These Philips Tableaux displays mark the introduction of a brand new product category into its ever-evolving portfolio of professional displays, says PPDS. This includes digital signage, interactive displays, direct view LED and professional TVs.

The new series are thus part of a relentless focus and deepening commitment to bringing high impact, highly sustainable and more eco-friendly solutions to market. According to PPDS, the new Tableaux displays from PPDS are the world’s first 60,000 colour (including blue) ePaper signage solutions. It aims to deliver an array of new opportunities – including cost and energy savings – for customers operating in a variety of verticals. These verticals comprise retail, corporate, hospitality, public spaces and transportation.

Energy-Efficient Solution

Available in 25 inches and 16:9 format, as well as 28 inches and 32:9 stretched variants at launch, Philips Tableaux displays are a suitable energy-saving solution for businesses across sectors looking to digitize their paper-based signage offerings. Some examples include store opening hours, timetables, and menus or promotions and offers. The series is also suitable for those looking to swap out current digital models (where features may far exceed day-to-day requirements, adding unnecessary running costs) with colorful, power-free, easily updatable Android SoC displays.

PPDS adds that the Tableaux range is ideal for any environment, including in spaces with limited or no access to power sources. Moreover, it will show content without even being plugged in or using power at all. It is also light enough so users can move it around easily when required. In addition, the displays only require connection to an electricity source when content is being updated. They then immediately revert to zero power upon completion.

Users can manage content updates manually, or entirely remotely. To do so, they can use PPDS’ in-house or third-party professional display control and management platforms. The Philips Tableaux Series will also soon be compatible with the PPDS Wave cloud-based fleet management platform, designed and built exclusively for Philips professional displays.

Cost-Saving Benefits

PPDS states that it has already received significant interest and orders from around the world. It now has attention of customers in the retail, corporate, hospitality, food and beverage, public spaces, transportation and healthcare sectors, following a global pre-launch at its Global Access: Future Tech showcase ahead of ISE 2023. The company adds that it will release further Philips Tableaux display sizes in the coming months for customers.

Martijn van der Woude, VP of global marketing and business development at PPDS comments on the Tableaux series. He notes, “There are very many instances where digital signage is used only display still images, which may change only once a day, and sometimes even less. For these, you do not need a solution that offers a refresh rate of 60fps or invest in a technology that far exceeds the capabilities required to achieve the desired impact. With the Philips Tableaux Series from PPDS, businesses can achieve their aims and ambitions at a fraction of the running cost; bringing immediate savings for themselves and for the environment.

He continues, “Sustainability is a top priority for many businesses….At PPDS, we feel it is our duty to lead the industry with this challenge, bringing products that deliver on energy and environmental savings, without compromising customers’ digital-display objectives.”

Commitment to Sustainability

PPDS observes that it has cultivated its commitment to sustainability over many years.  And the company continues to embed this aspect as a key pillar in its strategy and future plans. PPDS states that it is taking a leadership role in developing technology to significantly reduce power consumption, carbon footprint and resources. At the same time, it aims to do so without compromising the quality of performance of its display solutions.

Franck Racape, VP of global commercial at PPDS adds, “At PPDS our mindset is to listen to the market and lead from the front in delivering the solutions customers need, when they need them. Sustainability and energy consumption are both becoming an increasing part of the conversation and this is something we have focused heavily on in the past 12 to 18 months.”

He then continues, “[The Tableaux series] provide incredible opportunities, allowing businesses to digitize their business communications and messaging in ways they never thought possible. [It] is the perfect, complementary solution to our wider range of incredible Philips professional displays; providing customers with a full portfolio of choice and opportunity to fit their everyday – and extraordinary – needs.”

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Commercial Integrator on February 15, 2023. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience.

The post PPDS Introduces ‘Zero Power’ Tableaux Series appeared first on My TechDecisions.

The new offerings, detailed in a blog, as part of Microsoft’s retail industry cloud offering, come in advance of the National Retail Federation Big Show 2023 taking place next week in New York City. The company says the new tools are designed to help make retailers more resilient by leveraging a mix of advanced technologies.

