“Nearly every speaker at the NRF’s Big Show came with a powerful message: the boundaries of retail are expanding,” wrote Forbes contributor Steven Barr regarding this year’s National Retail Federation trade show. CrownTV was excited to be among the 36,000 retail professionals in attendance, from up-and-coming retailers to industry giants like Google, Salesforce, Amazon and more. We shared some of our favorite retail technologies on display by other businesses, but now, let’s recap CrownTV’s experience at the show and what we’re looking forward to at next year’s show.
The Digit-All Shop
CrownTV showcased its latest and greatest technologies ideal for retailers wanting to digitize their physical stores and mirror the online shopping experience. We invited retailers to say hello to their store of the future by integrating digital signage solutions into every touchpoint.
The technologies on display were:
Digital Signage
Many are familiar with CrownTV’s digital signage, but for NRF 2018, we demonstrated just how adaptable the technology is by using a variety of displays. Horizontal displays can be placed behind checkout, while vertical displays can be placed in areas where they’re a more efficient use of wall space. The digital signage player delivers content to any size or dimension of display, and the content always looks stunning.
The cloud-based dashboard was also available for attendees to experience for themselves and see how simple yet powerful it is. The screens on display exhibited the dashboard’s apps like social media, graphics, video and weather, as well as customized templates for CrownTV clients like RE/MAX, L’Oréal and Bouygues Telecom.
All-in-One Tablets
Also on display were our tablets, a truly all-in-one digital signage solution with no separate player device necessary. These interactive tablets have a range of capabilities, such as:
- Barcode scanning: Shoppers can scan a product’s barcode and see detailed product information on the tablet screen.
- RFID technology: Similar to barcode scanning, but simply waving an RFID-equipped item across a specified area will bring up the product information.
- Integrated statistical reporting: The tablet automatically collects data on products scanned and creates detailed reports.
- Facial recognition: For gathering demographic information on shoppers, such as gender and age.
In-Store WiFi
CrownTV’s digital signage player now has the capability to provide in-store WiFi. In addition, retailers can create a customized login portal to collect shoppers’ contact information and continue the conversation outside store doors.
The Crowd
Retail’s BIG Show always attracts a diverse crowd, and the CrownTV booth in particular attracted a wide range of attendees as well. Large retailers looking for technologies that are easy to roll out were impressed with CrownTV’s solutions. These large retailers were also looking for a dashboard offering multiple levels of access to content management, allowing them to grant different levels of permissions based on location, job function, etc. Smaller retail chains also stopped by, attracted to the simplicity and efficient scalability of the technology.
Next Year
What’s in store for Retail’s BIG Show in 2019? We predict more digital signage technologies that don’t just fulfill practical functions, but also create experiences. That means more interactivity, more social media and more innovative uses of displays (video walls, unique shapes, etc.). We also foresee more products that remind shoppers of the e-commerce experience they’re used to, such as integration of product reviews, price comparisons, inventory levels and more.
Missed us at NRF 2018? Request a demo of our easy-to-use yet powerful digital signage solutions.
