth Joshi , Chief Product Officer at AutoStore?.

Visit the RTIH website to get the latest breaking retail technology news and views from around the world.