Microsoft’s new Smart Store Analytics solution is designed to give retailers e-commerce-level shopper analytics for the physical space. The solution comes as partnership with AiFi, which Microsoft calls “the world’s most broadly deployed computer vision-powered autonomous store operator.”

The offering combines a brick-and-mortar retail establishment with smart technology to track shoppers and shopping behavior from product discovery through purchase while providing customer signals and insights to help retailers optimize store layout, product recommendations, shelf placement and inventory, writes Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President of Global Retail and Consumer Goods Industries Shelly Bransten in a blog.

“Our vision is to become the smart store solution for retailers worldwide,” Bransten writes.

Also now being offered to retailers is Store Operations Assist, which Bransten says give store associates a platform to better serve and engage customers with single-pane-of-glass access to operational activities such as curbside fulfillment to customer service scenarios in the physical store.

In addition, leaders will have management access to operational store activities with dashboard-based analytics and insights.

Announced in a separate blog, other retail features being released include enhancements to Teams Walkie Talkie, out-of-the-box applications for retail business processes, shift management tools, new Microsoft Viva connections pre-configurations for frontline workers, Viva Engage Stories, shared device mode support, new Outlook features and more.

Read the Microsoft blog to learn more.

The post Microsoft Announces New Smart Store Tech, Retail Communication Tools appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Here’s how the event at the American Dream unfolded back in July: MrBeast gathered 100 of his subscribers and handed them a briefcase filled with $10,000. All the participants had access to the entire American Dream complex. The goal was not to be found within 10 hours. If you were found by MrBeast and his team, you would have to give the $10,000 back. If you weren’t found, you got to keep it! The event ran overnight; come the next morning, 23 winners emerged! 

Then, in early September, MrBeast dropped a video of the event on YouTube. The following day was the grand opening of his first brick-and-mortar restaurant, MrBeast Burger, at American Dream. He announced that he would work the counter on that first day. When he did, about 20,000 people came to greet him. 

Where the Tech Industry Fits In 

How does this super-cool story connect to technology? and those of us who work within it? Simple! MrBeast utilized the full power of the American Dream, including its integrated technology solutions, to create this once-in-a-lifetime experience. 

During the million-dollar game of hide-and-seek, American Dream’s digital signage network, including LED displays and interactive LCD kiosks, played a central role. A countdown clock, which showed the time left in the competition, was shown on virtually all of the interior LED displays, which were manufactured by SNA Displays. What’s more, about 100 kiosks displayed MrBeast-themed maps to help contestants find their way around the three-million-square-foot mall. 

Of course, we’ve seen digital signage solutions adopted by individual retail stores, in many cases to highly successful effect. But few malls have successfully leveraged the commanding influence of digital signage across their environment. When you own the signage, you have to own the experience. This isn’t just ad space! Far more importantly, it’s technological infrastructure to draw people into the space, perhaps even for an event like the one MrBeast conceived. Digital signage and other integrated technology can give people a reason to come into the mall, rather than going the easy route of online shopping.  

Everything Has Its Challenges 

Seeing the possibilities of what can be done in the American Dream really got me thinking. What goes into adding signage to a modern shopping mall? Anne St. Mauro, vice president of project management at SNA Displays, generously shared her expertise with me. And she was the perfect person to do so, as her team and she lead the charge in pushing SNA Displays’ many successful projects across the finish line. 

According to St. Mauro, one of the biggest challenges arising when malls look to add digital signage solutions can be obtaining accurate documentation. She explains, “When a property has changed hands over its life, the ability to keep accurate documentation regarding the building’s structure and electrical systems is diminished — and sometimes non-existent.” To overcome this obstacle, St. Mauro notes, her team seeks out information from the designers of the record. “We research the building’s public records for building-code approvals and documentation,” she elaborates. “We’re also sure to conduct physical probes and testing to determine conditions and capacities.” 

