With CES 2018 last week and NRF 2018 wrapping up this week, it’s safe to say that this year is shaping up to be a big one for the retail community. According to the event’s website, “NRF 2018: Retail’s Big Show is the world’s most important retail conference, bringing together the largest gathering of industry executives from across the globe. Attendees learn the latest retail trends and get an unparalleled view into how retail brands of all sizes are transforming themselves for the digital age.”
This year’s show featured speakers from industry leaders like Apple, American Express, Facebook, Levi’s Brand, Walmart, Visa, and Best Buy, just to name a few. These thought leaders came prepared to discuss the latest and greatest trends in the world of retail, with everyone’s favorite buzz phrase being “the future of retail.”
In case you weren’t able to make it to NRF 2018 this year, the Retail Technology Insider team compiled some of our favorite Tweet takeaways from the show that touch on some of the most important discussions of the year. Here’s what some attendees shared on-site:
The future of retail shopping is designed for continuous motion #NRF2018 https://t.co/vnAy7HALFI pic.twitter.com/WHzgozqPDX
— Vala Afshar (@ValaAfshar) January 14, 2018
Ultimately, Vala nailed it here. The ability for retailers to accommodate increasing mobility in shoppers is a must, and this is not just applied to online shopping. This is a trend we saw discussed last week at CES 2018 as well as an approach that Amazon is pretty keen on implementing in their new grocery stores.
“Brands that only use heart never scale. Brand that only use brain and data don’t enter into customer lives….” #NRF2018 pic.twitter.com/tazFqMJKfq
— Nicolas (@nicolas_fillat) January 14, 2018
#nrf2018 @ariannahuff using technology to recapture our humanity 2018 will be the year of augmented humanity @SAP_Retail
— Judith Magyar (@magyarj) January 15, 2018
That important of balance between humanity and automation is still a focal point for retail leaders. Their top concern is figuring how to leverage that automation technology and intelligence to better connect with other humans.
“Create memorable experiences AND meet fundamental needs”
“For us retail is a media channel”
“A store as fun and creative as when you use our products at home”
Great takeaways from @LEGO_Group #NRF2018 pic.twitter.com/hHZx1oxuvM— catherine barba (@cathbarba) January 15, 2018
As we’ve covered before, the importance of in-store retailing is on an upswing and stores need to be mindful of the experience they are delivering to their customers, not just the products.
Pitney Bowes’ New https://t.co/SleJU4GhUD connects more than 800K international shoppers to more than 200 global retailers. https://t.co/JR2Pobwq4i #NRF2018 https://t.co/jwx62PwXph #PBemp pic.twitter.com/qPTonHBWsH
— Chris Beaton (@ChrisMBeaton) January 16, 2018
And of course, with increases in shopper expectations and the need to deliver product to consumers faster than ever, fulfillment and shipping solutions always need to show how they are on their A-game. Our friends at Pitney Bowes announced their Borderfree.com offering at NRF 2018, connecting consumers with retailers around the globe and making commerce seamless, regardless of location.
We’ll also be sharing NRF 2018 takeaways right from the show floor in an exclusive interview with Mike Mack of Fract this week, who attended the show as a partner of GE’s. Stay tuned by following us on Twitter and subscribing to our newsletter to hear the scoop from Mike!
