Solutions & Innovations (November-December 2024)
Dollar General celebrated the fourth anniversary of its "popshelf” retail store concept by launching a popshelf app through the iOS and Google Play app stores. The app lets customers browse multiple seasonal decor ideas, discover crafts and shop online for pickup at 100 standalone and 40 store-within-a-store locations. Dollar General says it plans to have approximately 1,000 of the 9,000-square-foot popshelf stores by the end of the 2025 fiscal year.
In October, Google announced that “Google Shopping" was to be "rebuilt from the ground up with AI" for rollout in November. The company says it paired 45 billion product listings in Google’s Shopping Graph with Gemini models to create a new home page with personalized feeds that tee up products and videos based on a user’s preferences. Searchers will get an "AI-generated brief" with the top ideas to consider in the search, plus deal-finding tools like price comparisons, insights and tracking.
Furniture store brand Ashley and Samsung Electronics recently launched "The Connected Home Experience" at Ashley's flagship in Brentwood, Tennessee. This series of vignettes shows how devices like smart plugs, locks and light bulbs can transform spaces into party rooms, work-from-home setups or bedroom sanctuaries. Each vignette has up to 200 connected devices from Samsung and SmartThings-compatible brands like Philips Hue lighting, Nanoleaf lighting, Eve roller shades and Kasa smart home products. Plans are underway to expand this experience across the Ashley store network.
In October, New York-based NCSolutions (NCS) launched its “CPG Insights Stream” solution in the Amazon Marketing Cloud, a technology said to enable advertisers to measure the impact of their media beyond Amazon. The Insights Stream leverages NCSolutions' proprietary analytic models to help clients analyze data from Amazon Ads including household buying behavior across 4,500 different product groups and three million UPCs. The new collaboration is said to answer questions such as how does an Amazon Ads investment impact share of wallet and what is the best path to purchase beyond Amazon Ads conversions?
In October, Chicago-based BP launched “earnify,” an app aimed at creating a more seamless experience for bp shoppers at the pump and in-store. Shoppers earn points for fuel and bp convenience store purchases and can also use the app with bp’s regional grocery partners including Pick 'n Save, Mariano’s and Harris Teeter. When U.S.-based Amazon Prime members link their accounts to earnify, they can save a combined 10 cents a gallon on fuel.
In late September, "instant commerce" platform Gopuff launched several new ad capabilities for brands including an integration with AdAdapted’s “Add-It” carting technology. This technology enables consumers anywhere online to receive an ad and add a branded item to their Gopuff bag with a single click without having to leave the site they’re browsing. Gopuff says it can, sometimes within minutes, deliver everyday products to consumers via its micro-fulfillment centers and omnichannel retail stores in the U.S. and U.K.
In September, Los Angeles-based GorgeousTV introduced a white-labeled app named "SceneShop" that lets "free advertising-supported streaming television" (FAST) channels deliver retail ads to viewers who can then shop products featured in the content. The app is said to use advanced AI and algorithms that maps viewer preferences for content, actors and brands, capture intent signals and delivers contextual ads. GorgeousTV features “shoppable” shows such as Suits, Sex and the City, The Kardashians and Emily in Paris.
In August, Oakland, California-based ThredUp, an online resale platform, released a suite of AI-powered search tools and chatbots that use algorithms that understand natural language and visual cues. This enables shoppers to use everyday language in queries such as "light pink knee-length dress with ruffles" or "swimsuit for a triathlon." Shoppers can also upload photos or share Instagram posts to find matching or similar items within ThredUp's inventory of 200 million secondhand items from 60,000 brands across 100 categories.
A late summer launch, Seattle-based BuyScout claims to be "the world's first AI online shopping copilot." It uses web intelligence to offer tailored advice, track prices for the best deals and alert shoppers when items are restocked. BuyScout is said to be able to digest and analyze customer feedback online and thus summarize the pros and cons of any product in seconds, make in-depth comparisons and answer questions. At the moment, its chat, price tracking and inventory tracking features are said to be supported on Amazon. The app is available for download from the Chrome Web Store.
In September, London-based Depop (a subsidiary of Etsy that is focused on the peer-to-peer secondhand marketplace) rolled out a new description-generation feature that uses image recognition and generative AI technology. The feature allows Depop users to create a listing description and populate item attributes, including category, color, sub-category and brand, simply by uploading a single photo. The feature is available to users in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada and Ireland.
In August, Miami-based Innovative Eyewear said it has partnered with AR “reality shopping” developer Geenee Inc. to develop a new generation of retail eyewear experiences. The two companies plan to launch the “Lucyd Kiosk,” a freestanding LCD display that lets shoppers see all frames superimposed on their faces through virtual try-on (VTO) technology. The kiosk will support audio demos along with TikTok videos and product content. Innovative Eyewear develops “ChatGPT eyewear” under the Nautica, Eddie Bauer and Reebok brands.
In October, Bath & Body Works released an enhanced mobile app that includes biometric authentication that allows login by fingerprint or face ID, can be shopped by all customers with or without registration, and has an improved store-locator feature. The app has 37 million active users and loyalty members account for more than 80% of sales.
In October, Boston-based rewards marketer Claim announced another funding round that brings its total to $20 million. Every Thursday, college students on 70 campuses receive a notification from Claim about “The Drop,” open its app and find a reward from a brand they haven’t tried before. When a user is introduced to a brand this way, they can also see which friends already shop there, compare what offers their friends received, trade them and send rewards as gifts in group chats. When users sign up, they link their credit card to the app, which lets Claim’s algorithm understand where they have and have not shopped yet. With the new funding Claim plans to begin off-campus expansion into major cities.