NRF Big Show dominated by AI, robots and customer experience

NRF 2019 – aka ‘Retail’s Big Show’ – has certainly left a big impression on us. The National Retail Federation’s 108th annual show and expo in New York exceeded our high expectations, with top speakers and exhibitors from around the world.

If, like us, you were lucky enough to attend (January 13-15), you probably witnessed all types of breakthrough technologies and discovered some amazing things retailers are doing around the globe. It was fascinating to hear industry giants share their latest thinking on omnichannel retail, and the pressing need to future-proof to survive and thrive.

We found it especially exciting to see how closely our unified commerce technology aligns with the latest retail trends, discussed on the main stage and breakout sessions over the three-day conference. We enjoyed networking with our peers and demonstrating to delegates how Cegid delivers key elements of the advanced technology so urgently needed to meet the needs of the retail industry in 2019.

Anchoring growth with tech

The fast-changing nature of retail was the dominant theme at NRF 2019. Wal-Mart’s CTO Jeremy King detailed how the company is placing unprecedented levels of investment in cutting edge technologies to position it strongly against the likes of Amazon. Alex Gourlay, COO of Walgreens Boots Alliance spoke passionately on the importance of partnerships and diversification to shore up operations for the future. And Kroger’s CEO, Rodney McMullen, explored the evolving role of the store and retail jobs of the future.

Charismatic CEOs of Dick’s Sporting Goods, Levi’s and Lowe’s all focused on the power of leading with conviction in this era of realignment. And, of course, it was fascinating to hear Alibaba discuss its audacious globalization strategy.

Showcasing unified commerce at NRF’s Big Show

For Cegid, this year’s Big Show proved the perfect occasion to unveil our latest Inventory Tracking solution, and to host a series of networking events. Our focus throughout the show was the importance of delivering the omnichannel customer experience, profitably and efficiently. Our unified commerce insight comes from years of retail experience and from working with leading brands including GANT, Paul Smith, Lacoste, Quiksilver, Yves Rocher, Orlebar Brown and Longchamp.

Inventory Tracking is our latest omnichannel mobile application, which helps integrate a retailer’s back-store to give real-time visibility of inventory, improve stock accuracy and reduce out of stocks. There was a real buzz around what can be achieved with this solution in terms of delivering an omnichannel customer experience.

The application allows store associates to optimise the movement of stock, so that the store can effectively operate like a mini-DC. Delegates were impressed that staff can be immediately notified to pick and pack online reservations or click-and-collect orders – just one of the many benefits of the application.

Nathalie Echinard, Director of Retail Markets at Cegid, said: