NRF 2017 NEWS: Samsung Spotlights Next-Generation IoT Innovations for Retailers at NRF 2017
At the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) BIG Show 2017, Samsung Electronics America, Inc. unveied retail innovations that can assist traditional brick-and-mortar retailers, restaurants and hotels with delivering more engaging and personalized mobile-first customer shopping experiences. Samsung’s Internet of Things (IoT)-inspired retail solutions bring together Samsung products — including mobile devices, digital signage, defense-grade Knox security and wireless infrastructure — with software and services from Samsung SDS and SapientRazorfish to demonstrate transformative digital experiences that bridge online and in-store shopping technologies.
By incorporating IoT, big data analytics and mobile technologies, Samsung is able to blur the lines between online and offline shopping, while synchronizing backend systems for an omnichannel shopping experience. The innovations represent advancements retailers are using to reconnect with customers and accelerate digital business. According to the Forrester Research report Predictions 2017: In Digital Transformation, The Hard Work Of Operational Excellence Begins, “in 2017, digital business professionals will accelerate work to break down the silos between web, mobile app, and offline engagement, [and turn] Internet of Things from a technology buzzword to a nascent revenue stream[1].”
While Samsung chose to use a retail in-store shopping experience to demo the shopping experience, these technologies could certainly be adapted for the hospitality industry. The customer journey includes:
· Store Entry: The shopper orders an item from home for pickup at the store using the store’s mobile app[2] on their Samsung Galaxy smartphone. When the customer arrives, the store’s app triggers a beacon on a large digital signage display, showing personalized content based on prior purchases, and suggesting items that can be browsed via touch-screen. Simultaneously, a store associate is notified of the customer’s arrival via Gear S2 wearable, and visits the customer.
· Customer Interaction: If a shopper can’t find a product in the store, they can get assistance via the store app on their mobile device by pressing a ‘Help’ button on the app. The nearest associate receives an alert on their tablet, and through Samsung wireless triangulation, is able to locate the customer’s store location, and help them find the item in the store.
· Smart Merchandising: As the customer travels the store, they see a shoe merchandising display equipped with proximity sensing light bulbs and a beacon. It detects the visiting customer and lights up the shoe model of interest to them, triggered by the customer’s past shopping data from the store’s mobile app. The customer can take the shoe to a nearby station, detecting the shoe’s RFID tag and displaying more information on the product.
· Rapid Mobile Payment: At checkout, a store associate can scan the customer’s merchandise into a rugged Samsung smartphone, completing the transaction without a point of sale terminal by using NFC based C2B payment via mobile device. The customer and associate simply tap their Samsung smartphones using Samsung Pay to complete payment.
· Data Measurement: At day’s end, associates review daily sales statistics via smartphone, while managers can see marketing data on a large display (including people counter stats and heat map of store activity). Training tools can be pushed to associates’ tablets, providing real-time education for in-store employees.
Samsung in collaboration with its partners can implement the solutions featured in the customer journey, based on a retailer’s specific needs. Products featured in the customer journey include: Samsung Galaxy S7 edge and S7 active smartphones, Galaxy Tab S2 tablet, Gear S2 wearable, Samsung Pay, 75” and 85” Displays with Touch Overlay, 55” Mirror Display, and solutions from Samsung SDS -- Samsung Nexshop Sales Mobility and Marketing and Training solutions.
By incorporating IoT, big data analytics and mobile technologies, Samsung is able to blur the lines between online and offline shopping, while synchronizing backend systems for an omnichannel shopping experience. The innovations represent advancements retailers are using to reconnect with customers and accelerate digital business. According to the Forrester Research report Predictions 2017: In Digital Transformation, The Hard Work Of Operational Excellence Begins, “in 2017, digital business professionals will accelerate work to break down the silos between web, mobile app, and offline engagement, [and turn] Internet of Things from a technology buzzword to a nascent revenue stream[1].”
While Samsung chose to use a retail in-store shopping experience to demo the shopping experience, these technologies could certainly be adapted for the hospitality industry. The customer journey includes:
· Store Entry: The shopper orders an item from home for pickup at the store using the store’s mobile app[2] on their Samsung Galaxy smartphone. When the customer arrives, the store’s app triggers a beacon on a large digital signage display, showing personalized content based on prior purchases, and suggesting items that can be browsed via touch-screen. Simultaneously, a store associate is notified of the customer’s arrival via Gear S2 wearable, and visits the customer.
· Customer Interaction: If a shopper can’t find a product in the store, they can get assistance via the store app on their mobile device by pressing a ‘Help’ button on the app. The nearest associate receives an alert on their tablet, and through Samsung wireless triangulation, is able to locate the customer’s store location, and help them find the item in the store.
· Smart Merchandising: As the customer travels the store, they see a shoe merchandising display equipped with proximity sensing light bulbs and a beacon. It detects the visiting customer and lights up the shoe model of interest to them, triggered by the customer’s past shopping data from the store’s mobile app. The customer can take the shoe to a nearby station, detecting the shoe’s RFID tag and displaying more information on the product.
· Rapid Mobile Payment: At checkout, a store associate can scan the customer’s merchandise into a rugged Samsung smartphone, completing the transaction without a point of sale terminal by using NFC based C2B payment via mobile device. The customer and associate simply tap their Samsung smartphones using Samsung Pay to complete payment.
· Data Measurement: At day’s end, associates review daily sales statistics via smartphone, while managers can see marketing data on a large display (including people counter stats and heat map of store activity). Training tools can be pushed to associates’ tablets, providing real-time education for in-store employees.
Samsung in collaboration with its partners can implement the solutions featured in the customer journey, based on a retailer’s specific needs. Products featured in the customer journey include: Samsung Galaxy S7 edge and S7 active smartphones, Galaxy Tab S2 tablet, Gear S2 wearable, Samsung Pay, 75” and 85” Displays with Touch Overlay, 55” Mirror Display, and solutions from Samsung SDS -- Samsung Nexshop Sales Mobility and Marketing and Training solutions.