2:24 min read
In a world of fast-advancing tech, Group Business Enablement Director Richard Plunkett is determined to be leading positive change for customers.
Richard, who has worked with Woolworths for thirty-five years, has implemented game-changing supermarket revolutions nationwide.
From Scan Assist at the self-checkout, to creating 2D barcodes that minimise food waste, Richard and his team are leading the charge globally.
“We now have major retailers coming to Australia and looking at Woolworths, checking out our innovations,” says Richard. One of Richard and the team’s most recent innovations is Scan & Go Trolleys – an Australian-first which has revolutionised the future of shopping.
Originally launched as an app on your phone during COVID to minimise contact between people, feedback indicated customers wanted a hands-free option. So after global research and extensive development, Richard’s team rolled out Scan & Go Trolleys at ten Woolworths Supermarkets earlier this year.
“To listen and take feedback from customers and then adapt, that's the secret sauce to innovation,” Richard says. “I was very proud of the team the day Scan & Go Trolleys went live. I had a big smile on my face looking like a dad watching his child graduate.”
Among their many benefits, such as faster checkouts and the ability to pack your shopping the way you prefer, the Scan & Go Trolleys give customers the ability to track their spend by seeing a running total with every scan. This new way to shop won’t have any impact on the roles of our store team members; it just gives you another choice when deciding the best way to do your shopping.
“Customers are always looking for the quickest way to do their shop,” Richard says. “But one of their biggest pieces of feedback was that they didn’t know how much they were spending until they got to the checkout. You could see people going around the aisles with a calculator adding it up,” he explains. “The trolleys are a great tool to help manage your budget.”
Richard assures the future is bright with a slew of impressive enhancements in the pipeline. Steadfastly modest about his impressive career, Richard says the key to his success is two-fold – his Business Enablement team and some good old-fashioned courage.
“I’ve got some battle scars from my 35 years,” he laughs. “When you're starting to flesh out an idea, you have to be a bit courageous because a lot of people will say it’s not going to work.
“Fortunately, I’ve been lucky enough to have some great teams around me – a really diverse bunch of people. It’s all about the team, you can’t innovate without collaboration.”
