John Lewis announces JLAB innovation shortlist
The John Lewis Partnership has shortlisted six business for its JLAB retail innovation programme.
After 160 new start-ups and more established businesses entered the competition in a bid to have their ideas developed with the John Lewis & Partners department store chain, 11 were invited to pitch to a panel of ten judges and to a group of customers and John Lewis employees.
The six shortlisted businesses include:
SeloyLive – a company that transforms shop windows into huge interactive displays which customers can engage with and control from their fingertips
Oriient – provides hyper accurate indoor location awareness services to help shoppers navigate stores through their smartphones
Ruuby – enables customers to book the latest beauty treatments at home or at a location of their choosing
MemoMi – helps customers to virtually try on fashion and beauty products and access personalised recommendations based on their detailed image profile and preferences
MakersCAFE – helps customers personalise products through 3D printing and laser cutting on purchases
LettUs Grow – provides technology that enables the growing of plants without soil anywhere in the world.
Peter Cross, customer experience director at John Lewis & Partners, said: “Recent years have seen seismic changes in our sector, with a new benchmark in customer expectation every time they shop. Shops simply have no option but to inspire and delight customers – offering both fantastic products and personalised seamless experiences. We believe the dynamic new businesses selected for further discussions with JLAB will help us continue to stretch, shape and deliver together for our customers in the future.”
