These companies are leading the way in providing retail systems powered customer centric experiences and initiatives.

1. Sonae MC

Portuguese retailer Sonae MC is launching another edition of its Disrupt Retail - Call for Tech programme.

It is looking for startups who have developed retail tech solutions in areas like store operations, logistics, customer experience, and e-commerce.

2. Mars

Mars is to leverage the Microsoft Azure platform to optimise its operational speed and manufacturing supply chains. 

It will incorporate Microsoft’s data, AI, and digital technologies across its global portfolio of confectionery, pet care, pet services and food businesses. 

3. Walmart

Walmart has announced plans to acquire Zeekit, a virtual fitting room startup based in Israel. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. 

A virtual try on experience will soon be available at Walmart.com. Consumers can upload their photos or pick a model that represents their body type, height and skin tone, with the option to share their outfits with friends. 

4. Diageo

The North America business of Diageo has opened a Collaboration Centre in Stamford, Connecticut. 

This will serve as a destination to uncover the latest industry trends, category insights and emerging technologies, housed in a 17,000 square foot facility.

5. MOSCOT

Vertebrae is partnering with New York eyewear and fashion brand MOSCOT to deliver a virtual try-on experience.

MOSCOT now offers 3D and AR enabled visualisations at accurate size and scale for several popular styles of glasses.

This allows shoppers to see how the frames will fit on their face, examine materials and details close up, and more easily determine which styles, colours and sizes are right for them. 

6. Kazidomi

Kazidomi, an online retailer that sells healthy and organic foods, has deployed Adyen’s new Planet tool.

This lets Adyen’s merchants offer their shoppers the opportunity to offset the carbon footprint of their purchases at the end of the checkout process. 

7. Manchester City

English Premier League champions, Manchester City, are marking their title winning campaign with the launch of a series of commemorative digital artwork, the ‘1’ collection, which will be available for purchase as Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs).

This will be the first ever time a Premier League champion has dropped an NFT (a digital asset and collectible, the authenticity, rarity, scarcity, ownership etc of which is independently guaranteed, verified, and secured on blockchain tech), to celebrate a title win. 

8. Amazon

Amazon has opened an Amazon Fresh location in Canary Wharf, London.

It’s the fourth such convenience store to feature Just Walk Out Shopping tech in the UK, which was pioneered at the Amazon Go offering in the States.

The other three are in Ealing, Wembley Park and White City.

9. Nisa Retail

Shopping app Jisp has inked a partnership agreement with Nisa Retail to offer its home delivery, Click & Collect and scan and go solutions to almost 4,000 stores nationwide.

Nisa, which is a part of the Co-op Group, will also be integrating with Jisp’s EPoS system to provide retailers with up-to-date products, promotions, prices and stock levels.

10. Co-op

Co-op has teamed up with Unilever to install what is pitched as the UK’s only consumer facing smart ice-cream vending machine in its Battersea Bridge Road store in London.

The Walls branded machine stocks the likes of Co-op’s Fairtrade Choc Stick; Magnum Vegan Stick; Walls Twister; Solero Exotic Lolly; Calippo Orange, and Ben & Jerry’s Peace Pop.

By tapping their phone on an NFC tag, shoppers are asked to confirm their payment method, including Apple Pay and Google Pay. 

Once confirmed, the freezer door unlocks to allow the customer to select their ice cream, with a combination of cameras and sensors ensuring the machine charges customers for only the products they have picked once they close the door.

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