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TRANSFORMING RETAIL INTELLIGENCE
"Where's my nearest "Where's my
supermarlket?" delivery?"
Finding your voice
How voice technology will transform retail
"Add eggs to "Does this come in
my baslket" a bigger size?"
Alexa, how will voice
technology transform retail?
This is the question on many retailers’ lips as voice-enabled
devices such as Amazon Echo and Google Home make their
way into homes across the nation.
I
n this special report – the first in Retail
Week’s Transformative Tech series that
Millennial 20/20 event last month.
And retailers expect this to transform
Voice is going to be
explores the far-reaching impact of new shopping behaviour. enormously disruptive
technology across retail – we uncover
how voice technology will change the way
“Around 10% of UK households now
have a smart speaker device, and we think and retailers are
consumers search and buy products, and
what retailers should do to take advantage.
voice activation is set to be one of the next big
retail shifts when it comes to technology,”
significantly
Amazon sold more than 33 million Echo says Tesco Labs head of research Paul underestimating
smart speakers last year while Google has Wilkinson.
shifted more than one Google Home device Schuh director of ecommerce and how quickly it’s
per-second since it launched last October.
The voice-enabled assistants on these
customer experience Sean McKee agrees:
“We’re already seeing customers using voice
going to come
devices have been hailed as the most
important technological development since
technology to search for products.
“We can see how shoppers would use
Rob Barnes, Accenture
the iPhone, and are tipped to drive a similar voice in a number of ways – from searching
change in behaviour. for specific products to tracking orders.”
“There’s a whole generation right now, Read on to find out how voice tech-
where the youth is developing this idea nology will transform search, shopping and
where it’s normal to speak with your house,” engagement, customer service, delivery and
Max Amordeluso, EU lead evangelist for distribution, and what you should be doing
Alexa at Amazon, told delegates at the about it.
Chapter one:
The potential of voice
Voice technology has been hailed as the new battleground,
with many commentators believing voice-enabled assistants
are the most important development since the iPhone.
T
he technology has actually been on “94% of people say they’re now satis- out by voice.
the scene for some time. Voice capa- fied with the interaction,” says Accenture But it is the emergence of the voice-
bilities have been built into Google managing director of retail technology enabled assistant – pioneered by Amazon’s
search since 2009, while Apple consulting Rob Barnes. Alexa – that has stimulated a big uptick in
introduced Siri on its iPhone back in 2011. “In the early days, when we used voice on the use of voice technology. And usage is set
However, recent advances in speech our phones and you’d ask to call your mum to explode.
recognition and natural language processes and you’d be calling Nigel from the office, Analysts at RBC Capital Markets esti-
have helped make voice an essential tool for the ineffectiveness would stop you using it. mated that in 2017 Amazon sold 33 million
many consumers. There’s been a tipping point.” Echo smart speaker devices, which host its
In fact, satisfaction levels for voice interac- In fact, Google says that 20% of all digital assistant Alexa.
tions are now relatively high. Android searches in the US are now carried “There’s a whole generation right now,
where the youth is developing this idea
where it’s normal to speak with your house,”
Most common activities using voice technology Max Amordeluso, EU lead evangelist for
Alexa at Amazon, told delegates at the
Millennial 20/20 event last month.
Play music 95% Amazon is not alone. All the major tech-
nology platforms – Google, Apple, Microsoft
and Samsung – are vying for a slice of the
Weather/news 92% voice assistant market.
The technology is becoming so wide-
spread that research consultancy Ovum
General questions 88% estimates by 2021 there will be more digital
assistants installed in devices than there are
Timers/alarms/shopping lists 77% people on the planet.
Multiple occasions – 16% Voice and shopping
Make a purchase Made one purchase – 12% Playing music or asking what the weather
Add to basket to buy online – 17% is like may still be the most common uses of
voice-enabled devices, but users are finding
Digital subscriptions 44% new functions, including searching for and
buying products.
