Several weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending another National Retail Federation (NRF) Big Show. An event always hallmarked by advances in the field of retail, this year, like every year, was one to truly remember.
Discussions surrounding the future of emerging ideas such as supply chain sustainably, omnichannel strategies, and cutting-edge AI innovations filled the conference hall; conversations held by retail giants worldwide, from Uber Eats and Nvidia to Google and Salesforce. Outside of the displays and panels, a cornerstone of the Big Show is connecting with fellow retailers.
Amongst the many changes to the retail landscape this year, one change to the Big Show not intrinsically tied to retail was how broad the show had become. Veteran attendees noted to me how wide-reaching the show has become. More than ever, it seems every category of the market has been cornered, but you know what they say: the riches are in the niches! ( I don’t know who actually said that, but I love it) so I decided to speak with a handful of company leaders exploring niche parts of the retail industry.
With headquarters in Chicago and offices from Miami to Frankfurt, Outform is an experiential retail marketing agency that innovates. I had the opportunity to speak with Javier Brin, their marketing director. Brin’s team focuses much of their efforts on integrating technology into retail experiences to maximize the digital experience for customers. One such example of this integration is found within grocery stores, where Brin proposes digital endcaps with racers that can be modified and changed throughout the week.
“Timing really takes a toll on the business,” he explains. “The agility to just switch content is limited by freight and the cost of printing services. To that point, something like this for a Target, a Walmart, for any grocery store, would make sense.” The product on display for demonstration were magnetic shelves, capable of rearranging to the retailers’ heart’s content, truly emphasizing the importance of store layout, a topic which Outform is very passionate about.
“Selling the space to the brands in your space makes it almost a revenue stream,” he says. “By adding a digital element, the retailer not only gets the one vendor per placement but can feature multiple brands at a time.”
On that same note, John Dubois, the senior vice president of Glory Global Solutions, a manufacturer of cash technology solutions, is no stranger to integrating technology into the retail experience.
“We’re really keyed in on making sure we integrate every payment option into whatever solution we provide. Our focus is to ensure integrated technology allowing for an optimal customer experience. To make this happen, we deploy the best technology in the market today”, explains Dubois.
A focus on the elimination of human-to-human cash transactions has allowed Glory to hone in on providing clients better transactional accuracy along with operational efficiency.
“In some cases, because of our loss prevention technology, we can drive clients down from what may have been significant dollar losses down to zero, because we’re letting the device do the work and ensuring workers can focus on providing great customer service, not counting bills and coins.”
“In some cases, because of our loss prevention focus and counterfeit detection technology, we can drive client losses down from significant to zero because we’re letting the device do the work and ensuring staff can focus on providing great customer service, not counting bills and coins.”
Glory allows for rapid transactions, but Dubois explains that Glory is leveraging itself for the future through explorations into emerging technologies and AI, allowing for frictionless transactions versus traditional scanning technologies frequently used today. With partners, we’ve deployed thousands of devices utilizing processing millions of transactions annually. The net effect is a better customer experience for the customer and dramatically improved operational efficiency for the retailer.
Another leader exploring wait times is Georgia Leybourne, chief marketing officer of Linnworks, a software developer that powers entire e-commerce operations, from inventory management to shipping orchestration.
It is inescapable, and it is one of the biggest changes to the retail landscape and the Big Show, and that is AI. Its implications are endless, applications limitless, and Linnworks is taking a measured dip while celebrating the capabilities of tried and tested processes.
“We have recently deployed an AI chatbot, they are called Linny,” she says. “And we are really impressed with the quality of the responses that Linny the AI chatbot comes up with, and we’re reviewing that all the time to ratify it and make sure it’s sensible.” This chatbot is only deployed when a real customer service representative is unavailable. In addition, AI is used within upstream decision-making processes within the organization, but is always ratified before reaching Linnworks customers.
As for Linnworks core offering, its Connected Commerce Ops “We are using good old traditional algorithms and our market leading Rules Engine to provide our customers integrated commerce operations.” I love how complex computer algorithms are now considered traditional!
This cautious approach to AI comes from complex issues, such as the later AI disagreeing with previous decisions made by the earlier AI. These worries and processes don’t necessarily have to be all doom and gloom, as Leybourne invites companies to celebrate their ethos and lean into what they do best. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it! If AI isn’t something that works with you and your company, then celebrate the traditional methods of functionality that have brought prosperity for so many years.
A brand that will always celebrate that human connection is Newcastle Systems. Kevin Ledversis, the vice president of sales for Newcastle was at the Big Show displaying the ergonomic design of their powered-mobile carts. These mobile workstations make working in warehouses a breeze.
One of the biggest issues facing warehouses is worker retention and overall job enjoyment. It’s a hard job moving boxes and then running back to your desk through the often maze-like corridors of any warehouse; enter the mobile-powered cart. It has no learning curve and simply fits into the everyday as if it’s always been, something more important than ever with a workforce demanding less stressful conditions.
“A lot of the workers are kids in high school, college kids, and retirees,” says Ledversis. “And you want to make it hard for them?”
How the mobile-powered cart solves problems in ways that are truly simplistic yet perfect. Every aspect of the cart has been made functional, from the security cash drawers to the tablet bolted on the side.
“It’s just like a mobile extension,” he says, “just take this anywhere.” That functionality pays off in more ways than one.
“If you want to preserve your selling space in a store, you really don’t want to be putting things fixed because if you have five or six or eight registers that are empty, which most are, 80% of registers are unused until Thanksgiving, you can’t sell anything,” he explains.
Whether it’s for training, comfort, a cash register, or even all, Newcastle really is putting ergonomics first, prioritizing an often overlooked, yet vital, workforce, and, in turn, simplifying and facilitating almost every aspect of the work experience.
NRF Big Show is a treat every year, one that my agency, Bear Icebox, and I always look forward to. Public relations is just that, and you have to be out there in person in the world, getting to know the industries you work in. A conversation is invaluable; conversation is something we value here at Bear Icebox. And through conversation, we are able to hone in on real-world industry-leading expertise, which allows us to leverage our clients ahead.
If you would love to reach out for a no-obligation conversation, over a Google Hangout or coffee, I am always open to chat and offer advice wherever applicable from our position in the industry or just to chat about all of the amazing people I met at the Big Show and their cutting edge advancements!