Retail technology news on innovation, integration, rollout and the people behind developing retail technology systems. Be it payments, supply chain or chiller cabinets we cover the bits & bytes of retail tech.
Carphone Warehouse reports it has improved its store performance and marketing to customers using business intelligence software by MicroStrategy. The largest independent telecommunications retailer in Europe (around 2,400 stores across eight European markets, including 794 in the UK) launched a
Former Tesco chairman, Ian MacLaurin, claims electronic receipts are poised to have as big an impact on the retail industry as the loyalty card and is chairing a company, which is launching the technology in the UK. Lord Maclaurin is
Casio Electronics has launched a range of Android tablets designed to improve customer experience and business operations in retail environments. Designed to integrate with Casio’s Android-powered EPoS terminals, the tablets will also benefit from the retail-focused Android apps available from the
Anya Media has launched an app for iPhone and iPad, which it claims will change the way fashion retail buyers and planners do their ‘merchandising on the move’. The free app, called Runway Merchandiser, will be the first mobile app
The Payments Council is raising awareness of chip and signature cards, following a study that demonstrated a widespread knowledge gap over how they work. The study found more than a quarter (26%) of chip and signature holders who took part in
Brightpearl, a leading supplier of cloud-based commerce management software for small businesses, has launched a stimulus fund of £1m ($1.6m) to mark Independent Retailer Month in the US and UK. Independent Retailer Month is a global campaign that will run
GS1 UK, the independent supply chain standards and solutions organisation has launched the latest release of its data quality service, TrueSource 2.0. Managing and entering the same product data in different formats, for multiple trading partners is an unnecessary and
IBM has launched an augmented reality mobile shopping app that will make it possible for consumers to pan store shelves and receive personalised product information, recommendations and coupons while they browse shopping aisles. Upon entering a store, consumers download
Mobile technology, in-memory and cloud computing will be at the forefront of the next technological advances, according to Robert Enslin, president, sales – SAP global managing board. Speaking at SAP’s 2012 Forum in London, Enslin highlighted the growth of mobile
Vodafone has taken a controlling stake in the parent company of smart phone voucher codes supplier, Vouchercloud. Vodafone, who took a 21% stake in Invitation Digital Limited (IDL) in May 2011, has increased its stake to 57%. Vouchercloud said it will
Valassis, a leading UK coupon and voucher services provider, has signed an agreement for the UK with Mobilize Systems, creator of Shop Scan Save, the mobile solution that delivers promotional coupons and vouchers directly to consumers’ smart phones. Shop Scan
Micros Systems a leading provider of information technology solutions for the hospitality and retail industries, has completed its acquisition of Torex Retail Holdings. According to Micros Systems, Torex – a European market leader for store systems in retail, hospitality, convenience and fuel markets
E-commerce software solutions supplier, e2x, has won two of five awards presented at the Oracle Web Commerce Customer-Partner Conference in Lisbon. The company was named ATG Specialist Partner of the Year 2011 and awarded ATG Implementation of the Year 2011 for its work with toy
Stepping into online retail has many challenges. One of the biggest of all is the invisible threat of fraud. Unfortunately on the internet, unlike in a physical store, retailers will never actually get to see their customers, which makes it
Kiddicare, the online nursery and baby equipment supplier owned by Morrisons, reports it has increased sales by 20% over a four-month period by investing in IBM solutions, which have helped drive repeat purchases. The solutions are reported to have enabled
Merisant, a leading manufacturer of sweetener products such as Pure ViaTM, Canderel and Equal, has selected Aldata’s Range Manager solution to help its retailer partners maximise category performance. Merisant manufactures and sells low calorie sweetener brands in more than 90
Brands will be able to target London shoppers with mobile offers for local shops via free Wi-Fi hotspots, as a result of a new partnership between Spectrum Interactive, a leading independent UK provider of Wi-Fi, and location-based media company, Selective
Pennies, the electronic charity box, reports the number of consumer micro-donations it has received has doubled in the last six months taking the total to two million. According to the company, this has raised £500,000 to support a growing number
WorldPay, a global leader in payment processing, has launched a whitepaper and map of the alternative payments landscape, and the varying cultural preferences of payment types by geography. The alternative payments (AP) market is growing at a phenomenal rate, the
Zetes has launched a mobile app – Cleantrak – designed to control retail cleaning and facilities management in response to the increasing cost of compensation claims made by consumers after accidentally tripping in retail stores. According to Zetes, the system provides
Leading ingredients and chilled foods supplier, Kerry Group, has invested in a new SAP solution designed to enhance its procurement processes. According to SAP, Kerry Group achieved close to instant value with its SAP Sourcing OnDemand solution. “What we needed
Barclaycard has teamed up with the cloud-based e-commerce platform Powa to help its small business customers trade online in a secure and optimised way. The new venture will provide business customers with an online presence, support the need to
US point-of-sale software supplier to the retail and hospitality industries, MICROS Systems, is set to acquire Torex Retail Holdings, its European counterpart and technology supplier to the retail, hospitality and convenience and fuel markets. According to MICROS, Torex’s position in the
Hereford-based Westons Cider has signed a new contract with incumbent IT outsourcer Quiss Technology to ensure its IT function continues to support a growing business which now sells 46m pints of cider and perry every year. The new contract includes
JDA Software Group has launched a merchandising solution which it claims combines consumer purchase preferences, in-depth analytics, assortment lifecycle planning, and sizing and pre-pack optimisation into one, easy-to-use workflow. JDA Assortment 8.0 enables retailers to profitably analyse, plan, execute and
