Pharmaceutical products in a jiffy: check out 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 Just Eat Takeaway.com, PHOENIX group, Starship Technologies, Kellogg's, Kroger, ORME, Lowe's, Carrefour Belgium, Currys, Amazon, and The Estée Lauder Companies.
Starship Technologies and foodora
Starship Technologies, a specialist in autonomous delivery services, has announced a partnership with foodora, a Swedish quick commerce platform
Starship’s fleet of fully electric delivery robots are now delivering foodora orders, starting in Stockholm. Initially, there will be a small fleet of 15 robots in the city, with more robots gradually rolling out to meet demand.
The robots will pick up orders from foodora market stores located on Högbergsgatan in Södermalm and Bangatan in Solna, with a range of up to 3km. Customers in these areas can order in the company’s app and have their items delivered within minutes.
“We see enormous potential for our autonomous delivery robots in Sweden. This collaboration with foodora makes it possible to offer fast and sustainable deliveries to Swedish consumers. We look forward to expanding and transforming how people have their food delivered,” says Ahti Heinla, Co-founder and CEO at Starship Technologies.
Just Eat Takeaway.com and PHOENIX group
On-demand delivery marketplace Just Eat Takeaway.com and PHOENIX group have partnered to deliver health and personal care products to consumers across Europe.
The tie up has first launched in Belgium (BENU stores available via Takeaway.com) and the UK (Rowlands stores via Just Eat). Consumers across both countries will be able to choose from a variety of pharmaceutical products from pain relief to skin care and intimate hygiene.
“Our ambition is to provide the best choice and value to consumers, at any time and everywhere, with the most convenient end-to-end ordering experience,” says Guido Fambach, Executive Vice President Sales at Just Eat Takeaway.com.
“As we continue to expand our offering into new verticals, this partnership with PHOENIX group, the leading healthcare provider in Europe, will enable consumers to order from a wide selection of health and personal care products, for quick and seamless delivery, whenever they need it.”
Liverpool ONE
Liverpool ONE, a shopping, residential, and leisure complex in the UK, has launched accessibility service WelcoMe.
This allows visitors to share their accessibility requirements with Liverpool ONE’s guest services team ahead of their visit, ensuring they receive the right support when they arrive.
It is the first destination in the North West to introduce this service, joining nearly 100 locations across the UK.
“Today I'm feeling just that little bit more confident that we can and have turned a corner in making shopping more accessible and inclusive for those requiring a little support to feel more confident in their retail experiences,” says Gavin Neate, Founder at WelcoMe.
“Liverpool ONE is working with Sociability and Waymap and today adds WelcoMe to the solutions they offer to ensure that they are meeting the needs of their guests.”
Kellogg's
Kellogg’s Town, a new digital experience from Kellogg’s, is aiming to redefine the way in which people across Europe interact with the cereal brand.
This has been designed and built by Merkle, in partnership with dentsu Creative. Kellogg’s is also working with Carat UK on a media buying strategy. It has launched across 23 European markets, in 16 different languages.
Kellogg’s Town is centred around a virtual town that champions Kellogg’s cereal boxes. There are several opportunities for users to engage with its content, including interactive games, such as ‘Shelf Shuffle’ - which uses Kellogg’s brand assets in a brain training exercise and ‘Crafting with Coco’ - an opportunity for families to give cereal boxes a second life by transforming them into birdhouses, wearables, seed starters and more.
The immersive experience will also encourage repeat engagement through partnerships and seasonal competitions. Supported by a first party data collection strategy, QR codes will connect a physical purchasing moment to Kellogg’s Town which will then provide an opportunity to engage through other channels, such as email and organic social.
Phil Wilkinson, Senior Director Omnichannel Experience & Commerce at Kellogg’s, says: “We’re delighted to create some digital playground magic in the breakfast space. The launch of Kellogg’s Town marks a really exciting time for Kellogg’s, as we look to expand our reach and drive engagement with our customers.”
The Estée Lauder Companies
The Estée Lauder Companies is adopting Adobe Firefly in a bid to redefine its process of launching digital marketing campaigns through generative AI.