Amordeluso revealed that 42% of
Smart home devices 41% Amazon Echo users had added an item to a
shopping list.
0 20 40 60 80 100 Google UK head of search Alessandra
% respondents
Source: OC&C Alari says: “We are beginning to see voice
Chapter one: The potential of voice
become an everyday, accepted behaviour, “Around 10% of UK households now be seen, such as clothes.
moving from an experimental tool and party have a smart speaker device, and we think And voice technology will not be limited
trick to becoming more fully embedded in voice activation is set to be one of the next big to smart speakers.
how we live our lives.” retail shifts when it comes to technology,” Amazon has opened up its voice frame-
Consumers aren’t just searching for prod- he says. work and there are now more than 50 prod-
ucts via voice – they are also buying them. OC&C estimates that $5bn (£4.4bn) will be ucts – from cars to kitchen appliances – that
According to research by consultancy OC&C, spent through voice commerce in the UK by are capable of giving Alexa a voice.
16% of smart speaker users have bought 2022, representing 3% of all online spend. Already car manufacturers, including
products via the device more than once. Ford, BMW, Mini, Seat, Skoda and Toyota,
Tesco Labs head of technology research New behaviours emerge are integrating Alexa into their vehicles.
Paul Wilkinson predicts that voice will have Voice is already changing how people shop. Vista Retail Support technical services
a big impact on retail. Tesco director of online business services director James Pepper says this could enable
Rafael Orta told IGD Online and Digital shoppers to order products in their car and
By 2021, there will Summit late last year: “What we’re seeing is
a more continuous basket construction.”
have sat-nav systems instantly programmed
with directions to the nearest location to
be more digital Shopping by voice is in its infancy and the collect from.
assistants than bulk of orders are made by consumers who
know precisely what they want to buy.
Barnes says: “Voice is going to be enor-
mously disruptive and retailers are signifi-
people on the planet As a result, groceries and items such as
electronics and homewares are the most
cantly underestimating how quickly it’s
going to come.”
Estimate by common purchases.
However, the next generation of Google
Retailers need to understand how their
customers will use voice technology on a
technology research and Amazon voice-enabled devices have day-to-day basis and determine how this
consultancy Ovum in-built screens, which should open up
voice commerce across products that need to
will impact interactions with their brand, or
risk being left behind.
Meet the voice assistants
Name: Alexa Name: Google Assistant Name: Siri Name: Cortana
Powered by: Amazon Powered by: Google Powered by: Apple Powered by: Microsoft
Launched: 2014 for US Amazon Launched: 2016 Launched: 2011 Launched: 2014
Prime members, 2016 in UK Compatible devices: All modern Compatible devices: iPhone, Apple Compatible devices: Microsoft
Compatible devices: Echo and Echo Android phones and Google Home Watch, AirPods and HomePod phones, Windows 10 PCs and
Dot speakers, Echo Show (with speakers (launched 2017) speaker (launched in February Invoke speakers
screen), Echo Look (with camera) Key feature: Access to all of Google’s 2018) Key feature: Integrated with
and Echo Tap intelligence, and no need to teach Key feature: Integrated with iOS (the Windows
Key feature: The Alexa devices can it skills Apple operating software)
hear you in noisy environments
Name: Bixby Name: Duer Name: LingLong Name: AliGenie
Powered by: Samsung Powered by: Chinese Powered by: Chinese ecommerce Powered by: Alibaba
Launched: 2017 search engine giant giant JD.com Launched: 2017
Compatible devices: Samsung Baidu Launched: 2016 Compatible devices: TMall Genie,
smartphones and Family Hub 2.0 Launched: 2017 Compatible devices: DingDong A1, Genie FireEye
refrigerators Compatible devices: Little Fish A2 and A3 Key features: Voice/print
Key feature: Understands speakers (video and camera), Key feature: English lessons for recognition to ensure only
natural language Sengled smart lamp speaker, PopIn children authorised users
Aladdin smart lamp, and Huawei can make orders
and Xiaomi phones. using the device
Key feature: Takes users’ previous
searches and location into account
when providing assistance
Chapter two:
Voice tech and search
Consumers are increasingly using voice to search for products, companies
and services, with media analytics firm ComScore forecasting that half of
all searches will be carried out this way in just two years.
