Instacart, Poshmark, Intuit Mailchimp, Best Buy and Poppi are finalists for this year’s Modern Retail Awards
For many companies in this year’s Modern Retail Awards, the focus is on elevating the customer experience through personalization and state-of-the-art technology — both online and in-store. Brands and retailers are also harnessing the power of compelling brand narratives to connect with audiences.
Grocery technology company Instacart and family-owned grocer Schnucks earned a nomination in the Best Omnichannel Experience category. As part of the work Instacart is doing with Schnucks through the Instacart platform and connected stores, the grocer is deploying Caper Carts across its locations. Instacart’s smart carts automatically identify items as they’re added to the cart using computer vision and AI. With Caper Carts, customers can bag as they shop, skip the line and seamlessly checkout on Casper Cart from anywhere in the store. These carts are one way that Schnucks has leveraged its Instacart partnership to unlock more touchpoints to engage with customers and deepen relationships.
In the Most Innovative Retail Model category, fashion resale marketplace Poshmark is a finalist for its live shopping product. Optimized for fashion resale, Posh Shows are designed to take live commerce mainstream in the U.S. The shows have reinvigorated Poshmark’s marketplace by helping shoppers feel more comfortable shopping secondhand by getting to interact directly with sellers. Participating sellers have seen increases in sales as they can demonstrate try-ons as requested and provide live styling tips to buyers. As Posh Shows removes barriers to participation in the circular economy, it has become one of the fastest-growing parts of Poshmark’s business.
Email and marketing automation platform Intuit Mailchimp received a nomination in the Best Personalization Strategy category for its work with PERC Coffee. The brand, which began in the wholesale business, leverages Intuit Mailchimp’s technology to connect with its customers by prioritizing data-driven and experimental digital marketing tactics over traditional advertising. With the platform’s newly launched SMS marketing capability, PERC Coffee provided promotions and real-time alerts to its most devoted customers. PERC also used Intuit Mailchimp’s integration with Shopify, which allowed it to segment and tailor its messaging to create more meaningful interactions with clientele. These personalization efforts have allowed PERC to drive revenue and conversions, as well as strengthen brand credibility and customer loyalty.
One of the finalists in the new Best Use of Emerging Technology category includes Best Buy. The retailer launched a new way for customers to get exclusive deals and products during the holiday season with Best Buy Drops via the Best Buy app. The experience gives customers the opportunity to learn about exciting product releases, limited runs, launches and deals in real time. Best Buy also developed a robust digital tools ecosystem, fueled by AI, to empower field employees in their daily customer interactions and elevate the shopping experience. This includes Parts Predictor, which allows agents to easily access parts inventory to minimize service delays, and Automated Summary, which relieves employees of note-taking burdens during customer interactions so they can focus on customers’ needs.
Prebiotic soda brand poppi is one of the nominees in the new Best Use of TikTok category. The brand has been strongly invested in the platform since January 2021, when poppi posted a video of its founder sharing poppi’s authentic brand story. The organic video drew more than 1 million views and drove one of the brand’s best sales days to date. Poppi’s TikTok account — which maintains a behind-the-scenes feel — has accumulated more than 357,000 followers, while that viral video has more than 84.4 million views. The brand’s ‘drinkpoppi’ hashtag has also earned more than 1 billion views on TikTok, with viral content from consumers and creators.
Overall, the judges’ nominations illustrate how brands and retailers are reshaping the retail industry through engaging and seamless omnichannel experiences.
See the complete list of finalists below.
Best Back-End E-Commerce Technology
Archive+Hanna Andersson
DRINKS
GroupBy
Kargo and Snapchat
Pattern
PriceSpider
Best Brand Collaboration
Albertsons & Apple
Bokksu & Sanrio
Break the Love x Walmart
Mejuri and Don’t Ban Equality
Best Community Building Strategy
BUBBLE
Kendra Scott
Mad Rabbit
poppi
Saltbox
Whatnot
Best Customer Insight Strategy
Albertsons
Pistola Taps and Stitch Fix
Woolworths & AWA digital
Best Customer Service Experience
Allstate Protection Plans
fatty15
Best E-Commerce Experience
Antavo Enterprise Loyalty Cloud
Intellias & Travis Perkins
Natori & Firework
Pattern & SLTWTR
Whatnot
Work & Co and FreshDirect
Best Fulfillment Strategy
Dropit
Reel Paper: Fueling Omnichannel Scale with Flowspace
Best Influencer Collaboration
Glam Bag X Bailey Sarian
Best Launch Campaign
Albertsons
Dagne Dover
Jean Dousset
SmartyPants Vitamins
Tinuiti + Sony
Travelport
Best Omnichannel Experience
Bolt
Function of Beauty
Instacart and Schnucks
Kizik Hands-Free Footwear
Saatva.com
U.S. Polo Assn.
Vince & NewStore
Best Personalization Strategy
EyeBuyDirect
Fetch
Intuit Mailchimp + PERC Coffee
IPSY
Marks & Spencer + Persado
Work & Co and Gatorade
Best Retailer/Agency Collaboration
Dollar General and Goodway Group
Work & Co & Good American
Best Subscription Strategy
Antavo Enterprise Loyalty Cloud
Athletic Greens
Coterie
fatty15
Smarty
Best Transformation
Bed Bath & Beyond and Brand3P
Best Buy
HearUSA
Michaels
Sparkfly & Bojangles
Woolworths & AWA digital
Best Use of Emerging Technology
Best Buy
Bob’s Discount Furniture
Lowe’s
Mashgin
Trove
ZERO10 & Coach
Best Use of Instagram
Sundays Furniture
Best Use of Shoppable Content
Perion&Kroger
TalkShopLive & Walmart
Best Use of Technology
7-Eleven
FFFACE.ME & Bershka Collaboration
Firstleaf
Mammoth & Casa Azul
Siman Group and SML RFID
Simbe & SpartanNash
Best Use of TikTok
Educational Insights
Pearpop & Microsoft
poppi
E-Commerce Executive of the Year
Ben Eachus, co-founder and CEO, Flowspace
Dirk Hoerig – CEO and Founder, commercetools
Lee Anne Grant, CGO, Babylist
Founder of the Year
Dagne Dover – Melissa Mash, Deepa Gandhi, Jessy Dover
Mad Rabbit – Selom Agbitor
poppi – Allison Ellsworth
Most Innovative Retail Model
Bookshop.org
Good American
ŌURA x Best Buy
Poshmark
Thirteen Lune
Ulta Beauty
Most Responsible Retailer
Boll & Branch
Nisolo
The Body Shop
Thrive Market
Vitamin A
Winmark
Retail Startup of the Year
Dagne Dover
Freestyle
Little Spoon
RetailNext
Swap
TalkShopLive
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