Doddle ranked top digital retail innovation 2015

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Doddle has been ranked the leading innovation in the second annual ‘Retail Insider Digital Retail Innovations’ report 2015 ahead of Starbucks pay ahead app and Waitrose Hiku home scanning solution.

The high placing of Doddle reflects the prominence of logistics solutions in this year’s report and highlights how retailers are still grappling with fulfilment and the last mile issue that continues to give a headache.

It is one of four fulfilment-based innovations in the top 10 and sits alongside Tictail/Uber delivery, Amazon/Audi parcel-to-vehicle delivery, and the Volvo roaming delivery solution in this year’s report that is sponsored by Webloyalty.

It is created by taking the opinion of specialists from across the retail sector that brings together 50 digitally-driven innovations, representing the best examples to be found in the UK and Ireland.

The report is enhanced by a separate list of 10 overseas innovations that highlights some of the best innovations around the word that could ultimately have an impact on the domestic market.

The two lists were then scored by an Advisory Panel of individuals from within the retail industry including Peter Williams, chairman of Boohoo.com, John Bovilll, IT & e-commerce director at Monsoon/Accessorize, Simon Harrow, CEO of Elevaate, Geoff Scully, managing director of Shop Direct Ireland, and Martin Newman, CEO of Practicology.

As well as logistics this year has been characterised by the prominence of both fashion and food & drink. The former category has taken 14 places in the 50 UK innovations listed while food & drink has 11 entries in the rankings. Both these categories are hotbeds of innovation in the UK and the retailers and solution providers listed in this report in these areas are leading the world with their developments.

It has to be accepted that innovation is fast-paced and being on the list one year probably means that an initiative will not be on the following year’s report. But we did not expect the total disappearance this year of the 2014 highest ranked innovation Google Glass, which has effectively been scrapped by Google.

Among the overseas innovations the Carrefour Connected Kitchen solution – in operation in Belgium – topped the table just ahead (by one point) of US-based Lowe’s in-store robots, and logistics provider Deliv in third place.

To view the 2015 report click here.Digital-Retail-Innovations-2015