P
eople tend to search differently via to a wide range of queries. “If they think the results are biased and not
voice than they do through text These answer boxes also determine the tailored to them, they’ll not continue to use
search as, unsurprisingly, they use a answers given to Google Home users. the device,” he says.
more conversational tone. Unlike the world of text search, businesses “The platform businesses don’t want
Alessandra Alari, head of search at Google are unable to pay for voice search terms that. They are far more interested in the data
UK, says: “One of the reasons people are currently. and trying to pair people up with the right
using voice search is that it offers a hands- Google tried to introduce paid advertising product.”
free way to get quick answers. into search results last year, but this was not The focus for brands and retailers should
“Almost 70% of queries to Google warmly received. therefore be SEO and making sure they have
Assistant are being asked in normal, natural In the US, Google Home customers who content that surfaces at the top of relevant
speech, as opposed to the keyword phrases asked for a summary of the day complained search results.
people generally type into a search box. when Google Assistant told them about the Alari says: “For brands, the key to opti-
“Using a voice assistant feels much more opening of Beauty and the Beast in cinemas. mising for voice search is knowing what
like a human conversation.” The search giant swiftly removed the ad. the questions are likely to be, and why your
However, reports surfaced earlier this product is the answer.”
Topping Google search year that Amazon is in talks with consumer Alan Boughen, president of paid search
All brands and retailers strive to land at the goods giant P&G and cleaning products firm EMEA at advertising giant Omnicom Media
top of search results. However, this is even Clorox to promote their products on its Echo Group, says pre-existing tools such as Google
more crucial for voice searches. Shoppers devices. Keyword Planner can help brands under-
do not want to listen to an endless list of Accenture managing director of retail stand what is being searched for.
responses to voice queries – they want just technology consulting Rob Barnes believes He recommends retailers use websites
one answer. consumers will not tolerate paid-for search such as AnswerThePublic.com to map out
results. the types of questions consumers ask about
products and brands.
Retailers should then set about creating
The key to optimising content to answer those queries.
This content needs to be structured in a
for voice search is way that Google rates highly. Boughen says
the search engine prioritises web pages with
knowing what the “structured data” and recommends that
brands use websites such as Schema.org
An example of an ’answer box’ on a Google
questions are likely to to make it easier for webmasters to assess
search results page be, and why your content.
Jeremy Pounder, futures director at media
Google has been evolving to respond to
the growth of voice search and, for the past
product is the answer agency Mindshare, says a brand’s credibility
in the area being searched is also taken into
couple of years, has provided ‘answer boxes’ Alessandra Alari, Google account by Google.
Chapter two: Voice tech and search
Reviews and social recommendations are
Amazon Choice selection criteria
important factors while determining cred-
ibility, so Pounder urges retailers to build Product Customer experience Supply chain
strong relationships with influencers in their
Average product rating: >4.5 Low return rate All products Prime eligible (i.e.
field.
fulfilled by Amazon)
How does Amazon do it? Average number of reviews: Strong product guarantees Max. 2-3 day delivery (no stack
Amazon’s digital assistant Alexa makes 846 (variable) limitation)
product recommendations based on relevant
“Best seller” ranking: >#8 Low proportion of negative Perfect order rate (i.e. errors in
items in a customer’s order history or basket
customer experiences orders delivered to Amazon) >99%
in the first instance.
across all products
Low basket abandonment High customer response rate High order punctuality rate
rate within 24 hours
Pre-fulfilment cancellation Accurate product information Low order delivery time
rate:
Chapter three:
Voice tech, shopping
and engagement
Voice technology is not just impacting how we search – it’s
changing how we interact and shop with brands.