As the parent company to brands such as Clinique, Estée Lauder, Jo Malone London, La Mer, and M•A•C Cosmetics, ELC connects with consumers across roughly 150 countries and territories.
With a focus on innovation and speed to market, it is investing in digital advertising to engage its consumer base. By integrating Firefly across existing Adobe Creative Cloud workflows, ELC says it will drive efficiency, accelerate campaign execution and empower creative teams to recapture time, and focus on ideating and creating new artistic concepts.
Across digital channels, different formats (text, image, shopping, app promotion) and sizes for marketing campaigns contribute to hundreds of thousands of assets needed every year. Teams are burdened with repetitive tasks that take time away from driving new design concepts and connecting with different audiences. This partnership underscores ELC’s newly unveiled Beauty Reimagined, aimed at establishing it as the best consumer centric prestige beauty company in the world.
Through leveraging Adobe Firefly Services - a collection of creative and generative APIs - ELC says it can reimagine content production as additional campaigns are required to engage consumers who are more digital than ever. With features such as Generative Expand integrated into existing workflows, images can be resized and optimised for various formats. Teams can quickly deliver assets with text and imagery intuitively placed, ready for distribution across digital marketing channels.
ORME
ORME, a social commerce platform for beauty brands, has launched Shoppable Reels, a new technology allowing companies and creators to monetise Instagram video content.
The platform allows consumers who comment “Buy” on a Reel to automatically receive a direct message with a link to a brand’s e-commerce store. This allows companies to maintain their relationship with the consumer and still provide instant access to shoppable products via Instagram. DL1961, Warp and Weft, SSONE, Everen Skincare, Paume, Marie Hunter, Tronque, JooY, and Yensa have recently joined ORME and are leveraging Shoppable Reels.
“Transforming Reels into instantly shoppable, revenue driving content will be a game changer for beauty, fashion, and lifestyle brands and content creators who are searching for alternatives to TikTok Shop,” says Faisal Ahmed, Co-founder and CEO, ORME.
“For brands looking to maximise Instagram’s two billion monthly active users, our Shoppable Reels platform is the next step in social commerce innovation. At the moment, directing a consumer to a brand’s e-commerce site via social media is very cumbersome.”
“It requires users to click through multiple steps which results in frustration and lost conversions. ORME’s Shoppable Reels platform removes these barriers and keeps users engaged on Instagram while allowing brands and creators to monetise their content effortlessly.”
Kroger
In a project involving Badger Technologies, The Kroger Co. is testing out in-store robots in two of its markets, including at locations in and around its hometown of Cincinnati. The autonomous robots, Simbe's Tally and another dubbed Barney after the grocer’s founder, are being used for real-time inventory management and pricing accuracy.
A pilot is active at a number of stores, with the Tally deployment also extending to the Indianapolis area.
“We are always exploring new ways to create a more convenient and friendly customer experience,” Kroger said in statement. It added that utilising the robots “means our associates can more easily and quickly identify and address shelves where products are low or out of stock.”
Lowe's
Lowe’s has launched Style Studio for Apple Vision Pro in five stores across Austin, Texas, and its metro area. The app, developed by the retailer, allows customers to visualise and design a dream kitchen within an immersive, 3D experience.
“By combining the power of Lowe’s Style Studio with our passion for helping customers, Lowe’s is transforming the retail experience like never before,” says Lowe’s Chief Digital and Information Officer Seemantini Godbole.
“This immersive in-store technology leverages the spatial computing technology of Apple Vision Pro to make it easier for customers to visualise, plan, and shop their dream kitchens, all in one seamless experience. This is yet another example of Lowe’s leading the industry in solving problems and fulfilling dreams for the home.”
Carrefour Belgium
Carrefour Belgium has developed a new autonomous micro-store concept, Carrefour BuyBye, in association with Reckon.AI, with the aim of tapping into opportunities beyond traditional retail.
The initiative has now seen a trial of an interactive fridge section at an Auderghem hypermarket.