Another hurdle centers on regulatory requirements. “It can be daunting and take more time than anticipated,” she acknowledges. “The process for approval differs across the country. Some municipalities and zoning boards are familiar with digital signage and others are not.” Drawing on her team’s and her substantial experience, St. Mauro remarks that some cities may require obtaining a variance to apply exterior digital signage. “Understanding the regulatory environment early and seeking the correct information from the regulators and manufacturers is key to successfully navigating the process,” she declares. 

To be clear, though, none of these hurdles should dissuade you. Every great success story involves overcoming challenges, St. Mauro and her team have found ways to prepare for both known and unknown variables. 

The Real Risk is Doing Nothing 

We’re all familiar with the steady growth of online shopping. Brick-and-mortar operations, including shopping malls, have been looking for ways to keep up and create engaging experiences. Ordinary, boring malls have to find a way to fill their environment with modern technology. Immersive experiences and digital signage solutions can help revive spaces that some see as passé. 

Exterior signage, in particular, has the potential to draw attention, St. Mauro says. “We’ve added monuments, pylons, tickers and more when it comes to an exterior signage implementation,” she describes. “We’ve also added interior signage for advertising stores, brands and events.” What’s more, she adds, wayfinding kiosks and maps factor into the mix. Nobody’s denying that digital signage solutions can be expensive in terms of making the initial investment, but the real risk lies in doing nothing. Then, malls will become — or perhaps will remain — vacant lots. 

The Opportunity is Now 

Who knows what the shopping mall will look like in 20 or 30 years. The point is that the greatest opportunity for updating and transitioning to the future is now. And implementing a digital signage network is central to that. St. Mauro cites flexibility benefits versus static signage. She explains, “As tenants enter and leave, changing the content on an LED display has little lead time compared to static signage.” Another value centers on lower costs through the lifecycle as compared to static signage. “There is an initial capital investment,” St. Mauro acknowledges, “but considering the potential for additional advertising revenue and decreased maintenance costs, [it] allows an owner to recover their investment more rapidly.” Visitor engagement and involvement are just the cherry on top. And those are exactly what modern shopping malls want and need to revive their environments. 

The modern shopping mall will increasingly find creative ways to utilize digital signage solutions. I, for one, am excited to see what the future holds. 

This article is brought to you with the support of Mount-It! PRO. 

This article originally appeared on MyTechDecisions’ sister-site CommercialIntegrator.com

The post Embracing the Power of Digital Signage to Transform Malls into Destinations appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Interface Systems, a Missouri-based provider of security, managed network, communications and business intelligence solutions to distributed enterprises, says retailers should heighten their awareness of organizations retail crime, which the firm says has increased by more than 25% since last year.

In addition, nearly 53% of retailers reported external theft to the National Retail Federation, according to Interface Systems.

Sean Foley, senior vice president of customer success at the managed service provider, says the holiday season brings longer hours, a larger inventory and more crowds to stores, all of which increase risk.

“What should be ‘the most wonderful time of the year for both shoppers and retailers, is becoming increasingly stressful due to an increased risk of theft and violence against employees,” Foley says. “Technology solutions can offer effective deterrents for retailers who face security risks every day.”

Interface Systems recommends investing in digital surveillance technology to help augment loss prevention professionals, such as remote security services leveraging cameras, speakers and microphones. These solutions provide discreet, always-on surveillance without degrading the shopper experience and allow remote security professionals to identify suspicious individuals and alert in-store staff or law enforcement.

In addition, the managed service provider recommends retailers use motion-triggered, AI-powered cameras that can be deployed in conjunction with speakers and lighting systems that can automatically warn loiterers during non-business hours. Designed to be installed in parking lots or loading areas, these solutions can be programmed to play different audio messages based on the context and even alert remote security professionals.

To maximize return on investment, Interface Systems recommends integrating video surveillance and security systems with point-of-sale systems to allow for transactions to be mapped to video recordings to help retailers find instances of theft, including coupon fraud, refunds made without customers, sweethearting and unauthorized price overrides.

As with cybersecurity, employee training and awareness is equally important in physical security, according to Interface Systems.

