The Retail Times is a weekly newsletter covering retail tech news from Canada and around the globe.
Subscribe to R|T using the form at the bottom of this page to ensure you don’t miss out on the most important retail tech news every week!
Lift & Co. offering cannabis retail training certification to Delta 9 employees (BETAKIT)
The certification program covers topics like product information on cannabis and how it can be consumed; how cannabis is grown, tested, and packaged; public health and harm reduction measures; and plant genetics.
DMS Recommends: Ask a researcher: What does ‘best’ really mean? (DIGITALMAINSTREET)
It seems fairly straightforward. When people set out to shop for an item or service, they hope to end up with the best possible outcome. But it turns out that “the best” isn’t an objective absolute. In fact, finding “the best” isn’t necessarily about finding the best thing that exists, it’s about finding the best thing for your needs.
Tulip Retail launches TurnKey (BETAKIT)
TurnKey Edition allows employees to search and browse catalogues of product information, take notes, access products available in store, and coordinate and schedule customer follow-ups.
Walmart Canada is partnering with Instacart for same-day home delivery (MOBILESYRUP)
Instacart has teamed up with Walmart Canada to bring shoppers in Toronto and Winnipeg same-day grocery delivery. The agreement is part of a pilot program for the two companies that will allow Instacart users to order groceries from 17 different Walmart locations across the two cities.
Dream Payments expands Mastercard partnership, launches payments API for insurers (BETAKIT)
With the new API, insurance companies can connect to the Dream Payments Hub and the Mastercard Send platform to pay claims digitally.
Moka raises $24M in Series B funding (FINSMES)
Moke, which provides a cloud-based point-of-sale and business management system for SMEs and retailers, raised the funding from Sequoia India and Southeast Asia, with participation from new investors SoftBank Ventures Korea, EDBI, East Ventures, and others.
Alibaba announces CEO Daniel Zhang will succeed Jack Ma as chairman next year (TECHCRUNCH)
Alibaba’s announcement follows reports that Ma’s retirement from the company he co-founded in 1999 as an online marketplace was imminent, with Ma, a former English teacher, planning to dedicate his time to philanthropy in education.
7-Eleven debuts Apple Pay, Google Pay mobile payment options (PAYMENTSDIVE)
You can now buy 7-Eleven pizza, coffee, slurpees or anything else off the retail convenience store’s shelves using Apple Pay and Google Pay.
L’Oréal Paris tries on web-based AR makeup sampling (RETAILDIVE)
The “Try On” tool lets consumers test out more than 300 samples of the brand’s blush, eyeshadow, eyeliner, lipstick, lip liner and semi-permanent hair colors on the www.lorealparisusa.com website.
Walmart to acquire Mexico & Chile-focused grocery delivery service Cornershop for $225M (TECHCRUNCH)
Similar to Instacart, Cornershop works with contractors who visit the stores to shop then deliver customers’ orders. However, it also lets you order from several stores – like grocers, speciality wine or meat shops, and others – in one order.
L’Oréal Tech firms team up to expand WeChat Pay, Alipay in North America (RETAILDIVE)
Cross-border mobile payments company Citcon aligned with GK Software, a provider of point-of-sale and other systems for retailers, to allow GK’s North American retail customers to accept payment through Alipay and WeChat Pay.
Amazon’s HQ2 location will be announced this year (TECHCRUNCH)
During a speech at the Economic Club of Washington this week, CEO Jeff Bezos said a decision will be made in 2018, though didn’t provide any insight into which way the company was leaning.
