It’s Friday, the weekend is almost upon us, so let’s kick back and reflect on another eventful week for the retail systems space. Here’s your briefing on the most important stories from the past five days, including Emperia, Recite Me, Amperity, Walmart’s incubator arm Store No8, and Outlier Ventures.
1. Emperia – new Apple mixed reality headset Vision Pro ‘entails a new mode of brand interaction’
Apple this week unveiled a mixed reality headset called Vision Pro – its first entirely new product in eight years.
The device blends a video feed from the outside world with a virtual world displayed on screens inside the headset.
“Today marks the beginning of a new era for computing,” says Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Just as the Mac introduced us to personal computing, and iPhone introduced us to mobile computing, Apple Vision Pro introduces us to spatial computing.”
“Built upon decades of Apple innovation, Vision Pro is years ahead and unlike anything created before – with a revolutionary new input system and thousands of groundbreaking innovations. It unlocks incredible experiences for our users and exciting new opportunities for our developers.”
As a specialist in the field of virtual stores and immersive e-commerce, Emperia views this new announcement as a massive step into mass adoption of such technology, with tangible benefits for brands.
“Apple has always been a trailblazer for mass adoption with their emerging and brand new tech, take the iPhone for example. Vision Pro could be the catalyst for the mass adoption of XR”, says Olga Dogadkina, Co-founder and CEO at Emperia,
“in creating the new device, Apple is bringing a utility to XR beyond gaming. For the first time, XR headset has more actual functionality than other devices in the market, offering capabilities for work and entertainment.”
“Coupled with human interaction and a design that has all chances of gaining iconic status like most Apple products, the device will almost inevitably gain popularity. This means web UX/UI as we know it will become obsolete, limited by the 2D screen.”
She adds: “For retail, this entails a new mode of brand interaction, one that goes beyond the boundaries of a flat screen and physical space simultaneously. This means deeper customer connection, more intuitive user interactions, more personalisation of customer experience than was ever achievable before.”
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) June 5, 2023
2. The future of retail – Fast fashion brand Forever 21 taps Amperity customer data platform
Amperity, an enterprise customer data platform (CDP), has announced a partnership with Forever 21.
The fast fashion retailer says that it will now be able to provide more relevant, personalised customer experiences. reach more consumers, while enriching advertising campaigns through insights on cross-channel behaviour, data science scores, and content affinities.
“The future of retail lies in how well a company understands the customer journey,” says Jacob Hawkins, Chief Marketing, Digital and Omni Officer at Forever 21.
“Amperity enables us to create unified customer profiles and actionable insights we need to scale.”
“The company’s best-in-class platform, in combination with its significant retail industry expertise, will help us continue to fuel our growth, deepen customer loyalty, and operate at the highest level of efficiency.”
3. Walmart incubator arm Store No8 and Outlier Ventures target startups focused on building in Web3
Store No8, Walmart’s incubation arm, and Outlier Ventures, a Web3 investor, have announced the launch of the Store No8 dCommerce Base Camp accelerator programme.
Applications open this week, and the 12-week initiative will begin in mid-August.
The aim is to help a select cohort of startups focused on building in Web3 to deliver solutions that improve the global retail and commerce experience.
The chosen teams will focus on building across areas that include decentralised infrastructure, data and growth solutions, immersive experiences and the metaverse, and the intersection of AI and blockchain technology.
The programme will provide funding to each of the selected founders, as well as access to subject matter expertise and mentorship across Outlier Ventures and Store Nº8’s team and network.
📣 Outlier Ventures are excited to announce a partnership with Store Nº8, @Walmart‘s incubation arm, for an accelerator program focused on building the next generation of dCommerce applications. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/n6ZB4tROT1
— Outlier Ventures (@OVioHQ) June 6, 2023
4. Poundland taps Recite Me tech to support support job applicants with disabilities online
Poundland has launched a suite of digital accessibility tools to support job applicants and workers with disabilities online.
The Recite Me toolbar on the Poundland Careers website removes obstacles for those with disabilities, visual impairments, learning difficulties, and the population of an older age.
Carina Mardenborough, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing Manager at Poundland, comments: “As a responsible employer, it is important we provide opportunities for our colleagues to throve and be the best version of themselves.”
“We aim to provide our colleagues with essential tools to aid with a useful online and mobile experience; Recite Me works across all devices, allowing everyone to use the internet in the way that suits their needs.”
We are thrilled to see the Recite Me toolbar live on the @Poundland Careers website 🙌
Poundland is committed to providing accessibility support online to support applicants with disabilities online.
Read more about this news here 👇https://t.co/5Ll3bgMeY9#Recruitment pic.twitter.com/fMNlm7lqeV
— reciteme (@reciteme) June 7, 2023
5. Payments veterans Guy Harris and Eric M. Hoffman join chargeback management technology firm Chargebacks911
Chargebacks911 has announced the appointment of Guy Harris as its Chairman of the board, and Eric M. Hoffman as President of Interbank Solutions and board member.
Monica Eaton, CEO and Founder at Chargebacks911, comments: “I couldn’t be more excited to bring onboard Guy Harris and Eric Hoffman. It is rare to find two financial powerhouses with such acumen, leadership, talent and unparalleled success; and with such diverse backgrounds.”
“We have approached an era that is transforming at an unprecedented rate, both in terms of technology and as an industry. To continue to remain a market leader requires grit, diversity, and contagious passion. Guy and Eric deliver on all three, bringing unmatched expertise to this new era as we propel our award winning platform, to continue our mission.”
Eaton added: “As Chairman, Guy will help steer our strategic vision and global expansion efforts, and Eric is set to make his mark across the business with his hands-on experience and go-to-market prowess. I look forward to this next phase in our journey as we continue to challenge the status quo.”
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