T
he bulk of voice commerce currently
takes place on Amazon.
developed skills to enable shoppers to buy
directly through them using Amazon Echo
The best skills take
Consultancy OC&C estimates that devices. away the friction of
the online giant takes 90% of all
spend via voice.
These skills allow shoppers to place items
in their basket via voice command and create doing a task
The seamless nature in which users can
find products, add them to their Amazon
a continuous basket throughout the week.
Google UK head of search Alessandra
Jeremy Pounder,
basket and pay has undoubtedly driven this Alari says: “This changing behaviour gives Mindshare
impressive market share. brands an opportunity to use voice search
Some retailers have attempted to sell using as their ‘always on’ connection, so that they
Amazon and Google’s voice ecosystems by are constantly available to engage and assist
developing branded shopping experiences consumers.”
on Echo and Home devices. doing a task,” he explains.
On Amazon’s Echo devices, skills are What makes a good skill? Pounder uses the example of the Star-
the apps of the voice world. Echo users can The really good branded skills have been bucks skill in the US, which allows users to
enable or disable branded skills in the same based around utility so far, according to pre-order coffee from the in-built Amazon
way that they can install or uninstall apps. Mindshare futures director Jeremy Pounder. Echo in Ford cars for pick-up at its drive-
Ocado, Tesco and Morrisons have “The best skills take away the friction of through locations.
“That’s a great example of a specific
moment, when buying via voice is better
than any alternative,” says Pounder.
Domino’s Pizza launched a skill in the UK
late last year to allow its customers to order
their favourite pizza using just six words:
“Alexa, ask Domino’s to feed me.”
Tom Ollerton, innovation director at
Domino’s agency We Are Social, says
the takeaway firm’s customers tend
to order the same pizza to the same
address, so the reordering skill makes this
process even easier than tapping its app.
Pounder also highlights Tesco’s presence
on Amazon Echo and Google Home as an
experience that makes life easier for users.
Amazon’s Alexa is built into Ford cars, allowing Shoppers can buy Tesco groceries on both
users to pre-order a coffee from Starbucks devices as a result of its collaboration with
IFTTT, a platform that joins together shop-
Chapter three: Voice tech, shopping and engagement
pers’ online accounts.
Tesco Labs head of technology research
Paul Wilkinson says: “If the customer shops
with us regularly, we do our best to match
this command with the products they
normally choose, so their usual two pints of
semi-skimmed milk are added to their basket
– not just the first result that’s returned.”
It is no surprise that grocery retailers like
Tesco have been the first to market in the UK
with branded skills.
The transactions that are taking place via
voice right now tend to focus on reordering
and replenishing products, making super-
market shopping a good fit.
Vista Retail Support technical services
director James Pepper says: “It’s really incon-
venient to shop online for grocery.
“Building a shopping list as and when you
remember, then completing the transaction
once a week, really simplifies the process.”
Brand building through skills Skills and actions are
not right for every
Skills aren’t just about ecommerce; they can
also offer an effective route for consumers to
Both include subtle references to Unilever
products. brand as there are only
engage with brands.
Barnes says that, when developing skills,
Similarly, drinks manufacturer Pernod Ricard
launched the What Cocktail? Alexa skill to help
a limited number that
retailers need to focus on “meeting the everyday users mix drinks at home, and washing powder the shopper will use
needs of their customers on this platform”. brand Tide has a skill that tells users how to get
For fashion retailers, this might be style rid of 100 different stains.
advice rather than product information, for There is also an opportunity for brands to right and will offer shoppers an in-built vast
example. entertain users through voice-enabled devices. range, sold at competitive prices, with a
FMCG giant Unilever has launched several Last Christmas, John Lewis partnered with completely seamless shopping experience.
skills to engage with its consumers. Google Home to release an interactive audio Accenture managing director of retail
Its Recipedia skill gives step-by-step storybook for children based on Moz the technology consulting Rob Barnes says that
instructions on how to cook more than 650 Monster, the star of its Christmas campaign. some retailers, particularly those operating
meals, while its Cleanipedia skill shares Children could use the Google Home speaker in categories that are commoditised, should
household tips. to read aloud and ask questions about the story. insert themselves into Amazon’s supply
chain by selling on its marketplace, rather
than investing in their own branded experi-
Skills shortage Selling via Google Home ence.