The company recommends implementing a robust training and communications program to help keep employees and customers safe, including training for both seasonal and existing employees. Training should include role-playing scenarios, drills, and a synopsis of the security technologies deployed. An emergency communication plan should also be clear to all employees.

“Retailers need a comprehensive safety program to prepare and protect their associates from a variety of dangerous situations,” says Tyson John, senior vice president of security monitoring operations at the firm. “When employees know that their safety is the priority, it creates peace of mind and can boost morale and productivity.”

The post Security Technology Tips for Retailers During Holiday Shopping appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Employees would have to leave customers on the showroom floor to go search for answers or additional resources to help serve customers.

To address this issue, CITY Furniture piloted a new solution at select locations that utilized a combination of iPads, the Zello instant voice messaging app and wireless push-to-talk buttons from Pryme.

This system allowed employees to instantly connect with other team members and other stores to query product availability and more.

After a successful launch, the iPads with the Zello app and Pryme PTT Super Mini Buttons were deployed in every CITY Furniture location, allowing employees to immediately search for answers and connect to other team members and stores, as well as keeping customers engaged throughout the sales process.

This allows for more seamless communication between the 40 to 60 sales associates on the floor at any given time, says Rich Quarantello, the company’s managing director of retail operations.

“With the addition of these advanced technologies, we’re able to communicate seamlessly in real time inter-store or between showrooms, with a single staff member or the whole team at once, which provides chain-wide awareness instead of being siloed,” he said.

Read Next: Thompson Seattle Hotel Communications Trifecta

Each associate wears a Bluetooth earpiece and carries an iPad bag with the wireless button Velcroed to the handle or to a belt loop, leaving hands free to perform multiple tasks at once.

With a touch of Pryme’s PTT button, sales staff can quickly activate Zello and respond to messages or access the iPad’s suite of technology without breaking stride.

“Better communication creates an environment of trust and enhances customer satisfaction,” adds Quarantello, “Because furniture is the third largest purchase in a lifetime, trust is key to building customer loyalty.”

CITY’s communications solution also helped incentivize performance and train new associates. The company uses Zello to celebrate sales contest winners live with the whole company, and new hires can use the tool to message managers without breaking the sales cycle.

Zello and Pryme can also be used for critical communications during an emergency and can help shave vital seconds off response time.

CITY Furniture has experienced higher employee engagement and lower turnover thanks to this integration, and looks forward to optimizing their partnership with Zello and Pryme in the future.

The post CITY Furniture Retailer Streamlines Communications With Zello, Pryme appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Business owners and decision-makers have a limited supply of time and expertise. They’re not always able to select the right software or tech vendors. Without knowledge or space to research the field, firms can make costly mistakes.

A survey by Brightpearl – in association with OnePoll – has unearthed some critical insights into the US tech landscape. Understanding these insights could make all the difference for a firm in any niche. 

Armed with the right info, you can make the tech decisions to help your firm to succeed in the new decade. Why, though, is getting a grip on the tech landscape so tricky? Put simply, it’s because the breadth of choice is overwhelming.

An Overabundance of Choice

When selecting software solutions, US retail businesses have a bewildering range of options. Software exists to help with a diverse array of different issues and perform many tasks. Firms can employ solutions to help with inventory management, CRM, and more. The number of tech vendors selling to retail is also vast and growing. It’s tricky for firms to understand their full range of choices, let alone make the right decisions.

A recent report revealed that the total global retail software market is already worth an estimated $55 to $60 billion. The report predicts that the value will exceed $77 billion by 2021. In that size of marketplace, there’s an extraordinary level of choice for retailers. Both when it comes to tech vendors and their software solutions. It’s little wonder that companies find things confusing.

51% of respondents to Brightpearl’s survey report suffering from information overload. They’re overwhelmed by the sheer breadth of software choices available to them. That’s a real concern. Especially when 68% of the same respondents still expect retail software investment to increase in 2020.

Many firms are investing in new software based on sketchy information at best. Overwhelmed by choice, these businesses often make ill-informed decisions. Many stick with the vendors and solutions that are familiar. Others use price as the sole factor for software decisions. In both cases, firms will likely pass over better options.

From the 200 firms asked, 36% had an in-house professional responsible for IT strategy. In the case of 35% of companies, the responsibility fell to a confused mixture of department heads. Whoever is accountable for IT strategy at your firm has to understand the retail tech stack.

The retail tech stack represents the range of software solutions available to businesses. The solutions are as varied and diverse as the activities they exist to assist. The best way to illustrate the state of IT strategy and software investment is to segment the tech stack. When you segment the stack into major business areas, five of the primary examples are as follows:

For each of those areas, over 50% of retailers indicated they’d invested in software solutions. It’s vital, then, to assess the state of software investment for each segment. 

The Importance of Product Management Analysis

‘What will you sell’ is the first question many retailers need to ask. Product sourcing and management is an area rich in software solutions. Businesses will each need a different combination of tech to best suit their needs.

Your business model decides the product management solutions most suitable for you. Differing business models mean companies interact with product suppliers in varied ways. That impacts the type of technology they need.

Some retailers produce their own goods for the marketplace. They can invest in software to help with a range of activities. Solutions are widespread that assist with product planning, prototyping, and testing. There’s also plenty of software to support market research and consumer demand analysis. 

Other retailers source products from manufacturers or wholesalers. They’re likely to invest in software that helps with very different processes. These firms’ main concerns are with product sourcing and merchandising. 

For those activities, you need to find both the right product lines and the best suppliers. To make those decisions, you must consider many factors. They include things like product life cycle management (PLM) and upsell opportunities.

There is, as a result, a vast ecosystem of software applications related to that process. Those solutions can carry out product market analyses and identify profitability. 49% of the retailers surveyed reported investing in this type of software in the past 12 months. Solutions in this space may also provide recommendations on who to buy from. 

Vendor Relationship Management Tools

Who you buy from is only the first of a range of important questions related to vendors with which you work. There’s also a range of tasks associated with maintaining good vendor relationships. A specific type of software tools can help with the administration of those tasks.

Those are Supplier relationship management (SRM) or vendor relationship management (VRM) software solutions. There’s been significant growth in investment in both. The tools often assist in things like categorizing suppliers and recording compliance. Some can also handle more particular tasks, such as auditing and invoicing.

Over half of US retailers reported that they’re keen on investing in this area of tech. Global market research firm, Technavio, explains why:

“The global vendor management software market will post a CAGR of close to 13% during the forecast period [2017-2019]. One of the major reasons for this is the increasing need to minimize administrative costs, increase negotiating power with suppliers and customers, and ensure compliance.”

The State of Customer Acquisition

Alongside ‘what you will sell’, ‘how you will sell’ is another fundamental question for firms. Customer acquisition has always been a priority for businesses. More than 60% of retailers agree that getting new customers is one of their main challenges. For that reason, 55% of those surveyed invested in solutions for customer acquisition.

The process of customer acquisition is best considered as a four-step one:

Attraction is about ensuring potential customers find and visit a retailer’s website. Options for software investment in this area are varied. Firms reported investing most in social media marketing (63%). Advertising software (55%) and affiliate marketing (47%) were close behind.

When investing in these areas, you must measure the effectiveness of each channel. That’s how to assess the ROI you get. There are a few metrics that are critical to judging ROI. They include click-through rates and the quality of the traffic from each source. You can assess quality by factors like conversions and average spend.

Conversion is the act of convincing a site visitor to buy from you. The best way to achieve this is by building trust. Reviews are a type of content proven to build that trust with potential customers. 53% of retailers invested in customer review solutions in the past 12 months. 

64%, meanwhile, put cash into web personalization software. These types of solutions help retailers deliver relevant, personalized experiences. It’s those kinds of experiences that customers are increasingly coming to expect. 

When a customer has bought from you, it’s vital to persuade them to return and make further purchases. That’s the re-engagement element of customer acquisition. Re-engagement is even more critical now that the cost of gaining new traffic is so high. The primacy that major firms now put on customer service drills home how vital re-engagement is. 

