key discussion points – Retail Technology Innovation Hub

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Marxent and B&Q

Regarding 3D technologies, Marxent was praised in the Technology Implementation of the Year (UK) category for his work with B&Q.

The latter has gone from offering a siled in-store kitchen planning service to a whole new omnichannel approach to creating customers’ dream homes.

It has implemented a cloud-based 3D service that allows retail staff to work in person or virtually with buyers who wish to remodel or design a kitchen, transforming the customer experience in the process.

“This provides the best solution to bring a customer’s dream to life, ensuring they have the functionality to meet their life stage needs and a design to suit their tastes,” says Marcus Muktarsingh, Group Head of Proposition, Kitchens, at Kingfisher (parent company of B&Q).

Additionally, Kingfisher has extended the use of the technology to other banners such as Brico Depot Romania and further launches are planned for 2022.

But it doesn’t stop with 3D room planning tools. Kingfisher is examining a multitude of ways to extend the same technology to help customers set up purchases of smaller products, such as bedroom furniture or outdoor spaces.

Kristen Groves, Kingfisher’s Head of Digital Experience, says that in addition to the use of VR and AR, the company is reviewing the customer journey and at the core of its strategy is to “build solutions that are truly omnichannel and enable customers to have full confidence in their purchase decision “.

1822 Denim / 3D LOOK

Also on the 3D front, 3DLOOK won the Best Retailer / Tech Supplier Relationship award (Rest of the world).

1822 Denim, a New York-based online womenswear brand, needed to find a way to offer customers the in-store fitting room experience through a screen and pair them with products that fit, otherwise skyrocketing rates would compromise its commitment to sustainability.

He then discovered 3DLOOK’s YourFit, a solution that virtualizes the shopping experience and adds a dressing room to the online customer journey.

Using two shots of a fully dressed client, determine the best size and fit based on the client’s unique body measurements and shape. YourFit was the solution 1822 Denim was looking for to reduce returns, increase conversions, and provide a superior customer experience.

The shop of the future

The Covid-19 pandemic has fueled a surge in e-commerce sales which, in turn, has caused many retailers to accelerate their digital transformation strategies as consumer expectations have evolved.

Now more than ever, brands need to deliver best-in-class shopping experiences throughout the customer journey, from the store, to online and across social platforms. These experiences also need to be personalized, seamless, and tailored to the individual needs of shoppers.

To quote Shopify president Harley Finkelstein: “The best brands I’ve talked to understand that digital and physical retail don’t work like silos – it’s just retail.”

Far from dying in the water, physical stores remain a vital piece of the omnichannel puzzle.

As Peter Jelkeby of Ikea Group recently commented: “Even though e-commerce is accelerating at a rapid pace, physical retail continues to be a vital part of the main streets and our stores (large and small) will always be one. an essential part of IKEA “. experience – as places of inspiration and expertise “.

At the same time, however, the store of the future will look very different than in December 2021, and we saw direction signals at the RTIH Innovation Awards 2021.

Take, for example, Situ Live, which picked up the Editor’s Choice gong.

Situ Live, an engaging new consumer experience that reinvents the traditional commercial retail model, opened the doors to ‘the UK’s first discovery cottage’ this autumn, in Westfield London.

The goal is to enable consumers to connect with brands, with an emphasis on personalization, selecting products that fit their lifestyle, complemented by advice from the Situ Live team.

Shoppers are able to compare products, deciding whether to find out more or buy directly from the manufacturer by scanning a QR code.

Warren Richmond, founder and CEO of Situ Live, says, “Consumers have told us they want to browse and be inspired on the high street, then shop online.”

“Situ Live enables exactly that, with our digital platform making it easy to compare complex product specifications and therefore the ability to consider a purchase at your own pace.”

Buy free stores

In 2021, hardly a month went by without a new free checkout shop grabbing the headlines. And the technology was mentioned on more than one occasion during our panel discussion.

In the Bricks and Mortar Innovation category of the 2021 RTIH Awards, Lifvs, Europe’s largest 24-hour grocery chain, emerged victorious in implementing electronic shelf labels from Pricer’s Plaza platform, a solution Cloud-based SaaS to enhance digital capabilities in the store.

While in the Technology Vendor of the Year (Rest of the World) category, Standard AI impressed the jury with its standalone machine vision-based solution that allows retailers to transform existing stores into a seamless, seamless checkout experience for daily operations.

In 2022, Worcester Red Sox and Standard AI claimed baseball’s first standalone retail experience at Polar Park’s WooSox Market.

By tapping the AI-powered cameras and the cloud, this allows fans to buy snacks and memorabilia and pay without any scanning, waiting in line, or stopping at the cashier.

Using the Standard AI Checkout app, they can add payment information and view the receipt immediately after purchase.

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