At the show, Intel and Microsoft announced a new digital display device. You can read the news release here, but a video may be more helpful.
While I’ll admit this ranked higher because of it’s high-tech nature as opposed to measurable business benefit, it really is a good representation of the things that are starting to happen in digital signage. At some point digital signage, augmented reality and customer loyalty will start to come together. This represents a unique look at interactive technologies that will start to differentiate the experience for the customer in-store/restaurant.
The Modiv Media Shopper offers value to both the customer and the retailer. As you will see below, customers can scan products as they shop, see their running total, and are made aware of deals based on their location in the store (and seemingly other criteria). Checkout is done simply by handing over the scanner (and I would think at least a visual check by the cashier).
The future of in-store technology is increasingly in the hands of the consumer. We’ve gone from cashier-run checkout to self-checkout, to now checkout with a store-provided mobile device. In the near future, we will see self checkout with the customers own device along with relevant promotions and services that you can only get on proprietary devices today. These applications will be powered by software like RedLaser running on the customers smartphone.
In-store mobile is just getting started. Innovative retailers will use it to gain preference, differentiation and competitive advantage.
I’m not sure how I missed this one. Thanks to Alan Taetle for pointing it out to me. I remember seeing their booth at NRF, but it just looked like a bunch of tchotchke’swith an attitude. Needless to say, I missed this for my top 10 list, but in retrospect this likely would have gotten a top spot.
We’ve been hearing about digital wallets for a long time now. At CES last week, Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs announced Swagg.
According to the PDF I found at Pixelatedeek.com, “Swagg enables smart, efficient and rewarding transactions on the go. Swagg allows users to purchase, share and exchange gift cards, receive and redeem offers, view loyalty card points or balances, share content and more – straight from the convenience of a mobile device.”
According to an article by Mike Freeman of the Union tribune, Paul Jacobs (Qualcomm’s CEO) said the mobile-gift-card portion of the Swagg platform should be available before the next holiday season.
There are quite a number of new players in the mobile payments space – Square, Mophie, FaceCash and more traditional players like VivoTech and Verifone. Swagg is a big play, but Qualcomm is a great company (as is their Atlanta-based subsidiary driving this – Firethorn) with massive resources and global reach.
Swagg has the potential to significantly impact the customer experience as it relates to loyalty and gift cards making them both mobile and social. Definitely one to watch.
There’s not much on the website yet, but here’s a slick video for your enjoyment.
Recently, I did a post listing the top 10 things that caught my eye at NRF. Here is more detail on number 10– Ikan.
Ikan is provides a scanner and thin web device designed for the kitchen. The idea is to scan items as you discard them to create your list which can be sent to a grocer, or accessed for your own use on the web.
On the web site, you can see the current model, but at NRF they were showing the next version which runs Android, allowing more interactive web access. Here is a short video of the demo I received at NRF.
The benefits for customers would be an easier way to create and maintain your list based on usage. This in addition to the web and application access demonstrated in the video. For retailers and manufacturers, there would be benefit in knowing about usage patterns (privacy policy permitting of course) prior to purchase. The retailer could also provide relevant offers for alternative products based on timing, a map through the store to pick up your items, etc.
Ikan has a number of challenges. First, the device itself sells for $399. That’s expensive for a consumer device. While it can access various applications and websites, I’d rather have a laptop or netbook to do those things. If I really want the scanner, there are options from around $I79.
Unfortunately for ikan, there is a even better option which is to use applications that allow barcode reading from my smartphone. For $0.99, I can buy something like GroceryIQ for my iPhone. The integrated scanning capability (using RedLaser from Occipital) works great and it’s integrated right into the application allowing me to create my list.
What does this mean for Ikan? Unfortunately, as much as I liked the Ikan guys, I personally wouldn’t shell out $399 for the integrated device when I can have a laptop for the same amount. Grocery IQ did a great job of scanning and creating my list.
What does this mean for grocery retailers? Apps like GroceryIQ are going to some degree control the customer and the customer experience if you let them. It’s time for grocery retailers to create their own mobile apps that add value to the customer in a way that differentiates the brand.
Thank goodness AT&T was down all during NRF 2010. It allowed me to focus on walking the floor without the distraction of various business associates trying to get in touch with me.
While I can’t say I didn’t miss something, I was able to cover the entire floor. Here are the top 10 things I found of interest as it relates to technology which impacts the customer experience.
Very few of these will have a massive impact in the short run. Some may not even be at NRF next year. However, I believe they point towards the future of retail technology. I will follow up with a blog post on each outlining what I believe to be their benefits as well as challenges they will have in achieving mainstream retail adoption.
Joe Skorupa, Editor-in-Chief, RIS News recently wrote a blog post entitled “Fearless Retail Predictions: Part 2.” He interviewed a strong panel of industry analysts, technology vendors and one retailer to come up with a list of predictions for 2010. The predictions were heavily slanted toward the use of mobile and social media technologies.
“In this year’s study, we also asked how retailers use technology to enhance the customer experience. Should technology be used front and center as part of the experience or behind the scenes? Nearly half of the respondents (48%) answered: “We use technology to enable speed and execution, but it is largely invisible to consumers other than speed through checkout.” In other words, the customer experience in the store is not tied to technology.”
I’m confused because I believe that the power of mobile and social media technologies lies in just that – enhancing the customer experience. This survey is directed heavily at IT personnel (63% of respondents). Perhaps retail IT executives don’t see mobile and social media technologies as enhancing the customer experience. Perhaps they are just not involved with how these technologies are being leveraged.
Based on my experience with retail executives, these tools are being investigated mainly by the marketing department led by ad agencies looking for ways to capitalize on the changing media landscape. Agencies are proposing mobile applications, couponing services, location-based services, social media campaigns and other creative ways of tapping into the social and mobile scene; all without much IT involvement.
CIO’s need to get their arms around these marketing efforts – not to control them, but to help the organization understand how to more fully leverage these technologies; integrating mobile into multi-channel and loyalty efforts, integrating social media into business intelligence efforts. If left to outside forces, opportunities to leverage these technologies to differentiate the customer experience may be diminished or lost. When these tools are integrated into the retailers’ infrastructure, they will truly become technology which enables a differentiated customer experience.
Thank goodness AT&T was down all during NRF 2010. It allowed me to focus on walking the floor without the distraction of various business associates trying to get in touch with me. 
Joe Skorupa, Editor-in-Chief, RIS News recently wrote a blog post entitled “
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