The popularity of investment in the area in the last year also shows how important re-engagement is across the board. Email marketing and marketing automation were two of the most popular areas for investment. 62% and 59% of retailers respectively invested in those kinds of solutions. 

Loyalty is the final step of the customer acquisition process. It’s a step that’s intrinsically linked to re-engagement. More loyal customers are more likely to make repeat purchases. 53% of respondents invested in loyalty program software in the past 12 months. 

Such software isn’t all that inspires loyalty. Firms are also wising up to the difference good order fulfillment makes to customers.

Development of Order Fulfillment

Customer experience is something more firms are focusing on to build brand loyalty. To enhance that experience, companies must avoid errors in order fulfillment. Retailers are increasingly seeking to achieve more efficient pick, pack, and ship capabilities. 

Order management software is vital in that drive toward greater efficiency. Those types of solutions offer an integrated process to cover the full extent of each order. They can check order details, inventory levels, and shipping information. By using them, firms can avoid critical errors. Those errors might otherwise cause late deliveries or cancellations of orders.

Well over half of retailers (57%) invested in this variety of sales processing software in 2019. It was one of the top investment priorities for order fulfillment. The single most popular area of investment, though, was in online payment solutions.

More than 60% of respondents financed online payment software. Almost as many (59%) also put cash into fraud detection and prevention. Put together, that shows the importance of an effective checkout process. 

Failures at the checkout can cost businesses a great deal. Fraud experts, Riskified, report that 30% to 70% of declined orders are in fact legitimate. That’s a lot of revenue to miss out on.   

Customer Service as a Differentiator

More focus on customer experience leads to a related push for better customer service. Of all the main areas of software investment, it’s the most popular with merchants.

Close to 60% of retailers invested in customer service software in 2019. Two types of tools stood out amongst customer service solutions. Those were software for delivery tracking and returns management.

59% of merchants put finance behind delivery tracking software. Those types of solutions deliver benefits that are two-fold. First, they improve experience in the latter part of the customer journey.

Customers can follow the location and status of deliveries for better peace of mind. Second, firms can also engage customers with personalized communications during the delivery process. 

Returns management is also an increased area of focus for businesses. 56% of merchants revealed they’d invested in returns management software.

Much of the focus on that software is to combat the increasing ‘try before you buy’ problem of retail. Businesses must have robust returns policies. Without them, customers that buy many items and return most of them cost firms a vast amount of money.    

The enhanced focus of retailers on customer service software is highly informative. It shows that businesses are starting to see customer service as a differentiator. Tech solutions in this area are being used by firms to set themselves apart from their rivals. 

Where to Go From Here

Retailers across the USA and the world are investing in diverse software solutions. The vital insights above should help you grasp the main trends of tech investment. That’s essential if you’re going to make the right investment decisions for your firm.

By understanding where and how you can direct investment, it’s easier to find the best solutions.

That way, you can make the best use of your invaluable resources. These insights, though, only scratch the surface. To get the full picture, you can download Brightpearl’s Retail Tech Stack Report in its entirety.

The post Critical US Tech Retail Trends and Insights for 2020 appeared first on My TechDecisions.

In a new website unveiled Monday, Amazon said it is now offering its Just Walk Out technology used in the Amazon Go brick and mortar stores to other retail stores.

“Born from years of experience at Amazon Go, Just Walk Out uses a combination of technologies to eliminate checkout lines,” the company says on the website. “We now offer retailers the ability to leverage this technology in their stores to help bring fast and convenient checkout experiences to more shoppers.”

According to Amazon, many retailers are expressed an interest in offering similar check-out free experiences to customers.

Reuters reported the company has signed several deals with other retailers, but Amazon didn’t name any partners:

The highly anticipated business reflects Amazon’s strategy of building out internal capabilities – such as warehouses to help with package delivery and cloud technology to support its website – and then turning those into lucrative services it offers others.

Its chain Amazon Go has brought shopping without checkout lines into the mainstream, and the market for retail without cashiers – one of the most common vocations in the United States – could grow to $50 billion, U.S. venture firm Loup Ventures has estimated.

