Retail Supply Chain Technology News: IntuiLab expose avec Cegid
Cegid unveils new technologies at the Retail Business Technology Expo March 09, 2011
At Retail Business Technology Expo, Cegid and its exclusive UK business partner Retail IT will be showcasing a number of new technologies and solutions to help retailers move with the times and a gradual shift towards more interactive, cross-channel shopping experiences. Cegid and Retail IT give a glimpse of the future with its mock Innovation Store, developed in partnership with several computer hardware and software pioneers. The ‘store of the future’ features various advancements in wireless tracking devices for improved mobility around a store – already being trailed by various retailers – as well as how tomorrow’s consumer will increasingly pay with mobile phones, or use tablet computers and interactive displays to enhance the shopping experience. All will be on show at the Retail Business Technology Expo, 16th-17th March 2011, Earls Court, London on stand number 512. Cegid and Retail IT will also be unveiling new features in its Yourcegid Retail software suite, including new solutions for improved mobility and multi-channel merchandising, as well as in-store human resources optimisation.
“We’re trying to see how technology changes the way people shop and how software vendors need to look ahead towards a more multi-channel future,” says Tania Oakey, Marketing Director for Retail at Cegid. As you move through the Innovation Store, you’ll see how ‘intelligent shelves’ can provide complimentary sales information that might encourage shoppers to decide upon which product to go for – a bit like consumers are already doing while internet browsing, but with the added advantage of being able to touch and compare the products at the same time.
“Some retailers are already streaming internet content, videos and consumer comments from the web into the store,” says Oakey. “But very few today are bringing the web, store and customers intuitively together as part of their company-wide retail processes and systems.”
Various other solutions are being developed to help process sales more quickly and efficiently in stores. For instance, iPad’s and tablet computers can be browsed in-store to check for availability or recommended add-on offers; while mobile point-of-sale devices carried by store staff can be used to reduce queuing times at the till on busy days. Store cameras that measure how busy a store gets at particular times, or that analyse consumer behaviour and the effectiveness of a shop window or display, are also becoming a virtual reality.
One way in which advancements like these are helping retailers and software vendors improve the efficiency of their business, includes a new tool from Cegid that helps calibrate how many staff are required at certain times of the week or year, based on analysing demand and the frequency of customer visits to any particular store. More on the customer facing side, Cegid is working with Innovation Store partner, Intuilab to see how large display screens and self service kiosks in stores can help loyalty card customers automatically see what garments will look like when matched with other purchases made, either online, or in store.
As for wireless tracking devices, such as RFID tags (Radio Frequency Identification), retailers are starting to see the potential for more practical adoption, after years of reticence. Following a number of seemingly unsuccessful trials by retailers in the early days of RFID when tags were prohibitively expensive, advances in the technology and falling costs are seeing the practices now coming back into fashion. The prospect for much improved security and more efficient monitoring of goods flow throughout the supply chain has made RFID a lasting reality.
Cegid is currently working with a leading French fashion retailer, soon to roll-out RFID on a wider scale. Tags fitted to every garment will enable staff to check inventory in a matter of minutes, as opposed to days spent before unpacking boxes and counting thousands of garments hanging on rails, one by one, delivery after delivery. Under-the-counter, or a hand held device, can even be used to seamlessly and effortlessly process articles through the till. Other developments in RFID include security tags with integrated batteries. These are not only capable of sounding an alarm after goods unwittingly leave the store, but also can be remotely programmed to change the price or details on the label: for instance during markdowns, or self-triggered when running special promotions.
“Most of the new technologies in demand that are really going to make an impact are those that either improve customer relations, or increase operational efficiencies,” concludes Oakey. “We’re seeing a resurgence in customer loyalty, increased mobility, and, above all, it’s about cutting costs these days.”
Source: Retail Technology Review