High street retailer Marks and Spencer (M&S) has announced today that it is to launch a digital lab aimed at retail technology innovation as it looks to strengthen its omnichannel capabilities.
In a bid to rejuvenate its in-house expertise, the retailer has appointed Kyle McGinn, who previously worked at Reevoo and is credited with aiding the design of the BBC iPlayer, as its new Head of Digital to lead the innovation function within the digital team.
McGinn will report to Laura Wade-Gery, Executive Director of E-commerce & Multichannel at the retailer and recruitment for the team is already underway.
It is hoped that the new lab, while creating new customer-facing products, can also improve how M&S employees use technology within their roles and build on existing expertise.
Becoming an international multichannel retailer is a key strategy for M&S, highlighted by its third quarter results published last month which reported that multichannel sales rose 10.8 per cent while sales from mobile devices rocketed 90 per cent year-on-year.
Commenting on the latest move, Wade-Gery said: Over the last 18 months, we‘ve really embraced digital experimentation from being the first retailer to join Samsungs‘ smart TV platform to the inclusion of Aurasma technology in our app.
“By strengthening our in-house expertise, with a dedicated digital lab we can move with even greater pace and deliver first-to-market technology and experiences for our customers.”
