Richard Blown, head of innovation at Hermes, reveals how the company inspired the next generation of tech pioneers at its second annual Hackathon.

Due to the monumental growth of new technology, the way in which we communicate has changed forever.

In fact, a report by tech firm LivePerson found that 65% of those within the millennial and Generation Z age groups now interact with each other digitally more often than they do in person.

It will certainly be intriguing to see what impact these generations will have upon the retail and home delivery sectors in the years to come.

"Our second annual Hackathon proved to be a thought-provoking day as the innovators of tomorrow created pioneering ideas that combined ecommerce and delivery"

To provide a look into the future, we granted five student teams from Leeds Beckett University access to our development portal during our second annual Hackathon.

It proved to be a thought-provoking day as the innovators of tomorrow created pioneering ideas that combined ecommerce and delivery.

Lbu students at hackathon

Leeds Beckett University students taking part in the Hackathon 

First place was awarded to team Ad Infinitum, which created a unique, safe and secure location for parcel deliveries for when people are not at home.

The judging panel – including our chief information officer Chris Ashworth and our client Missguided’s head of distribution, Karl Harwood – said they showed a great understanding of our business model and the importance of final-mile delivery.

Each team member won a Google Home Mini device.

Second place was awarded to The Outfitters, and the team members each claimed £30 worth of Amazon vouchers after their fashion-led social-media platform and subscription service earned praise from the judges for its use of big data.

"We have a commitment to nurture the innovators and business leaders of tomorrow, who in turn will help to shape the future of retail and logistics for many years to come"

The Immutable Legends came third with a universal tracking tool.

Richard blown

Richard Blown, head of innovation at Hermes, at the event 

We have a commitment to nurture the innovators and business leaders of tomorrow, who in turn will help to shape the future of retail and logistics for many years to come.

These fantastic ideas have undoubtedly given us food for thought, and we look forward to exploring how we can further develop them and potentially bring them to market.

We are also currently on the lookout for talented IT professionals to join our team at all levels, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of our most recent hackers successfully earning graduate positions at Hermes in the not-so-distant future.

Richard Blown, head of innovation at Hermes