Time to debrief from this year's annual NRF Show in New York and what a show it was! For those of you that weren't able to be there, I can tell you first hand that the show was very well attended and that it will be a very busy year in retail. A few quick observations that are worth sharing:
First, it is clear to us that retailers have a pent up demand of work that needs to be done. After a year of more or less parking most projects combined with various compliance deadlines, 2010 is off a very fast start. It is clear that we will all be very busy.
Second, the talk of Mobile Retailing and M-Commerce doesn't appear as though it will go away soon. Over 70% of retailers this year indicated that they are implementing some form of mobile marketing or loyalty programs as a way to communicate with their customers via a smart phone in 2010. While most applications right now are taking the form of marketing to the smart phone, the community is working fast and hard to actually transact business on the devices as well as, exploring uses for their own in-store personnel too. It sure seems like this technology platform will be a "game changer" to the retail landscape. Click here to see what new mobile technology came out of NRF.
And lastly, store formats are getting smaller, many retailers are remodeling and some, are taking advantage of great lease deals and opening more stores
This year, I arrived Friday night instead of the usual Sunday arrival to attend the first ever RetailROI Super Saturday session. More than 100 retail executives including CIOs, analysts and vendors gathered at the Marriott Manhattan East and raised more than $100,000 benefiting the Retail Orphan Initiative (ROI).
I must admit, I've learned so much more about the fate of these kids, foster care and the overall system through this initiative. It is indeed a compelling cause, which is worthy of all of our involvement. The charity is working to become a part of the Retail landscape, which has mind-blowing possibilities when it comes to being able to help. For more information about RetailROI Super Saturday and the organization, click here.
At tekservePOS, we are off to our busiest quarter ever! Thank you to all of our fantastic customers!
John Pruban, Preisident
tekservePOS
