Scurri, the cloud-based software provider that connects and optimises the eCommerce ordering, shipping, and delivery process has been named among the top 40 retail tech start-ups operating globally in Retail Week World Retail Congress’ (RWRC) second annual Discovery report, published today.
Most retailers know they need to work with tech start-ups to give them a competitive edge – it is understanding which firms are going to truly add value that is the challenge. Judged by a panel of retail and start-up experts*, the Discovery report tells retailers all they need to know.
Virtual try-on assistants, vertical farming, ‘save now, buy later’ payments, in-store marketing robots and bookable shop space are just a handful of fresh-thinking players featured.
And it is this fresh thinking that is required if retailers and brands are to remain competitive and balance bottom lines with customer expectations as disruption from the pandemic persists.
Rory O’Connor, CEO & Founder of Scurri said: “We at Scurri are delighted to have been selected and ranked alongside great companies delivering immense value to the retail sector. eCommerce has grown strongly since the start of the pandemic but is getting more complicated with more service offerings being provided. Retail tech plays a pivotal role in helping companies survive these challenges and technologies like those produced by these Discovery 50 companies help retailers to continue to deliver value and a better customer experience despite the many obstacles we all face.”
Drawing on case studies from Discovery, the ROI from retailer-start-up partnerships is clear:
M&S has trialled a partnership with instant virtual try-on start-up Texel to drive purchasing intent; customers that use the tool are five times more likely to purchase and 30% less likely to return items
Samsung has benefited from a 20% increase in basket revenue and 28% uplift in items per basket from working with AI-powered product bundling start-up Increasingly
Carrefour UAE is using Simbe Robotics’ inventory robots Tally to monitor all-important inventory availability and has now expanded this to 12 of its stores
Lidl has used ParcelLab’s automated personalised shipping message service to engage 85% of customers receiving shopping emails to return to its website
Featuring solutions from supply chain and store innovations to personalisation, AI, data and marketing, the report looks at how retailers have benefited from adapting their businesses – and their thinking – to lean into a whole new set of disruptions, trends and challenges.
The start-ups operate across all parts of the world, from Europe and the US to Singapore and Israel, and have worked with more than 30 retailers and brands including Tesco, M&S, Nespresso, Asos, Carrefour, Samsung, Depop, AO.com and John Lewis Partners.
Ian Shepherd has been one of the Discovery judges for the past two years. Shepherd is non-executive director at Bensons for Beds, former CEO at retailer Game, author of The Average is Always Wrong and runs the consultancy Moving Tribes where he advises retailers, digital start-ups and consumer businesses.
Shepherd commented: “This year’s Discovery cohort – just like last year’s – are going to be critical to the future of our sector.
“A different retail sector is possible, a million miles from the old world of ‘how many stores are you going to open?’ and ‘what was your like-for-like last quarter?’ – a retail sector that marries the instinctive customer understanding any good retailer has with the innovation and laser-like focus that new technology allows.”