An increasing number of brands and retailers On Google, brands can create ‘actions’ that However, retailers who sell more unique
are developing Alexa skills, with Amazon allow Google Home users to get things done product and have a distinct offer should
reporting a 428% increase in these year on with specific brands. create their own skills and actions to give
year. However, the consumer uptake of skills Unlike Amazon Echo skills, users do customers a similar experience via voice that
is thought to have been limited so far. not have to enable a branded experience or they would get across other sales channels.
According to a 2017 report by VoiceLabs, request that Google Assistant uses it.
only 31% of Alexa skills have more than one Instead, the assistant decides which is the
customer review, which suggests they are best action to fulfil the user’s request – much
not being used regularly. like a traditional search engine – and then Action points: what
The fact that users need to enable these asks if they want to use it.
skills and specifically ask Alexa to add goods The fact that consumers do not have to should you do now?
to to their Ocado or Tesco baskets makes this explicitly search for this action, as they do on
a clunky process. Amazon, can make interaction with brands ●●Determine whether a branded shopping or
Voice is about ease, and if Amazon is a easier on Google’s voice platform. engagement experience is right for your brand
plausible place to buy products – which it ●●Assess what purpose a skill or action
is across a wide range of categories – users Is a skill or action right for your would serve for your shoppers. Would it be
will not take the extra step of asking Alexa to brand? transactional or would it provide unique
purchase through a particular skill, unless Skills and actions are not right for every content?
there is already strong brand loyalty there. brand as, just like apps in the mobile world, ●●Decide which platform works for you.
OC&C partner Will Hayllar says: “The risk, there are only a limited number that the Amazon may be more of a transactional
which is part of Amazon’s objective here, shopper will use. environment, but can you entice shoppers to
is making it more and more easy to shop And right now one of the biggest players take the extra step to download your skill?
through them.” in voice, Amazon, is a retailer in its own
Chapter four:
Voice tech and customer service
Smart home technology is spearheading consumer voice
interaction. However, experts believe people will soon feel
comfortable using this technology outside the home as well.
F
or retail, the obvious next step is Voice-activated products have already Meanwhile, in Japan, Henn-na hotels use
bringing voice assistance into stores. been used to provide customer service by a robots to check in guests.
Rob Barnes, Accenture’s managing number of hospitality brands globally. Mindshare futures director Jeremy
director of retail consulting tech- In San Antonio, Texas, the JW Marriott Pounder says fashion retailers could embed
nology, says this could be win-win for resort uses Echo Dot in its hotel rooms voice assistants into changing rooms. These
consumers and retailers. to inform guests about restaurants, room could order products in different sizes and
“The common complaint you hear from service and directions. even offer style advice.
consumers is that they want to engage with There is also an opportunity for brands
staff in store,” he says.
“Meanwhile, retailers say they want to
Voice-activated devices to link this customer-facing, voice-enabled
technology with back-end systems, such
take staff away from more mundane tasks. could be linked to as real-time stock information, to further
This could be the solution.”
“It’s hard to have highly knowledgeable shopping trolleys or to enhance the experience.
experienced people across all stores in your
network. Voice could offer a new heightened
a voice-activated Navigating the store
Technology is already being used by retailers
customer experience by making it acces- assistant on an app to help shoppers navigate stores.
sible to the customer in a way they would be Harrods makes use of interactive maps on
comfortable with.” Paul Wilkinson, Tesco its app to help shoppers find specific brands
and products at its Knightsbridge store.
And Barnes says interactive voice
Amazon’s Echo Dot can now be response technology could solve simple
found in some JW Marriott hotels queries, such as giving directions to specific
products.
