With the UK in recession and unemployment topping two million, the hospitality industry needs to ensure they are able to attract and keep customers. Brian Norman, Managing Director at Vista Retail Support, says that reliable EPOS systems play an important part in maintaining customer satisfaction.
Vista Retail Support made an appearance at the biggest Retail Convention & Expo of the year!
The National Retail Federation's 101st Annual Convention and EXPO took place in New York City at the Jacob Javits Convention Center which ran from January 15th to January 18th.
Not only is it the biggest of all retail shows, 2012 was the largest of all NRF Conventions with more than 24,000 attendees.
It seems last year’s biggest focus was on mobile and contactless methods of shopping and paying. Although this remained a focal point for some, others shifted towards improving customer experiences, primarily in the digital (virtual) form.
According to a recent Deloitte survey of retail executives, nearly half said they are playing catch-up to competitors or taking a wait-and-see approach with technology used in store. We expect this could again be the situation with the clever displays and the NRF gathering this year.
Technologies come and go to no avail, in such a fast moving industry it can sometimes be too risky to invest into developments that are newly introduced onto the retail market.
Additionally, not all developments catch on, and some may not be as suitable for some retailers as they are for others. Virtual fitting room, which appeared at various stands, may be advantageous for a clothing retailer such as River Island but not for one like T.K.Maxx where the range is extremely infrequent.
Other developments leaned towards security and recognising emotions, sex, height etc of an individual when they enter the store. How long will it be before technology allows a retailer to identify a person by personal details such as their name, when they enter the store?
We will be reporting some of our favourites and worst’s from the show throughout the week, let us know your thoughts.
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