Everything. Everywhere. All of the time.
The National Retail Federation held “Retail’s Big Show” at the Javits Center in New York City from January 14th to 27th, 2023, and Auto-Star was excited to once again be a part of it. The Big Show plays host to more than 950 exhibitors over 300,000 square feet of Expo Space, presenting the latest in retail technology for the thousands of retail executives in attendance. The National Retail Federation curates over 100 sessions designed to push retail forward and help retailers leverage solutions designed to accelerate their businesses and meet their goals.
The 2023 edition of the Big Show highlighted the huge leap that retail technology providers have taken over the last few years. Challenged by the pandemic, supply chain, and staffing issues, retailers have invested heavily in new technology that was only a proof of concept just a few short years ago. Now, these solutions are proven and ready for prime time, with large and small retailers alike realizing the benefits of investing in new technology. In years past, the floor would be buzzing with catchphrases like “omni-channel” and “frictionless,” but this year, they have melded together and can be best summarized as everything, everywhere, all of the time. Hardware, software, services, online, in-store, and on the move are expected to be supported by smart platforms that seamlessly synchronize data and customers’ experiences wherever and whenever customers interact with your business. Auto-Star and our partners embraced this challenge with a number of innovative solutions.
Star-Plus Quick Scan Self-Checkout with HP
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We were excited to present our quick scan retail self-checkout and price checker solution on the all-new HP Engage Express platform. Retailers can leverage HP’s retail engage platform across many touchpoints, making it easy to implement, easy to manage, secure, and maintain. Leveraging the affordable, easy-to-use, Star-Plus self-checkout, we presented our solutions to retailers of all sizes from around the world. The combination of simplicity, flexibility, and affordability made for a compelling solution that had the HP booth buzzing with the opportunities our joint solution can enable for progressive retailers. |
| Auto-Star partners were also busy at NRF, with many of our key industry partners presenting solutions designed to help retailers grow.
Datalogic a leader in AIDC, presented the next-generation Magellan 9600i and 9900i scanner scales. Listening to Auto-Star grocery customers, Datalogic has embedded computer vision and artificial intelligence into their scanner scales to speed up the checkout, reduce errors and improve loss prevention. This is in addition to the next-generation rugged devices that our merchants have come to depend on. |
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Another popular solution at NRF Big Show 2023 was electronic shelf labels (ESL), with many companies expanding their presence and presenting updated solutions. We were very impressed by what SES-imagotag had to offer, and it was clear that retailers were excited about their next-generation ESL solution. We all know retailers are challenged by staff shortages and increasing costs that have made managing shelf labels and signage more difficult and costly. This is why we’re excited that Star-Plus will be integrating with Electronic Shelf Labels soon, enabling our retailers to save time and money while better responding to fluctuating prices and timeline market demands.
Auto-Star has recently become part of the Toshiba Together Commerce Alliance program as we work to certify our Star-Plus solutions on the next-gen retail-hardened equipment that they offer. We’re excited about the possibilities that the Pro-X Hybrid Kiosk can offer our merchants when paired with our easy-to-use food, drug, and retail self-checkout solutions. The swivel base enables the system to quickly switch from an attended POS to self-checkout and back again. This helps retailers have more flexibility in their staffing and floor space.
Toshiba was also presenting facial recognition technology developed by PopID to bring a new level of biometrics to their POS and self-service solution. Using artificial intelligence (AI)-based facial recognition software, they can authenticate staff or consumers identification which is great for loyalty, age verification, access control, and even payments.
Many of these technologies have been brewing for a long time. The National Retail Federation Big Show has demonstrated that the industry is ready to meet the retail challenges we currently face. The everything, everywhere, all the time concept is not going anywhere as retailers continue to partner with leading software development companies to find solutions for an increasingly demanding consumer. From attended point of sale to self-checkout, to omnichannel back office retail and inventory management, to mobile, delivery, ecommerce, and payments, Auto-Star has the solutions that will enable retailers to succeed today and in the future.
