NRF Big Show 2011: Breakthrough Technologies For Retailing
The National Retail Federation's "Big Show" in New York highlighted scores of cutting-edge retail technologies, from mobile devices and digital signage to point-of-sale systems and store-management applications. Tablet computers were everywhere, of course, though more often featured as a raffle prize designed to draw booth visitors and gather business card leads. Several exhibitors demonstrated iPad-native "clienteling" apps designed to help salespeople demonstrate and explain complicated (or ou
![](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt69509c9116440be8/bltc0182b2356ae8eed/64b83949410a1b4c0bd7459b/IW_generic_image.png?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
What's the foundation of big retail? As in so many other industries, the answer is technology. The Retail Big Show's top sponsors were the usual suspects: IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP. IBM offers business consulting and "smarter" shopping and merchandising systems, while Microsoft, Oracle and SAP offer retailing apps.
Among the keynotes at NRF's Big Show, Disney highlighted a tech-driven revamp of its retail store format, with animated displays, a digital "Disney Princess" encounter, in-store high-def theaters and state-of-the-art point-of-sale technology aimed at creating a "magical" shopping experience. Several "concept vehicles" were seen on the show floor. Fujitsu demonstrated a high-speed-scanning prototype that promises the throughput of two to three conventional checkout lines. Kraft Foods demoed an interactive touch-screen end-cap display, developed in cooperation with Intel, that lets customers browse meal plans and recipes, download personalized shopping lists and coupons, and even dispense product samples. It's a hint at what's to come in your local stores.
SEE ALSO:
Microsoft Extends Dynamics AX for Retailers
Google Prepping Retail Mobile Payment Service
JCPenney Sets Up Shop In Facebook
Walmart Extends Teradata Mega Deal
Fake Amazon Receipt Generator Targets Unsuspecting Online Merchants
Zeus Botnet Targeting Retailer Credit Cards
Keynoter Steve Finney, senior vice president of global retail operations for Disney Stores Worldwide, details a technology-driven revamp rolling out to 330 stores in seven countries. Digital signage, in-store high-def theaters, and state-of-the-art point-of-sale technologies, including iTouch-powered mobile checkout devices, are helping to create what he describes as a "magical" shopping experience.
SEE ALSO:
Microsoft Extends Dynamics AX for Retailers
Google Prepping Retail Mobile Payment Service
JCPenney Sets Up Shop In Facebook
Walmart Extends Teradata Mega Deal
Fake Amazon Receipt Generator Targets Unsuspecting Online Merchants
Zeus Botnet Targeting Retailer Credit Cards
To give stores a fresh, ever-changing, and merchandise-supporting appearance, Disney is using digital signage to entice shoppers into the store. New images and themes can be downloaded from headquarters on a weekly basis, coordinated with new Disney movies, related merchandise and planned local events. Best of all, the signage requires no printing or shipping -- a green and money-saving way to bring new characters, color and life to the store.
SEE ALSO:
Microsoft Extends Dynamics AX for Retailers
Google Prepping Retail Mobile Payment Service
JCPenney Sets Up Shop In Facebook
Walmart Extends Teradata Mega Deal
Fake Amazon Receipt Generator Targets Unsuspecting Online Merchants
Zeus Botnet Targeting Retailer Credit Cards
Projection 'trees' serve as a focal point for store entrances, with animations inspired by well-known films such as Fantasia choreographed to special lighting and music. The look builds on the brand while bringing a theater-like ambiance to the store.
SEE ALSO:
Microsoft Extends Dynamics AX for Retailers
Google Prepping Retail Mobile Payment Service
JCPenney Sets Up Shop In Facebook
Walmart Extends Teradata Mega Deal
Fake Amazon Receipt Generator Targets Unsuspecting Online Merchants
Zeus Botnet Targeting Retailer Credit Cards
Inside a 12-foot castle within each new store is a Magic Mirror. When a young visitor approaches, it becomes a gateway to meet a Disney Princess. Using RFID tags hidden in the packaging of merchandise (such as a crown or wand), the mirror recognizes the character a young girl has selected and the mirror projects a related animated scene in which the character speaks to her for a moment. There are hundreds of scenes and audio tracks to choose from so that the young girl feels as if the message and animation have been presented just for her.
SEE ALSO:
Microsoft Extends Dynamics AX for Retailers
Google Prepping Retail Mobile Payment Service
JCPenney Sets Up Shop In Facebook
Walmart Extends Teradata Mega Deal
Fake Amazon Receipt Generator Targets Unsuspecting Online Merchants
Zeus Botnet Targeting Retailer Credit Cards
A high-definition theater with a curved, 12-foot screen at the back of the store is a place for storytelling, character appearances and other events.
