ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Thousands of NACS Show 2006 attendees used hand-held scanners in the Cool New Products Preview Room to scan their top product choices and receive a comprehensive print-out of where to locate those selected products on the Show floor. Over the course of four days, a cumulative 17,701 new products were scanned; the overall top 10 scans from the NACS Show 2006 were:
- Norwegian Jakes Lunch Boxes (Norwegian Jakes)
- Ready to Go Snacks (Ready Pac)
- ItzaGasCan (Delta Marketing Inc.)
- Produce Foam Basket (JSI Store Fixtures Inc.)
- Wrigley's Altoids Dark Chocolate Dipped Mints (Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co.)
- Gas Station TV (Gas Station TV dba GSTV)
- E6-MU Espresso/Cappuccino Machine (Schaerer USA Corp.)
- Chiquita To Go (Chiquita Fresh North America LLP)
- Sour Wave Juice Drink (joint venture between American Beverage Corp. and Innovative Candy Concepts)
- Tea/Non-carbonated Drink Dispenser (Leramo Coffee Corp.)
The hand-held scanners also developed reports listing each day's top 10 scans. The overall top scanned item, Norwegian Jakes Lunch Boxes (Norwegian Jakes), was the top item scanned on October 9, 10 and 11. On October 8, the top scanned item was Produce Foam Basket (JSI Store Fixtures Inc.).
The Cool New Products Preview Room included products for resale, floor and counter-top displays, shelving, technology and other types of services and equipment. For the first day and a half of the NACS Show 2006, retailers, wholesalers and distributors had exclusive access to the area where they were able to see new products even before the expo floor officially opened. The scanning devices allowed them to capture company and product information, booth location and the product's release date into the convenience channel, which was delivered to users in a customized report.
"The Cool New Products Preview Room was the place to see the latest trends for the industry. It was very convenient because all of the new products were in one central location, and the scanners made it easy for me to capture product information and develop a roadmap to the expo floor to find and make the right connections with exhibitors," says Kevin Schmuckal, vice president of retail operations with Schmuckal Oil Company (Traverse City, MI).
"Over the past few years, the Cool New Products Preview Room has become the ultimate destination to discover all that is new for the industry. Retailers once again used the room to get a jump start on which suppliers they planned to see and connect with on the expo floor – as well as after the Show," notes NACS Director of Event Marketing and Communications Stephanie Robert.
The NACS Show 2007 will take place November 6 to 9 in Atlanta, Georgia.