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RS<br />
34 RS February - March 2013<br />
review NRF<br />
Browse online while outside the store<br />
This thinking has led to the showcasing of its clothing ranges<br />
on kiosks and digital signage in 25 stores and locating such<br />
technologies around its stores to act as tools to ‘inspire’ the<br />
purchase of home products by enabling customers to ‘envisage<br />
what their room will look like’.<br />
“This would have been done with a swatch book previously<br />
but if you bring it to life on screen then it adds value. The<br />
challenge for retailers is to go through a re-invention,” she said,<br />
adding that some uses of technology are much more ‘mundane’<br />
such as Click & Collect.<br />
“It’s about the imaginative and also the sheer practical. The<br />
key is execution. If you’ve got your in-store Wi-Fi dropping then<br />
this is not a way to re-invent your business,” added Wade-Gery.<br />
At the Big Show, Intel Corporation announced that multiple<br />
new retail solutions designed to help leading retailers improve<br />
consumer engagement and inventory management were being<br />
deployed worldwide with Costa Coffee, McCormick & Company<br />
and METRO GROUP. These solutions were showcased in Intel’s<br />
booth at NRF over three days.<br />
“Retailers are facing increasing pressure to explore new ways<br />
to engage consumers across online and mobile platforms as well<br />
as in traditional storefronts while reducing inventory costs,” said<br />
Michelle Tinsley, director of Intel’s Retail Solutions Division. “Intel<br />
is working with industry leaders to provide technology solutions<br />
that enable retailers to deliver fun and memorable brand<br />
experiences as well as new ways to ensure the goods customers<br />
want are immediately available.”<br />
Their partnership with McCormick & Company, a herb and<br />
spice manufacturer which now has a retail store in the US, was<br />
implemented in conjunction with HP (Hewlett Packard). Together<br />
HP and Intel help McCormick create a memorable in-store<br />
experience for shoppers using digital signage that would help<br />
Increase brand awareness while also boosting sales and customer<br />
loyalty.<br />
McCormick & Company, a global leader in flavor, developed<br />
an engaging intelligent in-store experience designed to educate<br />
customers on the brand and its range of flavors. The experience<br />
features five destinations including: ‘FlavorPrint’ to explore<br />
personal flavor profiles; ‘Guess That Spice’ a sensory experience<br />
and ‘Flavor Explorer’ to learn about the company and history of<br />
flavors, and videos and a chef demo area. Powered by Intel Core<br />
processors, the digital experience is deployed at the McCormick<br />
World of Flavors Store in Baltimore where it consistently<br />
achieves 70-75 per cent guest usage.<br />
Online, in-store<br />
Kathleen Haley, director, corporate branding and<br />
communications, explained: “Bringing the online experience<br />
in-store is one way that retailers can avoid show-rooming.<br />
McCormick is a flavour company and has a lot of brands, but<br />
we’ve opened a retail store in Baltimore. The videos allow<br />
customers to experience the histories of our various brands,<br />
they can play games, collect money off coupons and find new<br />
herbs and spices that they would enjoy.<br />
“Seventy-five per cent of the people who come in our store<br />
use at least one of these digital experiences. Fifty per cent of<br />
shoppers use a coupon from the ‘Guess That Spice’ game at<br />
checkout. We’ve only been open six months so we’re still testing<br />
and planning, but so far the feedback has been extremely<br />
positive.”<br />
Ray Carlin, general manager and VP for HP retail solutions,<br />
added: “Social media has empowered today’s consumer with<br />
the ability to share opinions and experiences instantly. In fact,<br />
research shows that 61 per cent of US consumers rely on<br />
product reviews before making a purchase decision. As a result,<br />
Intel and HP worked with McCormick & Company to develop fun<br />
and interactive experiences for consumers, in hopes of leaving a<br />
positive, lasting brand perception.”<br />
Additionally, the world’s second-largest coffee chain, Costa<br />
Coffee, worked with Intel to develop an intelligent self-serve<br />
espresso bar that provides customers with quality espresso<br />
drinks in areas not feasible for a storefront. The Costa Express<br />
features touchscreens and near field communication (NFC)<br />
technology for cashless payments. Using Intel Audience<br />
Impression Metric Suite (Intel AIM Suite), Costa Coffee is able to<br />
better understand consumer preferences anonymously and can<br />
offer the right product mix in each location.<br />
The Intel-based machines are currently deployed in 2,500<br />
locations in the UK, with plans to expand into new markets<br />
throughout 2013.<br />
Although the atmosphere at the expo was upbeat in terms<br />
future multi-channel investment by retailers, some vendors<br />
expressed surprise that the pace of adoption had not been<br />
quicker last year. HP’s Carlin commented: “The industry moved a<br />
little slower than expected around omni-channel. However I think<br />
that is business process related, rather than technology related.<br />
“There can sometimes be a challenge around embracing<br />
change, retailers tend to be a bit more conservative. They’re<br />
very keen on implementation but are trying to figure out which<br />
piece to bite off. The reality of omni-channel implementation is<br />
very daunting.
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