Through changing consumer demands, retailers are relying on tech-driven solutions to manage in-store experiences. The rapid transition to digitalization has enabled retailers to effectively manage the pressure of demands in stores. ‘Tutch’ was born out of this need for retailers to embrace technology in managing physical stores. Bridging the gap between online and physical retail, this innovative company is transforming in-store experiences for retailers.
Birth of a Revolutionary Idea
A journey that started with a challenge soon turned into a revolutionary idea with Tutch. Grant Oayda, founder of Tutch, experienced a challenging situation as a retailer while managing a store on Sydney’s Bondi Beach. A sudden surge in the demand for bulky sheepskin boots from overseas tourists put the store in a tough situation where it needed to manage the demand without overwhelming the store’s physical space. This situation gave birth to a revolutionary idea of developing a digital solution to address the issue. Grant crafted a retail tool that minimized stock and space investment while expanding the product range. Using high-resolution photos and videos on interactive touchscreens, this tool allowed customers to explore and order products without interfering with the physical store’s space. Within a couple of days, this innovation boosted sales as well as enhanced staff productivity and customer satisfaction.
The success of this tool inspired Grant to form Tutch. With his own company, Grant devised an AI-powered platform that offers customers access to the full product ecosystem. Through this immersive experience, retailers can better manage the inventory, increase sales, and offer insight into customers’ in-store personalized experience.
In January 2024, Tutch launched in the US at the National Retail Federation Event in New York City. Tutch’s journey is a testament to the revolutionary power of technology in making traditional retail more effective and customer-centric. It’s a story of turning challenges into opportunities and continuously striving for innovation.
Greg Jones: As the CEO of Tutch
With extensive professional experience that grew from the humble beginnings as a Front Officer Manager for Australia’s Swiss Grand Hotel, Greg Jones laid the foundation of his career in the business and technology sectors. Working in national and global roles at Microsoft and Avanade honed his leadership experience in developing industry, go-to-market, and partnership strategies, new businesses, and other practices.
As the CEO of Tutch, Greg expanded the business from the beaches of Australia to the United States. With 25+ years of experience, he has been instrumental in driving the company’s growth by identifying market opportunities, addressing customer pain points, shaping innovative solutions, and building strategic partnerships. “I believe my professional journey, combined with my passion for fostering innovation and delivering value, has been integral to the company’s success and will continue to guide us as we scale further,” adds Greg.
Tutch Offerings
As a SaaS company, Tutch offers a wide range of services for its customers –
- The solution offers a self-service option to in-store customers to explore product catalogs in a retailer’s full range of inventory across channels.
- Tutch’s platform leverages artificial intelligence to present product options that complement customer choices.
- It also provides retailers valuable insight into customer behavior to help them foster strong customer relationships.
Weathering the Storm
Greg considers change as the biggest challenge for the company to embrace innovation. Despite customers’ inclination towards personalized shopping experiences, 80% of retail sales are still observed in the physical store. In order to merge online convenience with in-store shopping, Tutch has ingrained into these tech-driven solutions.
As retailers are adjusting to smaller formats and the need to maintain access to the full inventory range, the Tutch platform addresses this. High staff turnover leading to inconsistent customer service is mitigated by Tutch. The company effectively enhanced in-store experiences by embracing innovation to overcome these challenges.
Exploring the Power of Technology in Innovation
Tutch’s partnership with Microsoft inspires it to continually challenge its approach to AI in retail. Tutch analyzes customers’ in-store engagement behavior and product preferences by utilizing AI algorithms in personalized product recommendations. Delivering tailored products as per customer preferences simplifies their complex purchasing decisions in-store. Taking the traditional search experience from a singular search to an experienced search is like finding the best light for a room depending on in-store and online inventory to curate a single search experience for customers.
Greg adds, “Innovation is core to our product development, partnership, and strategy thesis.” The application of AI is one area of innovation that Tutch focuses on to deliver consistent customer experience across channels. Tutch finds incorporating cutting-edge technology in its product development is as critical as having amazing sellers and business development teams in the market. It believes investing in its people is as important as investing in technology.
Curating a Culture of Innovation
Greg believes in creating an environment where curiosity is encouraged, new ideas are welcomed, and finally sought out. “I believe that innovation thrives when people feel empowered to challenge the status quo and take calculated risks without fear of failure,” shares Greg. In crafting an innovative culture, Greg relies on three core principles: team empowerment, continuous learning, and celebrating wins. Tutch’s culture involves transparent leadership, open communication, staying curious, thinking out of the box, and celebrating even the smallest achievements.
Welcoming the Future
Tutch believes future trends like AI personalization, seamless omnichannel experiences, and the use of advanced in-store technologies like endless aisle solutions will set new retail standards. Tutch will continually evolve its platforms and expand its capabilities to stay ahead of these future trends. The plans include deepening AI integrations, amplifying the scalability of solutions, and expanding their footprint in the global market and other industries like Education and Hospitality. Keeping innovation at the forefront, Tutch aims to help retailers transform their operations and deliver exceptional customer value in this dynamic landscape.
A Piece of Advice
Greg advises future entrepreneurs and innovators to surround themselves with diverse perspectives, stay relentlessly curious, and deeply connect to the problem they are aiming to solve. Embracing failure as a learning opportunity and taking calculated risks should be the cornerstone of innovation. He emphasizes that innovators should adopt communication as a key to developing strong relationships with teams, investors, partners, and others closely related to their business.
I believe innovation isn’t just an initiative; it’s a mindset and one that values the skills and thoughts of others
