Looking Forward To A Great Year In Retail
By Debbie Hauss
As I stated in the Retail TouchPoints NRF recap: If 2009 was the low point for the retail industry and the NRF BIG Show, 2013 definitely was the high point. There was a palpable positive energy throughout the exhibit hall, in the walkways, during sessions and even in the long line at Starbucks. To reinforce that positive vibe I felt during the event, take a few moments to view our video interviews with retailers, consultants and solution providers on TouchPoints TV.
This year’s event was so busy, that some executives even held meetings while waiting in line at Starbucks! And I didn’t make that up – one solution provider told me that she has asked people to meet her while waiting in line at Starbucks at the Javits; and anyone who has needed a Starbucks fix during an event can confirm that the wait is just about as long as any meeting we might hold in the exhibit hall.
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So with that in perspective, I truly believe it will be a good year for the retail industry and, in turn, a good year for the economy. Retailers are focusing on adding new technologies and strategies around a variety of business processes, including inventory optimization, workforce management and store operations. But the over-arching focus is on providing a consistent brand experience across all channels in order to meet the demands of a digitally savvy customer base.
Another area to watch in the retail industry is the consolidation of solution providers. A number of acquisitions have occurred recently, including:
- NCR’s acquisition of Retalix;
- Zebra’s purchase of StepOne Systems;
- RedPrairie and JDA;
- Revionics’ acquisition of SKUloop;
- NetSuite and Retail Anywhere;
- Oracle’s purchase of Eloqua;
- ShopperTrak and ReTel Technologies; and
- Bazaarvoice and PowerReviews.
…and just today Etsy acquired Mixel.
In part, the continuing acquisitions reflect a movement on the part of solution providers to be a one-stop-shop for all solutions and services a retailer might need. It’s hard to argue the value of this type of strategy for retailers, who are faced with more channels to play in and more technologies to facilitate that activity.
So, while it was an exhausting five days in New York, the weather was better than ever and I think that reflected the overall sentiment of the industry. I’ll be looking forward to all the innovative announcements, apps, strategies and programs retailers and their solution provider partners will be announcing throughout 2013.
Follow Debbie on Twitter: @DHauss
