Australia’s most forward-thinking and cutting-edge businesses have been recognised in the 2021 Finder Awards winners' ceremony.

The Finder Innovation Awards celebrate the excellence, creativity and impact of initiatives introduced in the past 12 months. 

Submissions across 27 key innovation categories were scored by a judging panel of 46 industry heavy-hitters including experts from Deakin University, Australian Investment Council, Australian Fintech, and the Australian Tourism Industry Council.

eStore Logistics won Best Retail Innovation for the largest-ever rollout of AI-enabled robots.

Lauren Chaplin, senior shopping writer at Finder, said the surge in online shopping has forced retailers to make the shift online in order to meet the needs of customers.

“The rise of the tech-savvy consumer has meant that retailers need to up their game in order to keep up with the constantly evolving market.

“From user interface to reducing warehouse processing times, we’re seeing retail companies pushing to enhance the customer service experience to maintain their competitive advantage.

“We saw a range of entries this year from many retailers in the industry facilitating new business models and approaches to simplify the in-store and online shopping experience for customers, which is outstanding to see.

“Those that are dynamic and have the ability to keep up with the ever-changing needs of customers will have a clear advantage in increasing opportunities for growth,” she said.

2021 Finder Innovation Award Winners:

 

Category	Winner
Best Automotive Innovation	Car Next Door
Best B2B Innovation	Propell
Best Banking Innovation	Tic:Toc
Best Buy Now, Pay Later Innovation	Zip Co
Best Energy Innovation	Powerpal Pty Ltd
Best Innovation in Digital Currencies	Binance Australia
Best Insurance Innovation	Fast Cover Travel Insurance
Best Insurtech Innovation	upcover
Best Investment Innovation	Interactive Brokers
Best Lending innovation	86 400
Best Online Customer Service	Aussie Broadband
Best Payment Innovation	DiviPay
Best Retail Innovation	eStore Logistics
Best Retail Product Innovation	Zega Intelligent Cookware
Best Social Impact Innovation	Sunpower Renewables
Best Solar Innovation	Pylon
Best Streaming Innovation	10 Play
Best Supermarket Innovation	Coles
Best Tech Innovation	Kablamo
Best Telco Innovation	Better Life Mobile
Best Transport Innovation	Muval
Best Travel Innovation	Fast Cover Travel Insurance
Digital Disruptor of the Year	Rush Gold
Most Innovative Business Response to COVID	HungryHungry
Most Innovative Partnership	PokitPal + Visa
Most Innovative Person	Mina Radhakrishnan – :Different
Most Innovative Team	AGL Australia

For a full list of the 27 innovation category finalists and winners, visit: https://www.finder.com.au/finder-innovation-awards