There are many things you can predict in life and Wipro Digital’s yearly presence at NRF is one of them. “Retail’s BIG Show” is NRF’s flagship event held for three days annually in New York City. This year saw more technologies, solutions, and attendees than ever – with over 35,000 industry professionals present!
Key themes addressed during the event were industry hot topics we saw throughout 2016:
- User Experience
- Maximising Value
- Operational Efficiencies
All of these were wrapped up into Wipro’s must-see solutions in our booth, ranging from retail analytics to augmented reality. We showcased how we could help solve business problems by unifying digital journeys and offering personalization through our theme “Creating MEaningful Experiences.”
Digital transformation and optimisation services
We also showcased our optimisation services and the benefits they can bring to the many retailers who visited the stand. Wipro Digital has a specialist optimisation capability, and we believe areas of business should always be in an experimental mode to be able to innovate at pace and bring value to their customers, thus increasing their loyalty and revenue.
Digital transformation continues to be a hot topic and this was very evident at NRF 2017. However, many still misunderstand what digital transformation actually is. It’s not only about complete disruption or large-scale changes: it’s about running multiple projects and changes that individually improve the current state, and collectively align to bring about dramatic change. Brian Solis, a well-known thought leader on digital transformation, describes it as:
“the realignment of, or new investment in, technology and business models to more effectively engage digital customers at every touch point in the customer experience lifecycle.”
Wipro Digital’s optimisation approach brings those marginal gains as well as step change wins through lab environments. The labs are run with a multi-skilled team of specialists ranging from ecommerce experts, strategists to designers and developers, all contributing to the goal of constant iteration for improvement.
So, with this approach in mind, to be able to iterate and experiment at pace, I found myself spending most time in the lower floor of NRF speaking with some of the lesser-known exhibitors these were mainly smaller businesses looking to showcase their new technologies or services. Some I found to be very interesting and I’ll be following up with to see where partnering opportunities may arise, so watch this space.
If you haven’t been to NRF’s Big Show and you’re in retail, you’re missing out! I thoroughly recommend it as a source of inspiration, knowledge and guidance.