By using either voice-enabled devices or
shoppers’ own smartphones, retailers could
bring these directions to life and facilitate
conversation between users and virtual store
assistants.
Tesco Labs head of research technology
Paul Wilkinson told delegates at Retail
Week’s Tech. event last year that there was “a
lot of opportunity” for the grocer to deploy
voice search tech in-store to allow shoppers
to locate items on their shopping lists faster.
He said voice-activated devices could be
linked to shopping trolleys or to a voice-acti-
vated assistant on a retailer’s mobile app.
Chapter four: Voice tech and customer service
Voice technology
IN NUMBERS
The rise of voice search Smart speaker penetration
% voice search on Android, 2017 UK households
% total search on voice in 2020 2017 2022
10%
20%
(US)
The Harrods app includes an interactive store
map to aid shoppers
50% 48%
(global estimate)
Tech for colleagues
And it’s not just shoppers that could WORLDWIDE UK FOCUS
benefit from voice technology.
Wilkinson says store colleagues could
use it to check information like stock levels, By 2017 2022
delivery schedules and promotions in-store, Voice assistant Voice commerce
as well as helping customers with specific
queries.
When mobile devices such as iPads and
2021
there wil be more
brand preference predicted spend
£3.5bn
kiosks were first introduced into stores, will be spent via
some retailers found shoppers reluctant to
digital assistants 80% Amazon voice commerce
Echo
use them. installed in devices in the UK...
However, when staff used this technology
THAN PEOPLE ...amounting to
3%
to assist shoppers instead, real value was
achieved. ON THE PLANET
“We already have our colleague app 20% Google
Home of all online spend
Inform, which enables colleagues to scan
products and quickly receive information
about them, so voice could be part of making Battle of the brands Amazon’s dominance
that even more helpful,” says Wilkinson.
Estimated number of smart The % of all voice commerce
speaker devices sold globally spend that went to Amazon
Action points: what 90%
should you do now?
●●Identify the real benefits of introducing voice
technology into store – avoid having tech for
tech’s sake
33
million
8
●●Explore whether voice devices could carry
out more routine tasks to free up customer million
service staff to focus on more complex issues
●●Identify ways that voice technology could
make colleagues better informed Sources: Google, OC&C, RBC Capital Markets, ComScore, OvumChapter five:
Voice tech, delivery
and distribution
Voice technology could also help boost productivity and
improve customer experience across delivery and distribution.
O
ne of the objectives of Amazon Echo Google Home to allow shoppers to do just having to input a barcode or postcode.
is to make shopping with Amazon that. Hermes senior digital imagineer Carl
easier, and tracking parcels is a On Amazon Echo, users have to enable the Robinson says its customers are using this
fundamental function of the device. Hermes skill, but Google Home customers functionality.
By asking “Alexa, where’s my stuff?” simply ask Google Assistant where their “The experiences that we’ve put out have
shoppers can find out the status of their Hermes delivery is and are updated with gained more usage than we expected, and
Amazon order. Users can also set up notifica- the location of all parcels in transit without they’ve proven sticky enough to keep people
tions to be informed when their purchases coming back using them,” he says.
are sent out for delivery.
Parcel tracking is one of shoppers’ most
It makes sense to use “We’re removing obstacles and making it
as seamless as possible.”
desired delivery options – according to a hearing rather than
Warehouse uses
Retail Week survey last December, 40% of
shoppers said the ability to track parcels was visual instructions as Productivity is under the spotlight in retail
the most important element of delivery.
Parcel tracking on voice-enabled devices
eyes are looking for warehouses, and voice technology could
enable employees to work more efficiently.
could save shoppers calling a contact centre product or pallet “Lots of warehouses are already using
or logging on to a web portal. It is a core func- voice to direct pickers where to find items,”
tion of Ocado’s Alexa skill. locations says OC&C partner Will Hayllar.
Courier Hermes has launched a parcel-
tracking service on both Amazon Echo and
Will Hayllar, OC&C Workers use headsets and are given aural
directions to product or pallet locations.
