The National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 106th BIG Show 2017, which showcases the latest retail technologies, has kicked off on Sunday in New York City, to bring global innovative leaders under one umbrella.
Close to 35,000 retailers from around the world is expected to join at the event, which will conclude on Tuesday.
Some of the major enterprise IT vendors showcasing their products and solutions at the show are:
Fujitsu
At the event, Fujitsu announced the availability of the Fujitsu TP8 family of retail point-of-sale (POS) terminals, designed to be integrated into a wide range of retail environments, including fashion, drug, convenience, departments stores, supermarkets and mass merchants etc.
TP8 family offers tool-free access, remote-management capability with Intel vPro technology and common motherboard components across all-in-one unit (AIO) and PC box models.
Samsung Electronics America
Samsung Electronics America exhibited IoT-inspired retail solutions targeting retailers. Samsung’s product line includes mobile devices, digital signage, defense-grade Knox security and wireless infrastructure—with software and services from Samsung SDS and SapientRazorfish.
Aerohive Networks
Aerohive Networks is showcasing its Personalized Engagement Platform, which uses a unique mobility architecture and cloud-enabled services and applications to deliver an enhanced customer experience for shoppers, and greater insights for retailers.
Toshiba
Toshiba is exhibiting a creative wall showcasing shopping journeys on the path to Brilliant Commerce, Interactive digital signage with Lift ‘n LearnT to compare products and Style Advisor to share outfit styles, new checkout solutions and an experience bar with the newest TCxWave POS hardware. The company will further feature new enhancements to its which are already in the market.
NEC
NEC will feature new Smart Retail solutions such as point of sale (POS), software, biometrics, digital signage, analytics and private cloud solutions that include IaaS, storage and SAP HANA.
BT
BT says shirtmaker and luxury clothing retailer Thomas Pink has deployed the Acuitas Digital Internet of Things (IoT) platform to digitize the physical store at Wall Street New York City.
Thomas Pink installed the pilot Acuitas Digital IoT digital store solution as part of its digital strategy to track in real time the movement of merchandise and people around the store and use big data analytics to predict shopper behavior.
Acuitas Digital’s solution uses IoT multi-sensors to scan the whole store in real-time to improve efficiency and unlock new interactive in-store experiences. The IoT powered Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sensors provide real-time inventory visibility and movement tracking of merchandise throughout the store, increasing efficiency and delivering near 100 percent stock accuracy.
TCS
Technology outsourcing company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and announced payments technology firm Aurus will deliver payment solutions for retailers using TCS OmniStore, a Unified Store Commerce Platform. The payment solution facilitates transactions across channels and delivers convenience and security to both end consumers and retailers.
Epson
Epson, a supplier of Point of Sale (POS) solutions, introduced the new TM-T20II Ethernet Plus single station thermal receipt printer for small to medium retail and hospitality businesses. The latest printer offers connectivity for printing from tablets, mobile devices and web-based applications.
Epson America also introduced OmniLink-T88VI series POS printers.
Honeywell
Honeywell has partnered with chipmaker Intel to develop new Internet of Things solutions for the retail industry to enhance logistics, improve inventory visibility and drive supply chain efficiencies.
The collaboration between Honeywell and Intel will focus on solutions that utilize their technology offerings, including sensors, handheld computers, processors, bar code scanners, RFID tags and readers and cloud-based software.
Philips Lighting
Philips Lighting has launched Philips StoreWise, a system of integrated luminaries and controls, to create engaging and inviting atmosphere for shoppers at retail stores.
StoreWise allows retailers to enhance the in-store shopping experience by precisely tuning the appearance and ambience of any store area or activating a lighting scene with the push of a button from a mobile device.
Philips StoreWise’s control interface enables authorized users to change light levels according to the time of day, special events or seasonal changes. Retailers can use the lighting system to direct shoppers to areas of interest, such new product offerings, sales, or different departments.
Checkpoint Systems
Checkpoint Systems announced its WindRFID label for cosmetics categories many other merchandise visibility applications.
The new label features the use of Impinj’s Monza R6-P RAIN RFID tag chip — optimized for serializing items such as apparel, electronics, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, jewelry and various other products. The chips support privacy, loss-prevention and brand protection capabilities for retailers and brand owners.
Fujitsu Frontech North America
Fujitsu Frontech North America announced new hardware platform that supports cash and coin handling for currency management applications. The new currency management platform, branded FUJITSU Retail Solution Ventur, is engineered for integrators and OEMs who want to lower their development costs while speeding time to market with their end solutions.
Fujitsu Frontech North America also released FUJITSU Cash Component GSR50 bulk note acceptor, recycler, and note acceptor and dispenser.
NCR survey on retail spending
A survey by IT solution provider NCR finds that retailers who spend more on technology are more likely to enjoy high sales growth.
The Unified Commerce Landscape Report from NCR, in partnership with research and analyst firm IHL Group, found that retailers who invest in technologies designed to create seamless shopping experiences, personalization and store transformation enjoy sales boosts of up to 100 percent and more.
The survey found that retailers that provide mobile sales tools for staff saw 77 percent higher sales growth, those that deployed mobile POS saw 92 percent higher sales, while stores that offer in-store Wi-Fi saw a mammoth 663 percent increase in sales compared to those that do not.
It concludes saying that retailers can no longer view IT as only a cost center but a strategic resource to grow the business.
Arya MM
editor@infotechlead.com
