FROM THE DESK OF DEBORAH WEINSWIG

The Time for Personalization Is Now We all know the drill: we are inundated with daily emails from retailers offering discounts on jewelry, household furnishings and winter coats in April—everything but what we truly want and need. We know that retailers possess a mountain of data about us on the products we buy, our favorite brands, the colors and patterns we like, our size, and what we click on and put into our shopping carts on their websites and in their physical stores. So how and why does this happen? The answer is a bit murky. Is it that retailers don’t care to get to know us properly because what they have historically been doing is good enough? Or is it because the data they have on us is trapped in silos, with outdated technology unable to turn it into actionable insights? The grace period in which we consumers have been granting retailers time to learn about us is rapidly coming to a close—with consumers now becoming accustomed to personalization on other shopping channels and from a host of innovators developing solutions that early adopters are implementing. Western retailers appear to be undertaking a “spray and pray” approach to reaching consumers, whereas retailers in China tend to take an interactive approach to consumers, which results in more intimate customer service. Consumers in China are likely to add a store associate’s WeChat ID when they visit a store, enabling the creation of groups sharing private traffic. In these groups, consumers can ask associates questions about current and future products, as well as read comments and opinions from other consumers. This increases conversion rates and loyalty, while reducing returns. Recent years have seen a general shift in power away from retailers toward consumers, propelled by the convenience and power of data-driven e-commerce, as they can compare products and prices with ease online. The advent of smartphones increased this trend, putting massive computing power in the hands of consumers at price points of $100 or even lower. The necessities of the pandemic accelerated this power redistribution even further. Consumers being essentially locked out of physical stores enabled them to discover new online shopping channels, many of which use data to offer higher degrees of personalization, leaving traditional retailers behind. Clearly, retailers do not have it easy in the current environment, with this extreme fragmentation creating an army of consumer segments of just a single consumer, prompting the coining of the term “metail” to indicate the individualistic nature of the current consumer. Personalization is most crucial online, where consumers need an intelligent guide to wade through massive product offerings. Anecdotally, we all say that “you have to know what you’re looking for” when consumers seek products online, underscored, for example, by eBay’s website boasting a catalog of 1.2 billion items. Moreover, consumers see too many uninspired product recommendations, such as a purchaser of painting supplies being offered paint brushes, compared to being offered a complementary experience such as painting classes. Despite the apparent chaos, help and tools for personalization are on the way. Vendors such as Adobe offer artificial intelligence (AI)-based tools for “facetization,” for instance, offering a personalized home page when visiting a retailer’s website. A panelist at Shoptalk commented that 75% of Amazon’s online experience is personalized, with a way to go to meet Alibaba’s current standard of 92%. A Google executive at the conference said that once personalization at scale has been achieved, it will drive differentiation. Given Google’s size and scale, this could mean that consumers can regularly expect personalization rather than today’s impersonal, blast e-mails.

US RETAIL AND TECH HEADLINES

Amazon Introduces Cashierless Technology at New Whole Foods Stores (April 19) ChainStoreAge.com

• Amazon is set to introduce its proprietary Amazon palm payment technology at seven Whole Foods stores in Texas. This follows trials of the technology rollout in California and Washington D.C.
• The technology offering, named Amazon One, is designed to let customers use their unique palm signature to pay or present a loyalty card by hovering their hand over a palm reading device in a store.

Foot Locker-Owned Champs Sports Opens New Retail Store Concept (April 18) ChainStoreAge.com

• Athletic apparel retailer Champs Sports, which is owned by Foot Locker, has opened a new store concept called Champs Sports Homefield in Pembroke Pines, Florida, which it described as the true home for the modern athlete.
• The store, which spans 35,000 square feet, is the largest of any of Foot Locker's locations. It hosts a basketball and multi-sport court and a try-on treadmill for running shoes, as well as a wide variety of apparel, footwear and equipment.

Lids Enters Mexico (April 18) ChainStoreAge.com

• Athletic sportswear retailer Lids is planning to open four stores across Mexico in the coming months, with stores at Parque Toreo, Galerías Toluca and Premium Outlet Punta Norte and one at Premium Outlet Querétaro.
• Lid’s stores in Mexico will offer a wide variety of products from major US league teams, including the MLB, NFL and NBA. The assortments will also feature items from brands including Adidas, NIKE, New Era Cap, '47, Mitchell & Ness, Hurley and Oakley.

Lunds & Byerlys To Launch AI-Powered Shelf Intelligence Solution (April 19) ProgressiveGrocer.com

• Grocery chain Lunds & Byerlys has announced a partnership with Texas-based automated shelf company, Pensa Systems, to deploy Pensa’s solutions in every Lunds & Byerlys grocery store.
• Pensa System’s patented computer vision and artificial intelligence (AI) technology will enable all products and categories across stores to be scanned. This will provide Lunds & Byerlys with access to actual shelf inventory conditions, including real-time analysis of out-of-stocks.

Michael Kors Unveils First Childrenswear Collection (April 19) CPP-Luxury.com

• Luxury fashion company Michael Kors has launched its first childrenswear collection, in partnership with French luxury fashion group Children Worldwide Fashion.
• The line was launched on April 19, 2022, online and in stores, consisting of apparel and accessories for girls aged four to 14 years.

