DALLAS – Day 2 kicked off at THE Tech EVENT with exciting ideas for the
future of IT innovation and networking among the 400-plus retailer and supplier
attendees.
According to Jim Manzi, chairman of Applied Predictive Technologies, a
solution provider that captures Big Data, the cost of storing digital information has
decreased far faster than the cost of processing it. The question is what to do
with all that information.
“There is a real opportunity here, but you need to focus on where the
money will be made,” he told the audience.
Instead of attempting to warehouse, evaluate and report on mountains of data,
retailers should analyze “kinda big data,” he said. You may not find it
efficient to scrutinize every Twitter mention, but retailers can combine data
about transactions and loyalty to gather information that will help make
decisions.
Probing Big Data will generate new ideas to test through in-store experiments,
such as adding extra labor in an attempt to sell more fresh food or installing
a new cooler to move more soft drinks. Manzi advised that all store-based
experiments include a significant sample size, a control group and a calibrated
measurement method. As experiments are conducted, “you’re building a learning
library,” he said.
HTML5
Philipe LeHégaret, Internet domain leader for the World Wide Web, updated IT pros on HTML5.
Today, retailers communicate with customers on an array of devices,
ranging from laptops to phones to TV screens, and on fragmented platforms,
including Windows, Android, Firefox and iOS. “Be prepared,” LeHégaret told the
crowd. “More fragmentation is coming.”
HTML5, which is scheduled for 2014, will make it possible to
quickly create a versatile, modern, web application that is accessible from any
browser, desktop or mobile device. It will permit high-quality graphics and
animation, automatically adapt to the user’s screen size and permit real-time
communications. It will impact applications used in automobiles, as well as
digital publishing.
Because it will
give users more control, “More security is required,” LeHégaret said.
Marshmallow
Challenge
Paper bags containing a single marshmallow, 20 sticks of dry spaghetti,
a yard of tape and a bit of string were the ingredients for a leadership / innovation
exercise led by Brian Rutter, director of Marketing for NACS.
Each table of IT professionals served as a team that had 18 minutes to construct
a freestanding spaghetti structure with the marshmallow on top.
Afterwards, Rutter explained that kindergarten students have more
success performing the exercise than recent business school graduates because
youngsters, who’ve not been taught to identify a single process, will test
different ways to achieve their goal. He
added that diverse skills on individual teams contribute to the team’s success.
Leadership and Innovation
Scott Hartman, CEO and president of Rutter’s Farm Stores, wrapped up the
general session with predictions about future technology.
When he discussed technology at the 2006 NACSTech event, there were no
iPhones or tablets. “Now we can data mine everything that happens in the store,”
he said. “I can change my digital gasoline signs from my iPhone or iPad.”
Hartman predicted that it won’t be long before drivers running low on
gas will receive a message from their autos listing gas stations in the
immediate area and providing real-time fuel prices. He demonstrated Rutter’s
mobile applications, which include a store locator featuring gas prices, store menus,
phone coupons, e-coupons and games that deliver instant prizes. “There is no
more plastic reward card,” he said. “The phone is the card.”
Soon, phones will serve as mobile payment devices for most retailers, he
predicted. “As an industry we’ve done an excellent job of keeping pace, but we
must move faster than we are,” he said. “Young people are acclimated and
trusting of the phone. These payment methods are how they will want to business
with us.”