It’s that special time of year again for retail. This year, the NRF Big Show will take place January 17-20th at the Jacob K. Javita Convention Center in bustling New York City. You may be asking yourself:
- I have quality products, and I’m well networked, so why should I show up?
- What will this conference do for my business that I can’t do for myself?
Or, maybe, your retail business is struggling, and you don’t know why. There are no definite answers on why some retail businesses succeed and why others fail, but you’ll definitely get some great ideas from NRF’s Big Show.
Benefits of Attending NRF’s Big Show
NRF’s Big Show allows you to network with many other retailers and find out what the best are doing to succeed while others fail. You can identify trends and patterns that might hold the secret to creating a significant boost in your business.
As anybody with any retail experience knows, it all starts with the customer, and where better to learn about the constantly changing trends of the shopper than at the Big Show?
What Will I Learn that I Don’t Already Know?
On January 18th and 19th retailers will meet in the morning and discuss tactics and strategies that have worked. These are frank, non-competitive discussions where you put your heads together and find solutions that will help everyone in the room. Discussions will cover all of the hot, trending topics affecting retailers today as well as time-tested topics such as:
- Culture
- Innovation
- Leadership
- Mentoring
- New customer acquisition
- Next-generation retail
- Organizational structure
- Social media.
NRF 2016 Sneak Peak
Here are the hot topics that will be discussed at NRF 2016:
The Role of Mobile Technology in Retail
Customers are going mobile. With their phones, iPads, and reading devices customers are buying online more than ever. They look at reviews of products on their phones and send texts to friends for advice. Different perspectives and experiences from fellow retailers on utilizing mobile technology will prove to be invaluable for your business.
Payment Methods Multiply
We don’t live in the simple times of the 1950’s anymore, and it’s time to catch-up. Today you need to accept more than just cash or credit. At NRF, you’ll have the opportunity to learn about the most up-to-date payment methods you should consider having in your store.
Customers Demand an Omnichannel Experience
An effective omnichannel experience is one where the customer has a seamless experience with your store regardless of the type of interactions (online or offline) or device used. Add personalization to that seamless experience and you have a lot of choices to make in optimizing your buyers journey.
From their cell phone to the desktop to an in store visit; we are entering an omni-channel world, where consumers seek an omni-channel experience. – Daniel Newman, Forbes
Online Retail Pain Points
Even with all the mobile technology at customers’ fingertips, there are always pain points that come with change. For example, customers hate paying for shipping, and any shipping charges when shopping online which can lead to cart abandonment.
Discussing issues like these, and analyzing solutions (e.g., Buy Online Pickup In Store can help solve the shipping charge problem, as well as generate additional sales when the customer picks up in store) are some of the highlights of attending NRF’s Big Show.
Is Brick and Mortar Dying?
With all the innovations, is the brick-and-mortar store really dying? At least for now, the answer is still no.
- People still head to their favorite stores to avoid the sometimes huge costs of shipping.
- They’d rather not wait for their product to arrive.
- They don’t want to spend money on clothes without ever trying them on beforehand.
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Even with today’s technologies, there is still the hard-won value of good customer service. Most of us have gone shopping for a new wardrobe, or pair of shoes, or a hat that we feel best represents us, and enjoyed the patience and friendly help that a well-trained employee gives.
Did you miss NRF 2016?
The NRF 2016 conference is now over. If you want to learn how AlertTech can help you increase sales and improve the customer experience, you aren’t too late!