SEE ALSO:
Microsoft Extends Dynamics AX for Retailers
Google Prepping Retail Mobile Payment Service
JCPenney Sets Up Shop In Facebook
Walmart Extends Teradata Mega Deal
Fake Amazon Receipt Generator Targets Unsuspecting Online Merchants
Zeus Botnet Targeting Retailer Credit Cards
When the theater is not in use for an event, customers young and old can use the touch-screen Imagination Station to select and view animations on the big screen on demand.
SEE ALSO:
Microsoft Extends Dynamics AX for Retailers
Google Prepping Retail Mobile Payment Service
JCPenney Sets Up Shop In Facebook
Walmart Extends Teradata Mega Deal
Fake Amazon Receipt Generator Targets Unsuspecting Online Merchants
Zeus Botnet Targeting Retailer Credit Cards
Oracle Retail and partner InfoGain have implemented a mobile point of sale solution that lets employees complete transactions anywhere in the store. "The POS system lets us execute pricing and special offers worldwide or by region, and our cast members are much more efficient while assisting our guests at the register," said Steve Finney, senior vice president of global retail operations for Disney Stores Worldwide.
SEE ALSO:
Microsoft Extends Dynamics AX for Retailers
Google Prepping Retail Mobile Payment Service
JCPenney Sets Up Shop In Facebook
Walmart Extends Teradata Mega Deal
Fake Amazon Receipt Generator Targets Unsuspecting Online Merchants
Zeus Botnet Targeting Retailer Credit Cards
Disney's POS mobile device is WIFI-connected Apple iTouch iPods docked with Linea-Pro "sleds" from Infinite Peripherals. The sled houses a credit card/loyalty card reader a barcode scanner and a reserve battery that powers the sled and the iTouch all day (an IPhone version is coming). Portable receipt printers sync via Bluetooth. Employees can handle the complete transaction by credit card or just scan the merchandise and present a barcoded receipt to customers so they can quickly pay by cash (or credit card if they don't want to swipe on a mobile device) at a conventional register.
SEE ALSO:
Microsoft Extends Dynamics AX for Retailers
Google Prepping Retail Mobile Payment Service
JCPenney Sets Up Shop In Facebook
Walmart Extends Teradata Mega Deal
Fake Amazon Receipt Generator Targets Unsuspecting Online Merchants
Zeus Botnet Targeting Retailer Credit Cards
Fujitsu demonstrates a high-speed checkout scan tunnel developed as a prototype for Kroger grocery stores. The tunnel has 12 cameras that scan barcodes from any direction, including below the high-speed belt. Kroger has tested the device at a store in Ohio, calling it "Advantage Checkout." The device is said to match the throughput of two to three conventional checkout lines. Customers can quickly dump items on the belt (without careful placement) and then complete the transaction in self-service fashion.
SEE ALSO:
Microsoft Extends Dynamics AX for Retailers
Google Prepping Retail Mobile Payment Service
JCPenney Sets Up Shop In Facebook
Walmart Extends Teradata Mega Deal
Fake Amazon Receipt Generator Targets Unsuspecting Online Merchants
Zeus Botnet Targeting Retailer Credit Cards
Once items clear the scan tunnel, a conventional order separator (the plastic bar you place on the belt to separate your items from the next customer's) triggers a gate that channels goods onto one of two bagging lines. Possible wrinkles? There was no sign of a weigh station for unbarcoded produce, and the technology doesn't change the physics of bagging, so you better be quick about it!
SEE ALSO:
Microsoft Extends Dynamics AX for Retailers
Google Prepping Retail Mobile Payment Service
JCPenney Sets Up Shop In Facebook
Walmart Extends Teradata Mega Deal
Fake Amazon Receipt Generator Targets Unsuspecting Online Merchants
Zeus Botnet Targeting Retailer Credit Cards
This in-store "meal-planning solution" co-developed by Kraft Foods and Intel is a concept for an end-cap display. Recipes and menu-planning ideas are offered through the touch-screen display (and you can guess the recipes include Kraft ingredients). You can also create and print shopping lists, scan barcodes displayed on your mobile device, and choose samples of food products dispensed by an integrated vending machine.
SEE ALSO:
Microsoft Extends Dynamics AX for Retailers
Google Prepping Retail Mobile Payment Service
JCPenney Sets Up Shop In Facebook
Walmart Extends Teradata Mega Deal
Fake Amazon Receipt Generator Targets Unsuspecting Online Merchants
Zeus Botnet Targeting Retailer Credit Cards
What kind of retailer needs waterproof touch-screen displays and point-of-sale devices? Posiflex says bars, restaurants and other food service establishments are best customers. Deli counters and butcher shops often hose down work areas. Amusement parks and other outdoor locations are subjected to the elements. And then there are those wine shops and liquor stores where the tasting events get out of hand.
