10 EVENTSNEWS
IT DEVELOPMENT TARGETS SALES
One cloud software provider,
NetSuite, used its recent US customer conference to talk up developments that put the customer at the heart of a sale. It introduced its ‘commerce-as-a-
service” offering to deliver a consistent, device-agnostic customer experience directly on the core NetSuite cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) business management application. “The transaction you own is where
the value is,” Zach Nelson, NetSuite chief executive told Retail Technology. “The transaction we own is the order, which holds the defi nition of a customer.” He explained that NetSuite SuiteCommerce, a new ‘commerce- aware’ platform, which provides a central system to manage all transactions and associated customer interactions with consumers and other businesses regardless of touchpoint, would deliver the multichannel integration retailers so crave.
At another recent event, this time
hosted by a vendor, Motorola, which is most usually associated with mobile hardware, the customer-centric theme continued as it laid out its vision of the future of retail. Demonstrating its new e-ink, ‘smart
badge’ SB1 device, the latest MC40 barcode, magstripe or chip and PIN- enabled handheld, and the ET1 tablet debuted earlier this year, Ian Jenkins, director of enterprise products for Motorola, said demand for enterprise- grade mobility aids was on the rise among retailers. “It’s about providing one consistent and easy-to-use interface across all mobile form factors,” said Jenkins. Curt Croley, senior Motorola director, added: “It’s about managing the devices and their provisioning between shifts. It’s the fact we’re looking holistically at their use as part of an entire business process.” Both the software and hardware
vendors were united in meeting the demand for what Croley described as “retailers getting more interested in how technology can enable their people to provide a better service to their customers”.
RETAIL TECHNOLOGY MAY/JUNE 2012
PROCESS Two recent events hosted by vendors at different ends of the retail IT spectrum point to development designed to help the retailer optimise every stage of the sales process.
RETAIL EXPO REPORTS DRAMATIC GROWTH
◆ The
Independent Retail Show 2012, taking place from 28 to 29 October 2012 at the Birmingham NEC, is targeting smaller High Street retailers with top-name suppliers from a diverse range of market sectors offering new products, services, ideas and ways to make money and stay ahead of the competition.
of the March/April edition of Retail Technology magazine, attracted 6,150 visitors, representing a 46% increase on last year’s event. The two-day event featured
R
keynote presentations from Paul Coby, John Lewis Partnership IT director and Mark Fabes, McDonald’s IT director, plus a host of other leading retail experts.
The hosted buyer programme, sponsored by NCR, brought together top-level retailers from across Europe. Sarah Pavlou, Hamleys Cyprus chief executive, commented on the seminar content. “There was something for all to take away, whether UK based or international, apparel or FMCG [fast- moving consumer goods], store or online,” she said. The international theme was
further supported by the presence of the Global Retail Forum and the European Multichannel and Online Trade Association (EMOTA), the sister organisation of UK online trade association IMRG in Europe. New features for 2012 included
two Innovation Showcases, which displayed diverse retail IT innovations including digital mannequins and cash handling systems and BT’s ‘The Future of Retail, Lighting up the High Street,’ which gave visitors a glimpse of how we’ll be shopping in the future, with demonstrations such as a holographic greeter and translucent digital display
etail Business Technology Expo 2012, which took place in March, just after the publication
that showcased high-defi nition, full- motion videos. The Nordic ID radio frequency identifi cation (RFID) Zone showcased all of the elements of RFID in a practical environment, while the K3 Retail Champagne Bar and the Wipro Retail VIP lounge provided spaces to relax and network. Fran Riseley, practice manager at retail IT consultancy Martec International, toured the exhibits with retailers and reported that European retailers in particular seemed ready to invest in new technology. “They saw the show as a good place to check out new technology,” she said.
EVENTS
Internet Retailing Annual Conference 9 October 2012 Novotel London West, Hammersmith, London
www.internetretailing.net/events/ annual-conference
The Independent Retail Show
28 to 29 October 2012 Hall 8, Birmingham NEC
www.independentretailshow.co.uk
Retail Technology Forum 2012
29 October 2012 Arabella Western Cape Hotel and Spa, South Africa
www.openroomevents.com
◆ Network video systems provider Axis Communications and unifi ed internet protocol (IP) and physical security solutions supplier Genetec will be hosting an exclusive roundtable event later this year hosted by Retail Technology. Contact
lneil@bpl-business.com to discover how retail organisations are gaining a competitive edge by deploying integrated IP networked video and access control systems.
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