Blog | Refections on the Retail Technology Show

Last week we took a suite of Scala solutions to Olympia London for the Retail Technology Show. The response was tremendous. Retailers of all types visited the stand to explore Scala technology, find out more of what we do, share their experience of the last two years, as well as their hopes for the future.

To those that visited the Scala booth, thank you. I don’t think I’ll be able to fully express just how buoyed your presence, your questions and your enthusiastic responses left me. There was a real buzz at Olympia. A feeling that business is back, along with a strong sense of what brands feel is business-critical, and what they want to achieve with their in-store experperince.

There was also a real appreciation of the challenges ahead. The UK rise in the cost of living is likely to impact most, if not all, of the brands that visited us, as their customers become more price conscious. Other issues — stresses on the global supply chain, the introduction of new display legislation in the UK, and the ever-present competition between brands and sometimes even channels within a brand — means that when looking to invest in a digital solution, retailers were keen to find tools allowed for effective yet economic communication with customers. As the marketplace changes, retailers know that their solutions have to be flexible enough to change messaging as needed, in order to communicate with customers accurately and make the most of trends.

As important as it is to talk to customers, brands know that it is crucial to listen and get feedback. Scala technology provides customer analytics opportunities available across every solution and digital signage installation. This means that brands have access to the data that they need to hone their own business operations, marketing campaigns or to perhaps show value to a third-party promotional partner.

The stars of the show were the Lift and Learn with ASK (Assisted Selling Kiosk) solution and our modernized gondola display. The shelf edge signage in both solutions was admired by visitors for its versatility and ability to be easily incorporated into existing shelving. What I found most encouraging was the way in which those that came to our booth were playing with the technology. Visitors were chatting with colleagues about the way in which the solution could serve particular products or promotional campaigns. It really was inspiring to see and a tonic following two years of postponed plans and general uncertainty.

If you didn’t manage to make it to the Retail Technology Show, there are more opportunities to see Scala solutions in action at ISE in Barcelona next week and EuroCIS at the end of the month. We’ll also be at InfoComm June 8-10. If getting to any of those is tricky, then get in touch and we can set up a meeting or send you some videos and information of what we have been sharing.