NRF 2023 promises to be “retail’s big show”, and – in preparation – some of the most prominent players in big tech have made exciting announcements.
Yet, it’s not only Google, Samsung, and Lenovo, as the title may suggest. Other CX stalwarts – including AWS, Fujitsu, and Kore.ai – also hit the headlines.
Taking each of these vendors into consideration, here is a rundown of the event’s most eye-catching CX news.
Google Cloud Launches Four AI-Driven Innovations
Google Cloud has released four new and updated AI technologies. These aim to transform eCommerce and in-store experiences, supposedly enabling more fluid shopping journeys.
First is a Browse AI feature, which Google has added to its Discovery AI solutions portfolio for retailers. The solution uses machine learning to place items within various categories on a retailer’s website in the optimal order, with no manual intervention required.
Next is a capability that personalizes the products presented to customers as they search the site, building on Google’s existing Retail Search solution. It does so with a “product-pattern recognizer” that analyzes customer behaviors as they navigate the site, determining tastes and preferences.
Then, there are advancements to Google Cloud’s Recommendations AI solution, which provides product suggestions to online shoppers. These include:
- Page-Level Optimization – The feature dynamically presents unique recommendation panels to individual customers.
- Revenue Optimization – Using Google’s DeepMind technology, this function makes more mature product recommendations to lift revenue per session.
- Buy It Again – This model harnesses the customer’s shopping history to further personalize buying suggestions, pushing repeat purchases.
Finally, Google released an “AI-powered” shelf-checking tool. It aims to offer brick-and-mortar stores a real-time view of on-shelf product availability.
With this, associates immediately understand where restocks are necessary.
Discussing the possible appeal of each innovation, Carrie Tharp, VP of Retail and Consumer, Google Cloud, added:
Despite uncertainty, the retail industry has enormous opportunity. The leaders of tomorrow will be those who address today’s most pressing in-store and online challenges with the newest technology tools, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning.
NRF 2023 attendees can learn more about these solutions by visiting Google’s event booth #5607.
Samsung Teams Up With Sprinklr to “Reinvent the Shopping Experience”
Samsung has announced that Sprinklr is its latest official software partner, making its social suite available as an integrated app across Samsung Hospitality Displays and SMART Signage.
The move allows Samsung customers to present content and data from 30+ social and digital channels from their commercial display products.
Also, businesses may manage this remotely and in real-time through Samsung’s service solutions.
Lastly, Samsung can now resell Sprinklr’s offerings to its customer base. These expand beyond its social suite, with Sprinklr also boasting a CCaaS solution that is gaining traction in the space.
Yet, Parrish Chapman, Director of Enterprise Retail Sales Key Accounts at Samsung Electronics America, stayed focused on how the partnership will advance in-store commerce experiences.
“Rising customer expectations are prompting retailers to rely on Samsung to create meaningful experiences… through the use of display technologies in their stores,” she said.
Our partnership with Sprinklr helps our retail customers meet this mission by consolidating social media content, promotions, and reviews that are updated in real-time while consumers are shopping.
Check out the partnership in action by visiting the Samsung (#3657) and Sprinklr (#4061) booths at NRF 2023.
Lenovo Connects the In-Store and Digital Experiences
In anticipation of NRF 2023, Lenovo has launched new AI, infrastructure, and digital storefront solutions to connect the commerce experience.
Perhaps the most eye-catching is its expanded retail analytics portfolio. It ingests data across various customer and employee touchpoints to lower costs, isolate opportunities, and improve CX in-store and online.
Lenovo is also developing new virtual commerce solutions for the metaverse that integrate with digital services and store operations – which it recently discussed with XR Today.
Within retail, it seems to sense a particularly pertinent opportunity for these technologies.
As Lawrence Yu, General Manager at Lenovo Retail Solutions, said: “With the retail landscape evolving, success means innovating with new technology to enhance the customer experience.”
From the checkout lanes to the sales floor, and all the way to the backend systems, Lenovo’s goal is to provide retailers with technologies and solutions that address their pain points.
NRF 2023 attendees can stop by Lenovo’s event booth #3665 to learn more about its latest solutions.
Other Eye-Catching Announcements from NRF 2023
Many more high-profile CX vendors have made exciting announcements in the run-up to NRF 2023, including AWS, Fujitsu, and Kore.ai.
Starting with the biggest of the bunch, AWS has made ZineOne’s real-time marketing platform available on its marketplace. The solution combines multiple data sources to serve up relevant information to customers during online commerce experiences, keeping them engaged.
Next up, Fujitsu has unveiled U-SCAN Venture, a new self-checkout solution built on top of its Fujitsu Cash Automated Solution to speed up checkout experiences.
Finally, Kore.AI – an enterprise conversational AI market leader, according to the Gartner Magic Quadrant – teased the launch of RetailAssist. The virtual assistant aims to better personalize automated self-service conversations across numerous channels.
Discover more about this particular announcement by reading our article: Kore.ai to Showcase RetailAssist at NRF 2023
