Technology news

Building on an existing partnership with DroneUp, Walmart is investing in the company to support its work in developing a scalable last-mile delivery solution. Earlier this year, it invested in self-driving company, Cruise. Flights over people and moving vehicles Walmart and DroneUp partnered last year to launch trial deliveries of at-home COVID-19 self-collection kits. Since the launch, se...

Walmart is converting its Supercentre hypermarket in Terrace, BC to a cashier-free model, using different configurations of self-checkouts. US trial The store in Terrace has been selected due to its high self-checkout use. The store will be remodelled to feature traditional self-checkouts and larger self-checkouts for bigger baskets and carts, with store associates available to support cust...

Convenience retailer Circle K has introduced 100 autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) in its 140,000 square foot distribution centre in Hong Kong. AMRs provided by Geek+ Geek+ is a technology company specialised in advanced robotics and AI technologies, and provides robotics solutions for warehouses and supply chain management. The AMRs will be used to move racks of goods to human employees p...

With unstaffed stores one of eight trends currently driving format development in North America, we look at how licensing deals could catapult their growth further. In our new report, 25 stores shaping the future of retail in North America , we’ve identified eight trends underpinning their development. While several stores have opened in the last 12 months reflecting these trends, we have...

We look at why Walmart is distributing 740,000 smartphones to its store associates and the features they’ll be able to access. Access to the latest technology Over recent years, Walmart has developed a suite of apps for its store teams, accessible either through their own devices or handheld units in-store. However, to enable its associates to have access to the latest technology, it will b...

To stand out from the highly competitive digital world, brands are now using drone displays to create memorable marketing campaigns in China. Hyundai’s Genesis brand used 3,281 drones to create its logo The show lit up Shanghai’s skyline on 29 March to mark the brand’s arrival in China. That number of drones sets a new Guinness World Record for “The Most Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) airb...

First went the shelf-scanning robots, now the pickup towers are being removed or hibernated. What do these changes mean for Walmart’s automation journey? Fanfare and flagships The Wall Street Journal has reported that Walmart is removing or decommissioning around 1,600 Pickup Towers which have been installed within its US stores over the last few years. This follows on from reports last y...

Amazon Salon is Amazon’s first hairdressing concept and will trial the latest industry technology, including augmented reality (AR) hair consultations and ‘point-and-learn’ technology. Amazon’s first hairdressing concept The 1,500 sq ft salon is opening in London’s Spitalfields and follows the launch of Amazon Professional Beauty Store on Amazon.co.uk. Amazon Salon will initially be availab...

Ocado has announced it is investing £10m in autonomous vehicle software from Oxbotica. Autonomous driving software Oxbotica was founded in 2014 by two Oxford University professors. The autonomous driving software company was the first in the UK to test self-driving vehicles in public. Ocado first partnered with Oxbotica in 2017, conducting a two-week trial using an early prototype delivery ...

A.S. Watson’s Group COO and CEO of A.S. Watson (Asia and Europe), Malina Ngai, has spoken at the industry event Beauty Tech Live this week.  She has explained how O+O (Offline plus Online) has become the new retail standard in health and beauty. O+O customers spend three times more than exclusive instore shoppers Malina Ngai describes O+O as “how customers shop today. The customer journey ...