Tech. preview: What to expect at our festival of retail technology

Tech. powered by Retail Week is just one week away. The event, which takes place on September 13 and 14 at Here East, London, features more than 120 speakers, including the most influential thinkers, entrepreneurs, investors and practitioners who are shaping the future of retail.

There is a plethora of supposedly game-changing new technologies launching on a daily basis. Our expert speakers will help a 600-strong audience determine which tech has staying power and how businesses can get the most from it.

Here we preview the topics Tech. will debate and decipher.

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been the buzzword of the year in retail. AI is the use of computer systems to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as speech recognition, visual perception or decision-making.

AI is, unsurprisingly, one of the big themes at Tech. Brian Dove, chief technology officer of flight price comparison site Skyscanner, reveals how he has experimented with AI to revolutionise the customer experience.

“Shop Direct retail and technology director Jon Rudoe will share his plans for the online group and how his vision is achievable with the power of AI”

Dove discusses how new direct channels are exploding across platforms including Amazon Echo, Microsoft Cortana and Facebook Messenger and how trust and transparency is crucial while using AI.

Shop Direct is using AI to transform the customer journey. It has already developed an AI-powered chatbot for its Very brand, which it hopes will give every one of its millions of customers their own personal shopper.

Shop Direct retail and technology director Jon Rudoe will share his plans for the online group and how his vision is achievable with the power of AI.

Robots

The robots are not just coming – they are here. Retailers such as Ocado and Amazon are using robots in their warehouses, while Tesco is amid a trial to deliver using the machines.

Robots are also being used in-store. Tech. introduces Pepper, the humanoid robot, who can talk and interact with customers, offer advice and take orders.

Pepper takes the stage in a panel that looks at how robots can change the in-store experience.

Meanwhile, speakers including Starship Technologies – which teamed up with Tesco in June for a one-off robot delivery trial – debate whether the future of retail is safe in the hands of robots.

The on-demand revolution

Fulfilment is an area that has been rife with innovation in recent years and this shows no sign of subsiding as customers want products on-demand.

Leaders from some of the UK’s most innovative fulfilment firms, including Doddle, Localz and Captain.AI explore the role of convenience in an on-demand world and the latest technological innovations from location beacons to self-driving vehicles.

DHL chief information officer Ian Fisher will reveal how supply chains are innovating to keep pace in a digitalised world.

Augmented and virtual reality

Science fiction is becoming fact in retail and technology such as augmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are being deployed.

But so far the use of such technologies has verged on the gimmicky.

Tech. will explore whether AR and VR really have a role in retail, how they can be implemented effectively and what is next for the technologies.

“Jean Nehme, co-founder of tech trailblazer Touch Surgery, will discuss how VR and AR can help train surgeons and is now transforming the healthcare industry”

Karen Harris, managing director of Intu Digital, and Mark Lever, chief executive of the National Autistic Society, will draw on their knowledge of introducing virtual reality to shopping centres that simulated the sights and sounds as experienced by someone on the autism spectrum.

Meanwhile, Jean Nehme, co-founder of tech trailblazer Touch Surgery, will discuss how VR and AR can help train surgeons and is now transforming the healthcare industry.

Augmented reality pioneer Blippar’s head of brand experience Omaid Hiwaizi will unveil his vision for the future of retail, while the chief executives of Holition and DigitalBridge, two of the exciting tech firms breaking new ground in AR, discuss its potential to drive customers to stores and what the next evolution of AR and VR will be.

Mobile

Mobile has revolutionised retail over the past five years. The ubiquity of the smartphone means shoppers are connected all the time and are browsing, buying and living via their mobiles.

For Asos, mobile now accounts for 50% of sales. So important is the device that being ‘awesome at mobile’ is a key pillar of the fashion retailer’s strategy.

Asos director of technology for web and apps Andrea Trocina reveals the secrets of the etailer’s mobile success, what technologies he believes will have an impact on today’s shoppers, and what he intends to do to make sure Asos stays ahead of the m-commerce curve.

Meanwhile, an expert line-up of tech pioneers will debate what future the app has and how retailers can deliver better quality mobile experiences.

Loyalty in the digital age

Building loyalty in the era of the tech-savvy shopper is a challenge. The rise of mobile means shoppers can search for a cheaper deal wherever they are at the touch of a button.

Speakers from Coca-Cola, payment pioneer Zapper – which lets diners pay for their meal instantaneously without having to wait for serving staff – and loyalty card consolidator Bink debate how today’s shoppers engage with retailers, how retailers can take advantage of consumers’ digital mindset and whether there is a future in loyalty schemes.

Meanwhile, the godfather of loyalty, Sir Keith Mills, who launched both the Air Miles and Nectar programmes, will review retail’s approach to loyalty through the ages and consider what’s next and what role technology can play.

24 hours to build the shopping experience of the future

By 2020 there will be 50 billion IoT connected devices globally, and 50% of searches will be made using voice. This incredible growth in ubiquitous connectivity will completely revolutionise the shopping experience for consumers, and opportunities for retailers to connect with their customers.

The challenge: 24 hours to build the shopping experience of the future in a connected world.

Teams at Retail Week’s The Tech. Sprint, sponsored by Tesco Labs, will be trying to come up with the best tech solutions to this hefty challenge.

The teams will pitch their solutions to our expert judging panel, with the three best teams battling it out on our Discovery Stage to see who will win our coveted trophy.

Don’t miss all that and more at Tech., two days destined to transform how you think about technology.