Dilip Kumar, Amazon’s vice president of physical retail and technology, had no market forecast to share but said shoppers’ preferences will determine how big the business becomes.

“Do customers like standing in lines?” he asked. “This has pretty broad applicability across store sizes, across industries, because it fundamentally tackles a problem of how do you get convenience in physical locations, especially when people are hard-pressed for time.”

Unlike Amazon Go stores, shoppers will insert a credit card into a gated turnstile to enter, rather than scan an app. The turnstiles will display the logo “Just Walk Out technology by Amazon,” but all other branding and store aspects will be controlled by the retailer using the service.

Read Next: Walmart Uses Computer Vision Technology to Track Thefts and Fraud at the Checkout Lanes

How the technology works

In stores enabled with the technology, shoppers use a credit card to enter the store and they don’t need to download an app or create an Amazon account.

The technology detects what products shoppers pick up or return to the shelves, and a virtual cart is created. Items in the cart with be charged to the credit card when the customer leaves.

Customers can opt for an emailed receipt by using a kiosk in the store.

It’s the same kind of tech used in self-driving cars, including computer vision, sensor fusion and deep learning, and installation can take as little as a few weeks, Amazon explains.

The post Amazon Begins Selling Cashier-less Store Tech to Other Brick and Mortar Retailers appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Walmart has already used robots in their warehouses for years, but now, according to a Fast Company article, they’ve started rolling out roaming robots which scan shelves for out-of-stock items — something humans used to spend much time on.

It’s also a large-scale way for Walmart and the robots’ manufacturer, Bossa Nova, to test the efficacy of human-robot interaction.

“Pioneering companies owe it to society to figure out the right convention for the way robots express intent and indicate presence,” a Bossa Nova official says in the story. “We should figure out the right way of doing it through experimentation and standardize it so people don’t have to learn how to interpret different robots.”

What do you think? How should robots be designed: human-like, or with their own language of communication that humans adapt to over time?

The post Walmart Robots: How Should They Work? appeared first on My TechDecisions.

During the 25th annual NEC Display New York Partner Showcase, the provider of commercial-grade digital signage solutions announced NEC ALP as a powerful business intelligence analytics platform for retailers that delivers real-time content and data measurement.

Although the initial product launch targets retailers, it’s far from just a retail solution, says Richard Ventura, VP of strategy, NEC Display Solutions of America. He says it will be a valuable tool for customers across any vertical market that leverages digital signage:

• Corporate lobbies
• Human resources
• Corporate training facilities
• Corporate campuses
• University welcome centers
• Higher ed campuses
• Hotel lobbies
• Restaurants and bars

“It’s not a product that you can hold in your hand like a digital signage display,” Ventura told sister site Commercial Integrator. “It’s a platform.”

In other words, the sky is the limit. “It’s a platform that we can build multiple things on top of,” Ventura added.

“Today it’s retail analytics. Tomorrow it can be transportation analytics, digital-out-of-home, education … You can go down the list. It’s all about how we can deliver data at the granular level.”

What Is NEC ALP?

NEC ALP (Analytics Learning Platform)  was developed as a completely new back-end architecture for the NEC ALP business intelligence platform that uses both edge and cloud computing to deliver real-time insights, according to the company.

The platform discovers elements such as facial detection, non-identifying demographic data including age and gender and feeds them into a locally-based computing appliance, which then triggers the appropriate content to be shown.

Data is then delivered into the cloud where big data analytics will provide retailers with insights such as impact on sales from content, demographics and audience traffic, overall engagement with customers, and which content triggered the most positive customer experiences.

Related: Tips for Purchasing the Perfect Digital Signage for You

“NEC ALP is not a facial detection or even a digital signage solution,” Ventura says in NEC’s press release.

“It is a fully-featured business intelligence platform that is all about enhancing the customer experience by driving engagement. It’s less about hardware and more about the data analytic capability the technology enables.”

