It’s Friday, the weekend is almost upon us, so let’s kick back and reflect on another eventful week for the retail systems space. Here’s your briefing on the most important stories from the past five days, including AI powered store exit technology, electric cargo bike online deliveries, and sustainable shopping pushes.

1. Sam’s Club claims retail industry first as it deploys AI powered exit technology at 120 plus locations

Sam’s Club reports significant progress in its roll-out of technology that resolves a key member concern – waiting in line for receipt verification to exit the club.

The retailer’s application of artificial intelligence and computer vision technology has been deployed in more than 120 clubs since first unveiling it at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January.

This is pitched as the largest-scale implementation of member facing AI powered technology in the retail industry.

Sam’s Club says that other retailers have struggled to deploy similar technology at scale, with some abandoning efforts, just starting initial pilots or having no plans to enhance customer experiences through check-out and store exit technologies.

In clubs where the technology has been deployed, more than half of members are getting the friction free exit experience. This translates to all members leaving the club 23% faster. Sam’s Club plans to deploy the exit technology to all of its clubs by the end of 2024.

It builds on existing digital solutions such as Scan & Go.

2. JYSK goes live with new Unified Commerce PoS platform in Portugal store, with Spain, France, Austria set to follow

Home furnishing retailer JYSK has announced deployment of its new Unified Commerce PoS platform in Portugal.

In a LinkedIn post, Jens Norby, Retail Process Coordinator at JYSK, said: “We’ve taken a huge leap forward!”

“This week has been a milestone for us as we’ve installed our new Unified Commerce PoS platform in a pilot store in Portugal. We’re now ready to roll-out the new platform to more stores, and the number will only increase week by week. Next stop: Spain!”

He added: “A big shoutout to everyone involved, from the local forces who have worked hard on the preparation to our dedicated IT developers at JYSK who have put in tremendous effort to reach this milestone.”

“Now, we’re facing the Hypercare period, and then we’ll set our sights on the next two countries: France and Austria. We’re ready to continue this journey.”

JYSK’s global PoS systems are powered by Enactor.

3. Amazon goes live with electric cargo bike online deliveries to Belfast, Northern Ireland customers

Amazon has opened its first micromobility hub in Northern Ireland at its delivery station in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter.

This now houses a fleet of electric cargo bikes which will deliver thousands of packages per week to Amazon customers.

Belfast joins more than 40 cities in the UK and across Europe which have Amazon micromobility hubs facilitating electric cargo bike and on-foot deliveries, part of a £300 million investment to electrify and decarbonise Amazon’s UK transportation network.

Electric cargo bikes and walkers are now expected to make millions of deliveries to customers across the UK every year.

4. Walmart’s Justin Breton talks key takeaways from US retail giant’s real-world commerce launch on Roblox

Justin Breton, Director of Brand Experiences & Strategic Partnerships at Walmart, has taken to social media to share three things he’s heard from the retailer’s community and the industry following a real-world commerce launch on Roblox last week.

In a LinkedIn post, he said: “I ordered the tumbler and got it the next day! It came so fast.” – We’re instilling Walmart as a reliable digital destination with fast delivery.”

He added: “Someone asked where I got this bag. I told them I bought it from Walmart on Roblox.” – We’re helping establish a new commerce platform.”

“This will create money making opportunities for creators.” – While we’re still testing, people already see the long-term potential.”

Breton concluded: “There’s so much more to come from our team this year, so keep your eyes peeled for what’s next. And something’s coming soon.”