What’s Next for Retail Tech? #HackTheRack
23rd May 2014
The winner of #HackTheRack will be announced this evening. Before the victorious team is crowned, a few of the mentors shared a few thoughts on retail-tech, the hack, and the innovations that we can expect next…
- Andrew Humphries, The Bakery London
“The retail space is ripe to take advantage of the changing technology landscape, not just in the way retailers interact with customers and the way we all shop, but also in making the whole infrastructure of the shopping process more efficient for retailers. Ultimately the benefit in lower costs, better experiences and more flexibility give the opportunity to improve everyone’s lives. And I believe that’s what innovation is really for.”
- Jason O’Shaughnessy, Yodlee
“It’s been impressive watching the teams grasp the issues and deliver innovation over 2 days. The retail problems that the hackers have been tackling range from managing inventory based on changes in weather and local events, through to personalised and tailored shopping experiences for customers. These types of solutions will drive the very challenging and changing landscape retailers are experiencing through consumers on-line and mobile adoption.”
- Sanford Dickert (pictured above), Rawlings Atlantic
“Hack the Rack has been a great opportunity for engineers and designers to work side-by-side and apply their problem solving skills and artisanal magic to creating a more engaging experience. In leveraging these new technologies, Hack the Rack enables both users and retailers will find their needs and wants addressed in a much more powerful way.”
- Paul Sheedy, Reward Technology
“The teams are not only delivering well thought out, industry-relevant solutions, but they are so clear on how they had scoped them out. These teams can convey in detail the challenges that retailers face, and the execution required to tackle them. A fantastic hackathon, and super talented teams at the Hack the Rack.”