Retail Technology News: October update
Walmart is enlisting celebrities for its Black Friday promotion.
Retailers in October 2024 focused technology efforts in areas including omnichannel holiday sales extravaganzas, RFID, and fulfillment automation.
Here are some of the most noteworthy and innovative technology stories as reported by Chain Store Age in October, starting with the most recent.
- Walmart to kick Black Friday off early with celebrities, AI Walmart, which already held its first "Holiday Deals" omnichannel event of the season Oct. 8-13 and is offering an "inflation-free" discount Thanksgiving dinner package designed to serve eight people for less than $7 per person, will launch a three-part Black Friday/Cyber Monday promotion on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024.
- First Look: Sam’s Club’s digital-first store of the future Sam’s Club has opened a store that will serve as an innovation center to test new technology and non-tech initiatives from which it will apply learnings to current and future clubs.
- Kroger to automate inventory management with RFID The Kroger Co. is working with Avery Dennison to deploy the vendor’s RFID-based inventory automation technology in its stores. Rollout is slated to begin in the bakery department, where RFID-embedded labels will be implemented on each individual product.
- Chipotle rolling out AI-based hiring system Chipotle Mexican Grill is streamlining the process of hiring new employees with artificial intelligence. The fast-casual restaurant giant is deploying the Paradox conversational AI hiring system in a phased approach across more than 3,500 restaurant locations.
- TikTok Shop enters online refurbished electronics market In an email to Chain Store Age, TikTok said that refurbished electronics are now available for purchase on the Shop tab of its app. A select number of TikTok Shop third-party sellers, all of which are required to meet specific performance standards, can now sell refurbished electronics goods.
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- DoorDash expands rewards, support offerings for drivers DoorDash once again rolled-out new tools designed to assist its drivers. The delivery company announced seven new products and features for Dashers (its term for contract employees that shop for and deliver customer orders), aimed at providing "even more flexibility, even more rewards and even more support.”
- Amazon has biggest October sale ever; Holiday Beauty Haul up next According to Amazon, Prime Big Deal Days (Oct. 8-9) was its biggest October shopping event ever, with more Prime members shopping compared to the 2023 edition with higher sales and more items sold during the two-day event than any previous October shopping event.
- Ulta Beauty launches inclusive digital space, wellness initiatives Ulta Beauty Community is an inclusive digital space allowing customers to share personal stories, beauty routines, and self-care tips, while gaining access to expert advice and exclusive content from industry experts. Community members can post content, upload photos, and share in the joy of beauty discovery.
- Save A Lot entering New York via micro-fulfillment center Save A Lot opened a Brooklyn-based online fulfillment center equipped with Fabric micro-fulfillment technology. This effort is part of a larger expansion which includes a push into New York City.
- Dick’s Sporting Goods centralizes sourcing and production with AI Dick’s Sporting Goods is unifying its production chain activities on a single artificial intelligence-based platform. The specialty athletic apparel and equipment retailer is rolling out the Inspectorio traceability and transparency, production monitoring, and lab testing solutions.