“It makes sense to use hearing rather than
The ring light on Alexa visual instructions as eyes are looking for
devices turns yellow product,” says Hayllar.
when there is a delivery John Lewis has used voice picking for
notification for the user the past decade, and in 2015 implemented
voice technology to improve the accuracy
of loading onto vehicles at its distribution
centres.
The technology, provided by Voiteq, was
introduced to prevent errors in the loading of
goods to store, which it said at the time was
“a reasonably frequent occurrence”.
John Lewis distribution systems manager
William Armitage said: “We can only put
that down to the process of having to hold
devices for scanning or interacting with
screens and keyboards.Chapter five: Voice tech, delivery and distribution
integrated into the majority of modern
smartphones, Robinson says there could be
an opportunity to harness these devices in
retail warehouses, rather than investing in
hardware.
However, he sounds a note of caution
about bringing emerging technology such as
voice recognition into workplaces.
“When you force employees to use new
technology, it generally doesn’t work,” he
says.
”When consumer adoption of this tech-
nology is higher and employees are using it
already in their day-to-day lives, it opens up
more uses in a distribution environment.”
Action points: what
John Lewis has been using voice picking in their distribution centres for the last decade
should you do now?
●●Look to bring parcel-tracking functionality
“We wanted a solution that offered hands-free. to your businesses’ skills and actions on
partners the same productivity, increased Tesco Labs head of technology research voice-enabled devices. Tracking improves
accuracy and hands-free, eyes-free benefits Paul Wilkinson says tech of this type could customers’ delivery experience and doing this
of the voice-directed system we already help its warehouse workers. via voice is quick and easy. It can also reduce
successfully use for picking.” “Voice could complement our picking call centre activity
The technology translates on-screen activity, enabling colleagues to confirm ●●Assess the benefits of bringing voice
instructions into voice and then enters the when a task is completed simply by saying recognition systems into your warehouses.
user’s verbal response back to the screen. so, making their experience even simpler,” This can make picking, packing and loading
This enables employees working within he says. safer and more accurate
the loading environment to be completely With voice recognition technology
Find out more…
The digital revolution has ushered in the most and their approach to the home.
challenging era in the history of retail. Join us The message is clear: the way ahead won’t be
at Tech. – the most important two-day festival easy, but significant opportunities wait for those
of digital retailing – and enjoy the following brands who lay the groundwork to optimise their
sessions: strategies for the future now.
Mass-personalisation and in-home commerce: Personalised shopping through v-commerce
What next for marketing? Unlike innovations in the past, nowadays
Voice-based interaction with digital services is technological advance in one area will certainly
fast overtaking screen-based interaction, leading have transformative impacts in another area.
brand owners and their agencies to a watershed AI voice assistance is one of the hottest topics
point in the history of marketing. in tech right now. Personalisation has made its
With the ability to create new and compelling way from a novel feature on a music streaming
propositions informed by both consumers’ service, to becoming a key feature in the
behavioural data (what they did, where they shopping journey.
did it and why) and contextual data (what time Many retailers avidly integrate related
of day did they do it, what was the weather technology to make this possible both in-store
like), marketers must adapt to the new rules of and online. Its adoption started with high-value
engagement, opportunities and challenges this items such as electronics and fashion.
heralds… and fast.
David Coombs (Head of Strategic Services, Panellists:
Cheil UK) presents a snapshot of the future ●●Toby Knight, Solutions Architecture, AWS
of marketing in a world driven by mass- ●●Paul Wilkinson, Head of Technology Research,
personalisation and in-home commerce. He Tesco Labs
highlights some of the data challenges many ●●Ravi Mattu, Editorial Director in Tech, Financial
brand owners are still struggling to deal with Times
and talks about his experience with Samsung Find out more: Tech.Retail-Week.comJoin the conversation…
What does the future hold for voice technology
in retail? Tweet us @RetailWeek or leave a
comment on our Facebook page.
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