The #finallytradefair marathon went into a new round: From 31 May to 2 June 2022, EuroCIS, the most important trade fair for retail technology in Europe, took place for the 25th time in Düsseldorf. It proved once again that the who’s who of the retail industry meets here at EuroCIS in Düsseldorf to exchange information about the latest trends and technologies and to be inspired.
After a two-year break, Messe Düsseldorf was able to build on the success story of EuroCIS. EuroCIS is the European hotspot for innovations and trend themes, especially for technology and retail. In Halls 9 and 10 of the Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre, 345 exhibitors presented their latest ideas and solutions and inspired 9,010 visitors. Whether a new digitalization strategy for direct sales, alternative options for cashless payment, or a robot designed to improve the shopping experience: There was something for every retail fan.
Insights into the trends of the future
In the past two years, due to the pandemic, there has been an enormous digitalization push in the retail industry, which has ensured that numerous important topics and technologies that were already important before have been implemented or advanced faster than expected. EuroCIS was therefore the perfect platform to find out about the latest innovations. Robotics, sensor technology, autonomous checkout and AI were at home at EuroCIS 2022 and attracted a lot of attention.
EuroCIS showed that retail will increasingly invest in high-tech in the future. Creative start-ups showed what modern IT systems and solutions can look like. Machine learning and artificial intelligence are to be used to optimize sales forecasts, assortment management and pricing in retail. The start-up Circly has addressed this issue and creates sales forecasts for production and retail at the push of a button, which significantly increases planning accuracy.
In the future, the focus should be even more on the customer and their needs, which is why retail companies are increasingly seeking close contact with them. Personalized and individualized customer services, such as digital advice assistants, digital personalized coupons or customer cards are to be offered in retail. Digital advice assistants were presented by the start-up company Animatico at EuroCIS. They revolutionize customer service through interactive and highly intelligent avatars that serve as brand ambassadors and sales assistants with real interactions. The avatars are placed on a screen and speak to the customer while they are shopping. Customers will then be accompanied by the avatars across all touchpoints, from the shop to the website and metaverse.
Food retailers can also benefit from the latest technology in the future and increase customer satisfaction. FreshIndex determines the quality and shelf life of fresh food using artificial intelligence. For retailers, this means better differentiation based on actual quality along the supply chain as well as daily quality-sensitive pricing. At the same time, it means even better food quality and less food waste. We think that’s great!
Hot Topics: Omnichannel & Sustainability in Retail
Live shopping, virtual commerce & co.: retail is becoming increasingly networked and relies more and more on virtual experiences. Omnichannel services also benefit from this. Most companies already have a clear omnichannel strategy, which is also evident from the EHI study “Connected Retail 2022”. For example, 94.5 % of those surveyed can already display the availability of stationary stock in the online shop or have this option in planning. For Ulrich Spaan, Member of the Executive Board of the EHI Retail Institute, this means “that retailers are able to combine all channels seamlessly for the customer. The most important thing is to make shopping as convenient as possible for the customer, regardless of which channel they use to buy.” To make this possible, retailers would like to offer services such as Click & Collect or a video consultation in the future.
Elke Moebius, Project Director EuroCIS, has also taken a look into the crystal ball and thinks that “[…] in the future everything will be done via smartphone or smartwatch”. However, it is also important that “we not only focus on the carbon footprint, but also on the water footprint. In the end, the carbon water footprint affects the price. And so hopefully we can save the planet.”
For more insights and statements from Ulrich Spaan and Elke Moebius on EuroCIS 2022, watch this video:
The EHI also thought about sustainability in retail together with Microsoft and presented digital solutions for sustainability management at EuroCIS. Because more and more companies in retail want to work more sustainably and become climate-neutral. This trend shows that sustainable action is extremely relevant for the profitability or securing the existence of companies. The current study “Climate Neutrality in Retail & for Other Companies”, which was conducted jointly by EHI and Microsoft, shows the status quo of climate initiatives and provides an overview of the most relevant recommendations for action.
The retail salsa Tech Talks live premiere
The retail salsa Tech Talks were particularly well received, offering a wealth of knowledge and a lot of learning and inspiration. The talk started at the end of 2020 as a virtual webtalk where retailers, suppliers and industry experts talk about unique customer journeys and use cases. This year, for the first time, the Talk took place live at the fair, with viewers able to ask questions about a product via an online tool.
The first talk was on the topic of “Automation and AI: No desire for “out of stock”? The speakers Michael Unmüßig, Senior Executive Vice President SES-imagotag & CEO of Captana GmbH, Michael Hoffmann, Managing Director DACH of RELEX Solutions, and Tom Dujardin, Owner and Director of DeDuCo International NV, focused on how to prevent empty stocks and thus increase customer satisfaction and loyalty through positive shopping experiences. There were numerous tips on what ingredients are needed for an automation recipe.
Those who got hungry for more could benefit from further secret ingredients in the talks afterwards. Among others, speakers Kevin Müller, Senior Growth Advisor at Shopreme, and Matt Redwood, Director of Retail at Diebold Nixdorf, presented so-called smart stores and told how cashierless stores can become reality with the help of sensor technologies or image recognition. Then it would be a matter of scanning the goods, paying by touch or smartphone, packing and done. Long queues, goodbye!
Top-class companies at EuroCIS 2022
The Who’s Who of the retail technology scene meets at EuroCIS. This year, 500 exhibitors from over 29 countries were on site to present their latest innovations and technologies for retail. Among others, there were.
and many more. An overview of all exhibitors can be found in the exhibitor database.
Result
EuroCIS has been a complete success! The retail sector has experienced a single digitalisation boom in recent years and has also shown this on site with unique and impressive new innovations and technologies. The audience was delighted, and the organizers were also satisfied. “EuroCIS has set a strong impulse for the industry with the trade fair events. The exhibitors are happy to have come to Düsseldorf and are actively enquiring about participation options next year, when EuroCIS will be held in rotation within EuroShop”, says Ms. Moebius.
The fact that Messe Düsseldorf is the perfect location for the largest European retail trade fair is mainly due to the fact that Düsseldorf is a successful and innovative retail location. The environment also makes it easy for start-ups to experiment, present and sell. That’s why we are already looking forward to more new ideas and innovations around retail technology and thus to the next EuroCIS in Düsseldorf. Who of you will also be there when it’s “Tomorrow is the new today!
