NRF is a great way to start a year and sniff the winds of the market. Some 2,600 brands with feet on the aisles manifest how the National Retail Federation’s Big Show is the most comprehensive and exhaustive retail technology show on the planet. Read more to find out what I picked up at the show.

Grand themes of RAIN RFID

In a couple of previous years, the buzzwords at the show were AI, omni-channel sales, and loss prevention. AI and loss prevention were still present this year among myriad platforms and analytics. Looking at the demos and displays through the lens of RAIN RFID, I will point out two themes:

Easiness: For a store owner, setting up this unmanned retail solution is super easy. The construction has wheels underneath, so simply push it to its place and take up the wheels. Then plug in the wall socket, and basically, you’re done. No lifts, no wiring, no cameras, nothing. As a customer, tap your credit card as you approach the turnstile, wait for a green color to flash, and through you go – no bins, touch screens, nothing. Just walk out.

Increasing integration: RAIN is embedded in garments, packaging, smart devices, store shelves, and various business platforms. RAIN is the invisible backbone of supply chain management in various industries.

RAIN adoption in various industries

RAIN RFID has matured to a state where the functionality of the technology including the nuts and bolts are non-issues. Even better, high inventory accuracy is a core requirement for any modern retail operation – or is it?

General merchandise leads the way, but the food sector is only taking the first steps along its RAIN journey. Much education and research are still needed to understand whether traceability is needed at the item level and how RAIN labeling will be practically deployed in production processes. Also, the label products are likely to need design modifications—both in terms of materials and application processes and driving down the cost.

Chickens and Eggs coming up

Embedded tagging was present in some way or form practically at all the RAIN RFID tag provider booths on the show. This means that households will soon be filling up with tagged products.

The other side is the sleek RAIN-enabled smartphones that were on display at several booths. Yes, the first wave of products is targeted at enterprise customers, and yes, there were no RAIN-enabled iPhones yet, but the flight trajectory is correct.

Putting these two factors together, RAIN readers and tags will soon be everywhere. This underlines how the chicken-and-egg problem that our industry has long fought is finally solved.

Retailer’s pain

The variety of suggestions is huge—reimagine, transform, re-invent, revolutionize—as is the variety of data sources. Numerous platforms can pull that data in, aggregate it, and deliver analytics, metrics, etc., in real-time. All this is an integral part of modern retail, and, in theory, making decisions and driving profits up has never been easier.

However, where should we focus, and what decisions should we make next? To me, the exhibition didn’t actually give that direction unless it was to invest in AI and hope for the best.

Circularity is not so much

Efficient supply chains and seamless purchase experiences encourage Americans to buy more and more. It is no wonder that circularity was not a discussion point, at least on the show floor level.

It is likely that the local legislation in the USA will not drive the retail sector to seek circularity in the short term, but perhaps the emerging new business models will. I restate my forecast that sustainability will hit NRF soon—it makes such an excellent buzzword for the next generation of consumers.