Article
Coverage of the Retail Business Show
Exhibitors say tech can make or break the customer experience.
February 17, 2008
The Retail Business Show opened in London's Olympia Convention Center with bustling crowds waiting to get in as the doors opened. Inside the air was a bit more serene, with attendees discussing topics ranging from retail technology to customer experience.
The show was co-located in the National Hall with Screen Expo Europe, a digital signage convention. Both events were held Feb. 5-6. There was a total attendance of about 3,300, said Mark Pigou, show director. He also said that as both shows continue to grow, they may well be separate expos in the future.
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In addition to retail solutions, Oracle's booth featured a conference area and drink bar. |
"The customer experience is impacted by IT," Taylor said. "Scheduling, pricing, always having products on the shelf; it's all tied to IT."
K3 was another large-booth exhibitor that focused on retail technology and customer experience through technology. K3 is a distributor of Microsoft Dynamics across Europe, and like Oracle, that is focusing on solutions for mid-tier businesses.
Conversations with K3 revolved around the future of retail technology. Tony Bryant, business development manager for K3, said RFID technology will be the store of the future focus by 2010. He also said that mobile technology also will drive the customer experience in the future.
"The industry has reached a saturation point," Bryant said. "We're ready for the next step in retailing."
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Netkey's Jim Dougherty walks attendees through Netkey's digital signage software. |
"We are looking to forge long-term relationships with leading organizations that can specialize in delivering digital signage to multiple industries using Netkey software," said James Dougherty, vice president of channel development for Netkey. Dougherty recently joined Netkey to manage the new program.
The Retail Business Show also provided a venue for some smaller and mid-market companies to interact and converse with large enterprises like Microsoft, NCR and associations like VendorCom, who each sponsored large partner booths.
Channel Advisor, which manages a retail outfit's multichannel system, works with retail clients as well as financial clients, and will be using its software-as-a-service platform with Royal Bank of Scotland in the future, said Ashley McVey of Channel Advisor.
Akami was another retail solutions provider that specialized in online retail. Akami operates a network of more than 30,000 servers that accelerate Web content to customers. Robert Groom, solutions engineer, said static content cached on their servers and a retail-focused infrastructure mean faster page loading times for online stores and e-commerce. The company works with U.K. clients such as Boots and Jessups.
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