In 2021, Retail Brew had the privilege of testing Amazon’s palm-scanning technology at an Amazon Go store in New York City.

Two years later, Amazon and other companies are putting the tech in front of more consumers as retailers seek to cut down on checkout times and increase customer loyalty—indirect ways of boosting sales. Customers can avoid fumbling with their wallets and handbags to pull out credit, loyalty, or membership cards at checkout counters, creating a more streamlined and efficient shopping experience, Chad Desjardins, general manager of Amazon One, told Retail Brew in an email.

In 2020, Amazon introduced Amazon One, which allows customers to check out by scanning the palm of their hand. Today, the technology is available at Amazon Go, Amazon Fresh, and Whole Foods, but the company has also introduced it to third-party locations as well.

Keep reading here.—KM

The retail landscape is more competitive than ever, meaning shoppers can take their business anywhere. How do you differentiate your brand? It’s all about the customer experience—with a little help from AI.

Check out the Zendesk x AWS webinar to find out how conversational AI can transform CX for the better.

With today’s fast-moving trends and economic uncertainty, retailers need to deliver on CX in the most cost-effective way possible. And with AI, retailers can provide conversational service at scale, freeing up service agents’ time and improving efficiency.

In the webinar, you’ll learn from Zendesk and AWS experts about how AI can help retailers:

• use conversational service at scale
• boost agent productivity
• make operations more efficient

Get the full webinar on demand here.

“Oatly just unveiled its newest campaign, in which it’s offering to pay for one out-of-home or print ad for any dairy company that agrees to reveal its climate footprint by answering the 70+ questions the oat-milk brand did before it added its footprint details to packaging,” writes Marketing Brew’s Katie Hicks:

The campaign is a response to recent marketing from the dairy industry (more specifically, the Milk Processor Education Program, or MilkPEP) which insists the only “real milk” is cow milk.

Read the whole story here on Marketing Brew.

On Wednesdays, we wear pink spotlight Retail Brew’s readers. Want to be featured in an upcoming edition? Click here to introduce yourself.

We’re getting to know Ricardo Belmar, who serves as director of partner marketing for retail and consumer goods at Microsoft and also hosts his own retail-focused podcast, The Retail Razor Show.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? I work with Microsoft partner organizations that build solutions on the Microsoft Cloud for retailers and consumer goods brands as their marketing and go-to-market advisor.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? As a retail industry influencer, I get to leverage my own market outlets like my podcast, social media following, and connections to other influencers and their market appeal to help give back to the retail community.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? The most impactful project I’ve had is having Microsoft host RetailROI’s annual Super Saturday fundraising event during the NRF Big Show this year.

Keep reading here.—EC

Today’s top retail reads.

Measure of a brand: Warby Parker and Glossier investor Forerunner Ventures’s new Brand Power Score is helping brands determine their strengths and weaknesses using metrics like “feelings” and reliability, which managing partner Eurie Kim said aims “to quantify a part of the business that seems totally subjective.” (Fast Company)

Movie magic: Saint Laurent recently announced the debut of its own film production company, a move that could establish a new funding model for independent films. (WWD)

Let’s collab: How TikTokers are influencing restaurant menus. (Grubstreet)

Putting the AI in retail: That’s right, y’all—retail CX is going smart. Learn how Wayfair looks to use natural language processing to get real-time insights at scale, sponsored by Square.*

^{*This is sponsored advertising content.}

Catch up on the Retail Brew stories you may have missed.

• Savage X Fenty exec Christiane Pendarvis on new Hims & Hers gig
• Adidas’s challenging recovery post-Yeezy
• AI automation in manufacturing is about visibility and flexibility