The event, held in Sydney’s Darling Harbour between May 1 and May 3, attracted over 33,000 business owners and senior executives from Australia and abroad. This year’s expo was bigger than ever, featuring more than 700 exhibitors and an array of leading speakers.
For business owners and senior executives from the retail sector, there was an area specifically dedicated to supply chain and retail technology, featuring 26 stands and over 30 retail exhibitors with everything from the latest POS and shop floor infrastructure through to inventory management systems.
As far as hardware goes, retailers could explore the latest gadgetry including freestanding electronic kiosks, mobile wireless POS and inventory management devices, security card printers, surveillance cameras, mobile computers and telephony, people counting systems and labelling equipment.
In addition to hardware, retailers were presented with the latest software packages to enhance accounting, customer retention, inventory management, online security and to support integrated front end and back end solutions.
Also featured in the supply chain and retail technology area was the GS1 theatre, which hosted a number of speakers who shared their expertise on subjects ranging from RFID and bar-coding solutions to the uses and capabilities of mobile and handheld devices.
One of the highlights was the Metro Store Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Implementation multimedia presentation which demonstrated what the retail store of the future would look like and just how integral RFID systems will be to the future of retail.
In the store of the future, a customer swipes a card to activate an LCD screen on their shopping cart. The smart store computer remembers the customer’s name, what they usually buy and when they last bought each item. The computer will ask the customer whether they need specific items and the customer can key in a shopping list. As the computer registers each item, it tells the customer how many are left in stock, how much they will cost and if they have a use-by date. The computer also offers suggestions of new products based on the customer’s buying patterns and alerts him or her to any specials.
The computer then guides the customer around supermarket aisles to each item in real time using a GPS system. As the customer meanders around the supermarket aisles animated advertising displays intermittently pop up on the trolley’s screen. If the customer takes a bottle of wine off the shelf, the computer provides information about where the wine is produced, how old it is, and what dishes complement it well. As items are placed into the trolley the computer keeps a tally of the total price on screen.
When the customer proceeds to the exit, he or she can either walk straight through and the total is deducted off their bank account, or, they can use a self checkout, which is an automated system accepting cash payment.
Behind the scenes, counting of stock is no longer required because when new stock is brought into the store a radio signal from every item is instantly registered and quantities are updated immediately. When stock is low, staff are alerted via SMS so they can reorder. Because the RFID system generates information on both customers and stock, management can gain accurate data about who buys what products and which products move off the shelves more rapidly.
The presentation also highlighted how RFID can increase store security and reduce shrinkage and at the conclusion of this presentation, Joseli Munive, GS1 Alliances and Partnerships Manager, made the point that all of this technology is not a thing of the future, but is available now.
ARA National Membership and Marketing Director, Richard Vines also gave a presentation on the GS1 stage, speaking about concerns over merchant privacy issues. With the proliferation of RFID, as well as online and POS payment systems there has been much discussion over consumer privacy concerns. What is often not discussed are the implications these systems have on merchant privacy, because these technologies are usually linked to financial institutions which have the possibility of sharing information with other organisations. Richard addressed this concern from a retailer’s perspective and explored what rights they have in regards to privacy.
The ARA also hosted a stand which attracted much interest from retailers as well as suppliers to the retail sector.
CeBit organisers said that the event was a success with visitor numbers up ten percent from last year. Planning is already underway for CeBit 2008, with organisers planning to invest in new initiatives to give local innovators even more international exposure.
