By: Michael Oakley
Often, I find myself feeling envious of friends working in other fields– doctors, the police force, carpenters and electricians. I used to think “I work in retail… How boring”. However, that perspective changed in June when I was fortunate enough to attend the NRF’s inaugural Retail’s Big Show in Singapore as part of my role at Strikeforce.
Three days of witnessing the technology already in use by retailers in the region is enough to blow your mind, not to mention seeing and experiencing the innovations just around the corner. Any thoughts of outdated retail vanished as I lined up to secure my prepaid pass at the registration desk. There was a buzz in the air – though it might have been the air conditioning, given Singapore’s steamy climate.
Each of the three days was packed full of impressive presentations across various rooms. Hard to pick a favourite but based on the volume of notes I took, Christopher Thomas Moore (CTM to his friends) from Domino’s was a highlight. He discussed the journey they have been on utilising technology that is relevant to their customers, from pioneering online order tracking to ordering pizza with emojis and autonomous delivery anywhere. CTM also outlined the Key Tenets Domino’s utilise – 1. Embrace Revolution, 2. Practice Uncommon Honesty, 3. Define Your Why, 4. Take Bold Action, 5. Challenge Everything, 6. Get Innovation-Ready, 7. Innovation is advertising. Everything CTM spoke about was focused on finding value for the customer – not just innovation for innovations sake. Great advice.
Another contender for favourite presentation was Danni Peirce, CEO at DF Retail Group’s 7 Eleven business. They have stores in Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau and parts of southern China, it was fascinating to hear how food on-the-go is a major focus for them and consumer-centric technological advances are making an impact. Innovations such as, paying at the register with your palm, drone deliveries and a digital first coalition program that gives members value across all DF’s wider businesses. For instance, about 70% of people in Hong Kong are active users of the app! Mind blown. Danni also spoke about the need to drive sales out of tiny spaces by building store specific planograms – which aligns perfectly with my expertise being a space planner myself. The keys to ensuring 7-eleven will win include embracing a culture of innovation, having a process around innovation and analysing results even in the face of failure. Strong architecture underpinning all this is essential to integrating the right mix of innovation into the business.
In addition to the excellent presentations, the massive expo hall featured a diverse range of vendors, from small startups to large companies and everything in between. I had the chance to reconnect with some long-term partners like Daniel Kohut, Christo Greyling and Colin Trainor from Blue Yonder. The investment BY is making in research and development is astronomical and the new solutions on display will no doubt mean BY is positioned beautifully to support the growing need for AI and ML in the supply chain. The team at Vusion Group were incredibly busy throughout all three days – I wanted to catch up with Hiva Hoss, Country Manager for ANZ, however, every time I had the chance he was surrounded by people eager to talk, – he must have been exhausted. Vusion Group clearly have exceptional capabilities when it comes to Electronic Shelf Edge Labels and seeing what is in their pipeline would have given all 7000 attendees something to think about.
Outcome of a near end of Financial Year trip to Singapore? A mind full of possibilities and a renewed commitment to ensuring Strikeforce remain at the forefront of technological advances. I also returned with a fresh enthusiasm for retail and a strong connection to the exciting tech innovations that come with NRF Singapore, they will be back next year – make sure you get there! Its brilliant. Wear some comfortable shoes – there is a tonne of walking involved!