The NEC ALP system consists of hardware, software, cloud services, managed services, and big data analytics. Locally in-store, the platform consists of an edge computing appliance, cameras, and sensors.

The system is designed with full API integration into key digital signage content management systems (CMS), allowing it to deliver and trigger content onto different media player platforms. The triggered content is then displayed on NEC Display large- or small-format displays.

What NEC ALP Delivers to Retail Customers

“With NEC ALP, we’re giving retailers the ability to provide customers with a personalized experience through real-time, relevant content triggered by demographic data such as age and location,” Ventura says in NEC’s press release.

“This also provides retailers with valuable insights on the impact their content has, creating more opportunities for consumer engagement, which is invaluable to growing their business.

“With NEC ALP, we’re helping retailers deliver the right message at the right time to the right audience.”

Related: Tips for Purchasing the Perfect Digital Signage for You

The platform’s data analytics capability gives retailers the power to deliver the right message or content to the audience because it answers the questions of who the customer is and which piece of content was most successful in creating a meaningful engagement, according to NEC.

Using this data, NEC ALP is able to draw a direct correlation between when content was played, the number of impressions and what the conversion rates are to actual sales.

That, Ventura told CI, is a key feature. “You can tell the customer that when they run this ad this is the conversion of sales you’re likely to get based on it.”

According to Ventura, changing customer behavior to spend more time in stores is one of the biggest challenges that retailers face.

He says NEC ALP answers that challenge by providing the ability to better target those in-store customers with the most intelligent content that is most likely to make positive impressions and improve engagement.

How NEC ALP Helps Customers Post-Installation

Venture put it best when he said NEC ALP is not a product. It’s a platform and a package.

It includes everything from consulting, software, hardware, cloud computing, customized software development, physical installation, software and hardware integration, integration into key content management platforms, and content creation capabilities.

The platform also includes on-site, 24/7 service and maintenance, with hardware, software, and managed services support.

“This is a managed service,” Ventura told CI. “This is really about the data and how you can deliver the data to the customer.”

NEC ALP, like many of NEC’s turnkey solutions, leans on strategic partners to provide a complete package. Among those:

• Integration into the BrightSign platform
• NAVORI and StratosMedia content management systems (CMS)
• Microsoft Azure and Intel for infrastructure

NEC ALP also uses NEC EVA for video analytics and Data Call Technologies for weather and location-based content aggregation.

NEC ALP is available beginning in January 2019.

The post NEC ALP (Analytics Learning Platform) Uses Big Data to Optimize Your Digital Signage appeared first on My TechDecisions.

One of the best parts about shopping on Amazon is that shoppers can buy their favorite obscure indie record in the same place as their new laptop, or a student could add a sweater that they come across after filling their cart with books for the new semester. It’s more centralized than the mall and provides more products than even the largest brick-and-mortar department stores, tied neatly with the bow of online convenience. This partnership between Google and retail giants offers consumers another universal shopping cart platform, making Amazon no longer the sole provider of centralized access matched with at-home convenience.

Google Express, Google’s shopping platform, has witnessed a 20% increase in the number of items in their shopping carts since the launch of their partnership with major retailers. The involved retailers have seen an average of a 30% increase in shopping cart size, with Ulta experiencing a 35% jump in average order value. If these numbers keep growing, Amazon may be facing its first major battle for dominance in the online shopping market in a very long time.

Of course, it’s not enough to go face-to-face with an online shopping monopoly, as Google wants to challenge Amazon’s hold on voice shopping technology as well. According to Juniper Research, Amazon Echo and Google Home will be installed in 55% of homes by 2022, making voice technology the newest frontier in the online shopping market. Target and Walmart are ahead of the curve in this regard, striking a deal with Google last year to appear in more search results on Google Home.

When it comes to getting ahead in the online shopping market, the main priority must be convenience. That’s how online shopping became so quickly integrated into our lives in the first place. Now, Google and its new retail partners are attacking Amazon’s hold on the convenience of centralized shopping, and are not waiting around before they do the same with voice technology.

The post Google Partners With Retailers To Take On Amazon appeared first on My TechDecisions.