A chicken franchise that is employing tech to work out how hungry its customers are via a t-shirt has been shortlisted for the inaugural Australian Retail Awards.
Red Rooster’s Crave Ware is shortlisted in the Innovation Excellence category, alongside 7-Eleven’s My 7-11 App, Coles Supermarkets Loss Prevention Innovations and IKEA Kreativ.
Earlier this year Red Rooster attracted a lot of attention for its Crave Ware promotion, brought to you the chicken shop’s R&D wing. Using a microphone built into a t-shirt to detect stomach rumblings, “software matches craving intensity to a corresponding item from the Red Rooster menu” and then orders it from the app.
The Australian Retail Awards are at Crown Melbourne on September 19.
The categories cover customer experience, diversity and inclusion, emerging talent, franchisee excellence, innovation, marketing, people and culture, store design and store manager excellence. Small, medium and large retailers are eligible.
Second-hand store Salvos has been shortlisted for Marketing Campaign Excellence alongside Bunnings, Coles and Petbarn.
JB Hi-Fi is up for Major Retailer of the Year, shortlisted with Bunnings, Officeworks and Red Rooster.
Australian Retailers Association (ARA) CEO Paul Zahra said there has been a “terrific industry response” to the awards.
“The independent judges have said that it’s been a tough choice in many categories, with some highly competitive contenders,” he said. “We’re especially pleased to see remarkable achievements in the fields of diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as in innovation.”
2024 ARA Awards finalists
Customer Experience Excellence
- Miss Amara
- Coles Digital app
- Myer Customer Experience Excellence
- Petbarn
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Excellence
- Coles Supermarkets
- David Jones
- IKEA Australia Refugee Workforce Inclusion
- Woolworths Group
Emerging Talent of the Year
- Cigdem Bacanak (Heinemann Oceania)
- Gili Inbar (Coles)
- Kristin Theile (Craveable Brands)
- Tom Woodall (Barbeques Galore)
Franchisee Excellence
- Australia Post – Licensed Post Office
Innovation Excellence
- 7-Eleven Innovation My 7-11 App
- Coles Supermarkets Loss Prevention Innovations
- IKEA Kreativ
- Red Rooster, Crave Ware
Major Retailer of the Year
- Bunnings
- JB Hi-Fi
- Officeworks
- Red Rooster
Marketing Campaign Excellence
- Bunnings – Hammerbarn
- Coles
- PETBARN
- Salvos Stores
Medium Retailer of the Year
- Barbeques Galore
- Hardware and General (H&G)
- Heinemann Oceania
People and Culture Excellence
- Barbeques Galore
- Craveable Brands
- Heinemann Oceania
Retail Leader of the Year
- Chard Burke (Coles)
- Gary Stones (Myer)
- Katrina Chung (Woolworths)
- Zeinab Elzghir (Heinemann Oceania)
Shop Small Retailer of the Year
- Bourke St the Label
- Exurbia
- Glow Collection
- Jean Pool
Store Design Excellence
- Barbeques Galore (Various)
- Petbarn (Surry Hills)
- Repco (Caroline Springs)
- Woolworths Supermarkets (Kellyville Grove)
Store Manager of the Year
- Blair Stuart (Repco)
- Jovana Taleb (Optus)
- Matthew Cooper (Barbeques Galore)
- Winus Winus (Woolworths)
Sustainability Excellence
- Andersen’s Floor Coverings
- Coles Finest Carbon Neutral Pork
- IKEA Australia Zero Emissions Home Deliveries
- Jean Pool