SEE ALSO:
Microsoft Extends Dynamics AX for Retailers
Google Prepping Retail Mobile Payment Service
JCPenney Sets Up Shop In Facebook
Walmart Extends Teradata Mega Deal
Fake Amazon Receipt Generator Targets Unsuspecting Online Merchants
Zeus Botnet Targeting Retailer Credit Cards
There were plenty of iPads in evidence at Retail's Big Show, as well as new competitors. Dell displayed its Android-powered Streak 7 and Streak 5, 7-inch and 5-inch screen models introduced at January's CES show. The Inspiron Duo is a Windows 7-powered device that converts from a notebook to a tablet by flipping the center-hinged screen.
SEE ALSO:
Microsoft Extends Dynamics AX for Retailers
Google Prepping Retail Mobile Payment Service
JCPenney Sets Up Shop In Facebook
Walmart Extends Teradata Mega Deal
Fake Amazon Receipt Generator Targets Unsuspecting Online Merchants
Zeus Botnet Targeting Retailer Credit Cards
Motion Computing's CL900 is a retail-specialized tablet complete with a card reader, barcode scanner, fingerprint security and forward and rear-facing cameras. The ruggedized device can withstand a four-foot drop to a concrete floor and the Gorilla Glass screen can take knocks without cracking. The Windows 7 device handles touch gestures and stylus input and the batteries deliver a full workday of power. Prices start at less than $1,000.
SEE ALSO:
Microsoft Extends Dynamics AX for Retailers
Google Prepping Retail Mobile Payment Service
JCPenney Sets Up Shop In Facebook
Walmart Extends Teradata Mega Deal
Fake Amazon Receipt Generator Targets Unsuspecting Online Merchants
Zeus Botnet Targeting Retailer Credit Cards
Plenty of technology providers have roots in retail and have been part of the National Retail Federation's Big Show for decades. NCR was once National Cash Register, founded in 1894, and IBM originated as the Tabulating Machine Company in 1896. Today, ERP, CRM, supply chain and distribution and logistics systems are all heavily influenced by the needs of retailers. And the latest consumer technologies, particularly smart phones, are reshaping customer expectations and buying habits. Retailers are responding with their own new technologies, a cycle that will no doubt continue over the next 100 years.
SEE ALSO:
Microsoft Extends Dynamics AX for Retailers
Google Prepping Retail Mobile Payment Service
JCPenney Sets Up Shop In Facebook
Walmart Extends Teradata Mega Deal
Fake Amazon Receipt Generator Targets Unsuspecting Online Merchants
Zeus Botnet Targeting Retailer Credit Cards
Plenty of technology providers have roots in retail and have been part of the National Retail Federation's Big Show for decades. NCR was once National Cash Register, founded in 1894, and IBM originated as the Tabulating Machine Company in 1896. Today, ERP, CRM, supply chain and distribution and logistics systems are all heavily influenced by the needs of retailers. And the latest consumer technologies, particularly smart phones, are reshaping customer expectations and buying habits. Retailers are responding with their own new technologies, a cycle that will no doubt continue over the next 100 years.
SEE ALSO:
Microsoft Extends Dynamics AX for Retailers
Google Prepping Retail Mobile Payment Service
JCPenney Sets Up Shop In Facebook
Walmart Extends Teradata Mega Deal
Fake Amazon Receipt Generator Targets Unsuspecting Online Merchants
Zeus Botnet Targeting Retailer Credit Cards
What's the foundation of big retail? As in so many other industries, the answer is technology. The Retail Big Show's top sponsors were the usual suspects: IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP. IBM offers business consulting and "smarter" shopping and merchandising systems, while Microsoft, Oracle and SAP offer retailing apps.
Among the keynotes at NRF's Big Show, Disney highlighted a tech-driven revamp of its retail store format, with animated displays, a digital "Disney Princess" encounter, in-store high-def theaters and state-of-the-art point-of-sale technology aimed at creating a "magical" shopping experience. Several "concept vehicles" were seen on the show floor. Fujitsu demonstrated a high-speed-scanning prototype that promises the throughput of two to three conventional checkout lines. Kraft Foods demoed an interactive touch-screen end-cap display, developed in cooperation with Intel, that lets customers browse meal plans and recipes, download personalized shopping lists and coupons, and even dispense product samples. It's a hint at what's to come in your local stores.
SEE ALSO:
Microsoft Extends Dynamics AX for Retailers
Google Prepping Retail Mobile Payment Service
JCPenney Sets Up Shop In Facebook
Walmart Extends Teradata Mega Deal
Fake Amazon Receipt Generator Targets Unsuspecting Online Merchants
Zeus Botnet Targeting Retailer Credit Cards
About the Author(s)
You May Also Like