EUROPE RETAIL AND TECH HEADLINES

Coop Sweden Announces Plans To Install Photovoltaic Plant (April 18) ESMMagazine.com

• Swedish consumer co-operative retail and wholesale company Coop, which sells groceries and packaged foods, among other categories, has announced plans to install a photovoltaic plant at its new goods terminal in Eskilstuna, Sweden.
• The 6.1-megawatt photovoltaic system spans 400,00 square feet, comprising 14,400 solar panels. This will meet 50% of the facility’s electricity requirements and the retailer plans to purchase the remaining energy required from renewable energy sources. The retailer has partnered with solar energy company Soltech Energy on the project.

Evri To Open New Distribution Depot Near Gatwick Airport (April 19) ChargedRetail.co.uk

• UK-based parcel delivery services company Evri, formerly Hermes UK, has announced plans to open a new distribution center near Gatwick Airport, England. The facility spans 81,000 square feet and will handle over 200,000 parcels each day. It can operate round the clock, if required, according to the company.
• The move comes as part of Evri’s ongoing investment plans to expand its delivery capacity to cater to consumers’ growing online shopping demand.

Mango Links Sustainability Targets to Its Business Loan Repayment Terms (April 19) RetailGazette.co.uk

• Spanish fashion retailer Mango has introduced sustainability targets into its business loan repayment terms. The company extended its major syndicated loan repayment date to 2028 but will pay back less if it achieves sustainability targets—including 100% use of sustainable cotton and recycled fibers and a 10% reduction in carbon emissions by 2025.
• Mango’s CFO Margarita Salvans said, “This is a historic transaction for the company. Not only is it the first time we have linked the cost of the debt to sustainability indicators, but we have also managed to extend the repayment calendar, improve its cost, and double our financing capacity.”

Maxima Latvija Launches Sustainable Fruit and Vegetable Packing Options (April 18) ESMMagazine.com

• Lithuanian grocery and consumer goods retailer Maxima Latvija has introduced sustainable paper bags for fruit and vegetable packing in its large-format Maxima XXX stores. The move comes in response to shoppers’ demand to reduce plastic packaging use. The store also offers reusable bags made of recyclable material.
• Maxima Latvija’s Sales Director Evija Grīnberga said, “Maxima Latvija has a long history of environmentally friendly initiatives and was the first retailer to completely do away with free, large plastic bags in 2008. We see that these initiatives are also appreciated by our customers, who are increasingly looking for more environmentally friendly solutions in their store environment.”

Spar Netherlands Partners with Just Eat, Launches Delivery Service Pilot (April 19) ESMMagazine.com

• Dutch hypermarket and retail food chain Spar has partnered with Netherlands-based online food order and delivery company Just Eat to launch a pilot grocery delivery service in the Netherlands.
• The pilot will offer over 1,000 products ranging from bread and milk to toiletries and other necessities from 20 Spar Netherlands stores across the country. The plan reflects Spar Netherland’s new strategy focused on increasing customer convenience.

ASIA RETAIL AND TECH HEADLINES

Flipkart Acquires ANS Commerce (April 19) Business-Standard.com

• Walmart-owned Indian e-commerce retailer Flipkart has entered into an agreement to acquire ANS Commerce, a DTC commerce company, to strengthen its online retail ecosystem in India.
• ANS Commerce offers a variety of services to brands that want to sell online, including assisting with marketplace integration, creation of digital storefronts, warehousing and facility management. The deal is set to close in the second half of 2022, according to the company.

Food Delivery Rivals Swiggy and Zomato To Invest in UrbanPiper (April 19) TimesofIndia.IndiaTimes.com

• UrbanPiper, an Indian restaurant management platform, has raised $24 million in a Series B fundraising round led by new investors—food delivery platforms Swiggy and Zomato, bringing the rivals together for their first joint venture.
• Swiggy and Zomato both contributed $5 million to the investment round, which raised UrbanPiper's valuation to over $100 million. Existing investors Sequoia Capital India and Tiger Global led the latest funding round, and a slew of angel investors also participated.

Hangry Raises $22 Million in Hybrid Debt and Equity Round (April 18) TechNode.Global

• Hangry, an Indonesian cloud kitchen startup, has raised $22 million in a mix of equity and debt funding, bringing its total funding to $35 million, following a $13 million Series A equity round in May 2021.
• Hangry intends to use the funds to develop its own brands, acquire other popular food and beverage brands and look to expand geographically from 2024 onward.

Lazada's LazEarth Campaign To Feature 5,000 Sustainable Products (April 18) En.PrAsia.com

• Singapore-based e-commerce platform Lazada has launched a sustainability campaign named LazEarth, featuring 5,000 products with sustainability credentials in a new section of its LazMall. The products, which come from more than 70 brands, are primarily in the fashion and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) categories.
• The LazEarth campaign aims to encourage a reduction in plastic waste from items and packaging, motivated by reducing Southeast Asia's estimated annual plastic trash consumption of 31 million tonnes or more, according to the company.

Uber Eats Japan Teams Up with Rakuten on New Payment Option (April 18) Company press release

• Food delivery company Uber Eats Japan has teamed up with electronic e-commerce company Rakuten Group on its Rakuten Pay online payment service. The partnership will provide Uber Eats’ users in Japan with a new online payment option that utilizes the Rakuten ID system.
• Starting on April 27, both companies will promote a limited-time Rakuten Pay introductory campaign on Uber Eats. Customers who join Uber Eats will get a discount of ¥3,000 ($23.47) off their first order. New users will also get Rakuten Points to receive discounts from the retailer.