GlobalShop 2009: Optimism and strength

Attendance was noticeably down at last week's GlobalShop event in Las Vegas, but the man running the show says there is more silver lining than cloud.

"If there's a theme to this year's show, it's the strength of the retail industry, and the optimism about how things are going to turn around," said Tim Fearney, show director for GlobalShop. "There is the feeling that economic turnaround is going to start in the retail industry."

Fearney said that while the number of attendees was definitely down somewhat, he had roughly the same number of companies represented in attendance — they were just sending fewer people each. And those that came were there to do serious business. "The one phrase I'm hearing over and over again from exhibitors is 'pleasantly surprised,'" he said.

As for the exhibitors, there were roughly 700 on the show floor. And while that's a 10 percent drop from last year, more than 150 of them were exhibiting for the first time. "To me, that says that there are companies out there that are eager to get the business," he said.

SLIDE SHOW: See images from GlobalShop 2009

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Selected highlights from the show floor

Nanonation's booth was devoted to various applications built on its core software platform, which can drive digital signage and many different self-service devices. The company also received the 2009 POPAI OMA Silver award for its digital signage network implementation for Emerald Coast McDonald's and Computer Help, a Florida-based AV and technology integrator.

Maspeth, NY-based Ovation In-store faced one of the main hall entrances with its large green booth. The company, which is over 30 years old, makes static and digital merchandising tools; among the demonstration units in the booth were digital shelf-front signage paired with a barcode scanner and a triggered show display that changes content when a product is picked up.

At MTI, the emphasis was on SKU-activated merchandising. Several Wii video game titles were positioned in bins beneath a screen. Pick one up, and the on-screen content changes. Also, tiny electronic price labels behind each one automatically recognize each product, so pricing is always correct even if products are improperly shelved. Watch the video.

Toronto-based ShopGuard shared its booth with partner ADFLOW Networks. The company's roots are in loss prevention, but it has evolved into a product that is a combination of loss prevention and assisted selling. In this specific instance, a tethered mobile phone display not only prevents theft of the handsets but triggers custom content when picked up. ADFLOW's Mike Abbott said the interactive display deployed for Canadian mobile phone provider Koodo has resulted in a tripled activation rate — because "people are selling themselves."

Similar tethering tech was on hand at the Vanguard Product Group booth. VPG designs and manufactures custom loss-prevention mounts for retailers and brands; its "power-and-secure" tethers were shown in a range of sizes, from tiny ones that can be concealed beneath a cell phone to large units needed to stabilize a full-sized digital camera.

Display manufacturer Industrial Image got its start in "nasty environments," according to business development manager Randy Guy — places like chicken-processing facilities, for instance. It now develops custom screens for the slightly less challenging retail environment, and samples on display at the show included custom-cut metal fixtures with embedded screens, push buttons and printed acrylic panels.

The Frank Mayer booth was consistently crowded, thanks to about a dozen colorful and inviting applications — and thanks to the always inviting phalanx of Wii systems begging to be played. The company's SlideBuy screens were a focus (watch the video), as were the various music download kiosks. Executive vice president Allen Buchholz said his company is getting ready to deploy the music machines, powered by Mediaport software, to a c-store chain with "thousands of locations."

One of the most visually stunning applications at the show was the singular FogScreen technology, whose name says it all: it is the world's first "walk-through screen," made from dry fog. Watch the video.

STRATACACHEalso had a number of unusual screen formats at its booth, including a rear-projected "virtual assistant" and tiny rear-projected screens mounted on the front of a shelf. All of the images were scheduled and delivered via the company's ActiVia product.