"We’re proud to mark a new milestone with Carrefour Belgium, bringing smart stores to one of the largest hypermarkets in Auderghem - unlocking new revenue streams with ease," says Ana Pinto, CEO at Reckon.ai. "Trusted by Carrefour, our solution is live at HQ, franchised stores, and Publicis, with roll-outs expanding to hospitals, stations, and universities, driving growth and creating value together."
Matthieu Ullens, Director E-commerce, Data and Digital Transformation at Carrefour, comments: "This is the future of shopping - the interactive fridge that lets you buy and say bye in one seamless move.Developed with our amazing Innovation team, this new concept is designed to revolutionise the way our customers shop, combining convenience with cutting-edge technology."
He adds: "After successful technical tests, we’re now diving into financial viability assessments to measure its potential impact. The journey has already begun with Carrefour BuyBye units up and running at our Service Centre in Zaventem, in franchised stores, at our partner Publicis, and in other strategic locations such as hospitals, offices, and more.”
“We’re excited to see how the latest test at the Auderghem hypermarket unfolds. A huge thank you to all the teams who brought this idea to life. Your dedication is paving the way for a more innovative and effortless shopping experience. This is just the beginning as we continue to build the future for our customers."
Currys
Currys has been winning plaudits of late for its organic social engagement strategy, with Brand & Marketing Director Dan Rubel taking to LinkedIn to "shout out the fab team that runs it."
In a post, Rubel focused on TikTok, noting that, "our main account lifetime likes has hit 7.5 million (with 2.3 million brought in over the last six months) - whilst competitors aren't in the same race (e.g. John Lewis at 0.8 million lifetime likes, Argos at 0.4 million lifetime likes)."
"There are other UK brands with brilliant TikTok engagement of course (Aldi UK, M&S Food, Lidl GB, Nando's UK & Ireland and Specsavers) and some of those have more lifetime TikTok likes vs. Currys (they got serious about social engagement before we did!).”
"But there's only one UK focused brand we can find that have brought in anywhere near as many likes as Currys over the last six months - that is those chicken lovers over at KFC UK & Ireland. Well done to that team....But most of all (as I am shamelessly biased in my heart)."
Galardi Group
Presto Phoenix, a provider of AI powered solutions for the quick service restaurant (QSR) industry, has announced an expanded partnership with Galardi Group, the parent company of Wienerschnitzel, to deploy its Voice AI ordering technology across the chain's drive-thru locations.
The Galardi Group now has 35 locations operating with Presto’s Voice AI in the drive-thru. The company has enrolled over 50 locations, with rapid 2025 expansion plans for Wienerschnitzel's US wide network of over 350 corporate and franchise drive-thru locations.
“We're thrilled to expand our partnership with the Galardi Group and bring Presto Voice to Wienerschnitzel locations across the country,” says Gee Lefevre, CEO at Presto. “Our AI driven solution has significantly improved upsell and labor optimisation while helping the staff focus on providing exceptional service and food quality.”
Amazon
These are available to buy on Amazon, with free, fast delivery promised for all customers on noses and official merchandise from the Comic Relief store.
The merchandise is inspired by the past four decades as Comic Relief marks its 40th birthday year, with items including a 90s inspired bucket hat, collectable pin badges, phone cases, umbrellas, and dog bandanas.
Other products include ‘byAmazon’ Jelly Babies, Fizzy Mini Pencils, tissues, and kitchen roll, with a portion of the proceeds from each product going to Comic Relief to help tackle some of the urgent problems faced by people here in the UK and around the world.
"We are enormously proud to be supporting Comic Relief’s 40th birthday appeal in our third year as the official home of the Red Nose,” says John Boumphrey, UK Country Manager at Amazon. "Being the home of the Red Nose is just one of the ways our team at Amazon is supporting this year - our Comic Relief store includes noses and merchandise to raise vital funds, and our colleagues are creating and taking part in fundraising activities right across the country. Every nose helps to change lives, and we’ll be wearing ours with pride on Red Nose Day."
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