Blog

Everyone’s pretty much addicted to their smartphone these days – especially tech savvy shoppers. As our infographic shows, 90%^[1] use their phones in-store and 52% do so to check competitors’ prices and look for reviews. 

If you are a retailer and are not already thinking about the effect that Millennials and Generation Z (or iGen) will have on your business, it is time to start. Right now.  

The Displaydata team recently returned from another successful Retail Business Technology Expo (RBTE) in London – known as Europe’s “must visit” event for those in the retail, hospitality, travel, entertainment and leisure industries. This year, more than 16,000 attendees heard nearly 200 speakers, getting up to date with all the latest solutions and learning first-hand from the best and brightest organizations around the globe how technology solutions have increased productivity, reduced costs, attracted more customers and improved the customer experience.  

As we heard from our colleagues at this year’s National Retail Federation show in New York, the themes of omnichannel, innovation and inspiration, and pricing strategies also bubbled up to the top as key discussion points over the two days of the RBTE Expo. The pace of change in the industry is very clear, and retailers need to be ready to change with it and embrace the “new normal.” Below are summaries of some of the conversations we had at the show and general insights shared from this year’s line-up of speakers:

Our team spent a week in Germany at the end of February, teaming up with our partners from Delphi Technologies at the popular EuroCIS 2016 Conference. Now that we’ve settled back into the regular swing of things after a great trip, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on our experience.  

Traditionally, the convenience store has primarily served as quick stop for gas on the way to work or on a road trip. In recent years, however, a number of convenience stores, from the small mom-and-pop shop to the mega travel centers, have added a number of merchandise offerings, including grab-and-go food, adult beverages, toiletries and even yard-art.   Today’s consumers are taking advantage of these offerings as they’re stretched for time as they run between work, children’s activities, networking commitments and home.

And so, another successful NRF Big Show is in the books! This year’s conference hosted over 33,500 attendees previewing the latest in retail technology and innovative ideas. From our perspective, the main themes of the show seem to revolve around digital innovations and most importantly, making the customer the focus.   In keeping with NRF tradition to launch never-before-seen technology solutions, the Displaydata team was proud to announce the newest additions to our ESL suite: the Aura 29 BLE with Bluetooth Low Energy, the Chroma 16 and the Chroma 74. We also showcased our new ability to track in-store customer behavior through our partnership with SmartFocus, complete with an eye-catching wine display that some lucky winners were able to enjoy the contents of with our #NRFWineDown drawing on the last day of the show.  

At retail’s BIG Show next week, retailers will gain insight into the latest technology solutions to help make their stores and retail channels more profitable and provide their customers with “out of this world” shopping experiences. By now we all know that offering in-store digital engagement options to today’s connected customer is a necessity sooner rather than later – what can retailers do to offer these interactive, engaging and personalized solutions to customers while also adding to the bottom line and increasing the operational efficiency of the retailer?   Look no further than the electronic shelf label, or ESL.  

  NRF is quickly approaching, and the entire Displaydata team is looking forward to another great show in New York. As always, Retail’s BIG Show – a four-day event – offers unparalleled education, collegial networking and an enormous EXPO Hall full of the latest in retail technologies and solutions. It really is THE one-stop-shopping event for industry professionals from around the world.  

Displaydata is excited to again showcase our industry-leading, full-graphic electronic shelf labels in booth #4343. In addition, next month we’ll be making some exciting announcements on the availability of a new Aura 2.9 inch, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) ESL, as well as a preview of our newest sized Chroma labels. Stay tuned in for more details on our new ESLs in early January!   In the meantime, below is an overview of the NRF sessions that our team is most looking forward to attending.  

Dion Broeken, Displaydata's Director of Sales EMEA   Last week the USDA and EPA made a
significant announcement, telling the world that it is stepping up when it comes to food wastage by calling a 50% reduction in food waste by 2030. To achieve this lofty yet attainable goal, the United States federal government says they will work with charitable organizations, faith-based organizations, the private sector and local, state and tribal governments.   On a personal note, I say “Bravo!” to the USDA and EPA for taking a stand to reduce, by no small amount, the estimated 133 billion pounds of food that is wasted each year. According to U.S. Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, that is enough food to fill the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower) 44 times.  

This month's guest post comes from Localz. Crowned winner of the John Lewis business incubator JLAB in 2014, Localz specialises in micro-location technology, enabling retailers to access more detailed insight into customer behaviour.