27th March, 2015
Blurred lines: The digital and physical world’s merge at Retail Business Technology Expo
There were several key themes apparent at this year’s Retail Business Technology Expo. Although offline retail dominated the Expo, the division between physical and digital retailing is more blurred than ever. And the new design focus brought a welcome touch of glamour to a business technology event.
Blurred lines: The digital and physical world’s merge at Retail Business Technology Expo
There were several key themes apparent at this year’s Retail Business Technology Expo. Although offline retail dominated the Expo, the division between physical and digital retailing is more blurred than ever. And the new design focus brought a welcome touch of glamour to a business technology event.
So what stood out?
- Glitz it up – We saw minimalistic points of sale with a designer look, and store content to engage and wow the customer.
- Run on anything – ‘Agnostic’ software and hardware generalised so that it is interoperable among various systems.
- Technology is the driving force – RFID and digital signage pave the way to provide customer engagement, product awareness and information.
This mix of external glamour and internal infrastructure was no more apparent than in the session by luxury women’s designer fashion brand NET-A-PORTER. Talking about their project to meet the expectations of today’s ‘anytime, anywhere’ shopping culture, they stressed that access to information and resources were critical. And mobility was the key.
So the retailer’s mobility strategy centred around a migration programme to newer smartphones and enabling staff to use their own devices. This was being backed up by enhanced Secure Corporate Data – with systems and software to protect data globally – and by ensuring their bright, young, workforce have access to the modern tools and applications they need to do their jobs.
Looking ahead, the NET-A-PORTER team revealed that they are also looking at a secure intranet initiative, single sign-on across all apps and sites and easier ways to create, share and collaborate on content.