DALLAS – Technology innovation, standards and future
opportunities were major topics on the opening day of The Tech Event at the
Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas.
Henry Armour, NACS president and CEO, welcomed participants and
applauded the gathering as an opportunity to “explore technology solutions to
deliver 21st century convenience to customers.”
Michael Davis, NACS vice president of member services and
program emcee, noted that the convenience and fuel retailing industry now
includes more than 149,000 outlets that conduct 160 million transactions a day.
Because convenience retailing is growing, breaking the $700 billion sales mark
in 2012, “We’re no longer order takers,” he said to the IT professionals. “Our
focus needs to be on innovation and creating innovators in our profession.”
Innovation is about “people, processes and the ability to
deliver,” Davis said. “Ideas do you no good if you can’t make them happen.”
Think Small, Win Big
J. Walker Smith, a writer, blogger and analyst with The
Futures Company, advised the crowd to be innovative in ways that best serve the
consumer and create business opportunities for their respective organizations.
Most people think of innovation is the invention of the
tablet or iPhone, he said. But “Think small to win big. Real opportunities are
the small things we can do to satisfy customers and drive innovation in the
marketplace. That’s where you’ll get the biggest return.”
According to research, the amount of information that
consumers process today has tripled since 1980. Because they’re overloaded,
consumers want “head space” or freedom from excess data. “Consumers want
simplification and control,” Smith said. “Deliver better, not just more.
Innovation opportunities will be driven by something better, not more.”
He recommended that retailers make each store experience
more enjoyable and give shoppers a chance to develop relationships with people,
not brands. “We’ve got to deliver social currency,” he noted.
Technology’s Future
Evan Schuman, technology journalist and editor of
StorefrontBacktalk.com, discussed the changing habits of consumers, including
their tendency to go “showrooming.” This means they find the product they want
online, but then drive to a bricks-and-mortar location to see and touch the
merchandise. Even though the online item may be only 10% or 15% less than the
in-store price, many shoppers will order online and wait for a shipment instead
of buying it at the store.
When this occurs, Schuman dubs the store “a bad customer
service environment. They aren’t delivering what the customer wants.”
In addition to discussing security issues and customer
relationship management, Schuman gave an update on mobile data technology and
the problems some retailers have encountered when introducing mobile programs.
“If you’re going to launch a [mobile] program,” he said.
“Tell your store managers.”
High Standards
Bob Johnson, president of The Pinnacle Corporation, reviewed
the success of NACS and PCATS at establishing
technology standards for the industry.
“Standards foster innovation and document best practices,”
he told the audience. “They make sense when they can lower costs, improve
efficiencies or increase revenues. When you’ve established standards, you have
more time and money to spend on innovation.”
He added that standards should be driven by retailers, not
suppliers, and said the next frontier would be mobile technology.
The afternoon concluded with a humorous presentation by Greg
Schwem, who shared his zany take on technology and life in the workplace.
Schwem is the author of Text Me if You’re
Breathing. “I’m trying to stay ahead of my kids,” he said.