opinion
With retail transforming at a rapid pace,
it’s not terribly surprising that the year
has flown by. The industry has witnessed
some undeniably innovative changes –
checkout-free convenience stores, an
embrace of self-service kiosks in the
quick service restaurant (QSR) and fast
casual industries, and augmented reality
playing a larger role in personalising the
customer experience. On the flip side,
we’ve also bid farewell to some traditional
retailers that sadly couldn’t keep stride
with their more inventive competitors.
All in all, though, 2018 really shone
a spotlight on the winners of the bricks
and mortar sector of retail – those willing
to regroup, reinvent, and re-establish
a presence in their various verticals.
I sat down with my Frank Mayer and
Associates, Inc. colleagues to get their
unique perspectives on the point of sale
and retail industries in 2018.
How would you sum up the
last year in the point of sale
industry?
1
Mike Mayer,
President
MM: Still solid. Bricks
and mortar retail
remains strong but will
need to continue
striving to provide a positive and exciting
experience to attract customers. Then
the retailers need to continue to change
to keep them coming back.
David Anzia, Senior
Vice President of
Sales
DA: There appear to
be more category-
managed
merchandising and displays. It’s about
streamlining the shopper experience and
removing competing graphics, colours,
and messaging. I’m also seeing more
measured, ROI-based models for all
displays. Because brands tend to have a
smaller inventory on the product shelves
these days, ROI is tested even more in
regard to how quickly the product
sell-through takes place.
Cheryl Lesniak,
Integrated
Marketing Manager
CL: It’s been quite
the shake-up in retail
this past year. Those
retailers who are willing to embrace
technology to provide a customised
consumer experience are proving why
bricks and mortar stores are still integral
in the shopping experience.
Joe Holley, Vice
President of
Business
Development
JH: OEMs and
retailers have had
a challenge this year. I’ve noticed in
client meetings that many are trying to
reinvent themselves to combat online
ordering and home delivery as well as
separate themselves from the rest of
the competition. They’ve had to really
examine brand equity issues with buying
groups. How they shop and how quickly
they want items has an impact.
Ryan Lepianka,
Creative Director
RL: It appears the
‘pie’ is redistributing
with less market
share being used at
major department store chains, and
more warehouse outlets relying heavily
on point of sale to tell a product’s story
in the absence of sales associates. In
some retail stores, the level of style and
experience in POS has increased, with
brands at these outlets focusing their
spending on portraying a showroom
appearance. After all, while customers
may end up making their purchases
online, a great display can still help
purchasers make a brand decision as
people feel better about purchasing
something they’ve seen and touched
under favourable circumstances and not
just only viewed on their phones.
2
What changes or trends did
you see emerge in 2018?
DA: A trend toward more category-
managed displays, as well as the use
of more semi-permanent materials on
permanent displays to reduce overall
costs.
JH: I saw a lot of retailers take a step
toward ‘pick up in store’ capabilities.
It seems to help them minimise some
inventories and offers more products
that don’t need SKUs out on the floor. It
ends up being a win for the customers
as well when they don’t need to pay for
freight to the store.
CL: We’re seeing multiple e-commerce
sites branch into the bricks and
mortar sector, but with non-traditional
marketing and customer service plans.
RL: In 2018, I saw better looking,
more dramatic, bigger, bolder, more
innovative, higher-quality displays in
focused retailers.
Was there anything that you
thought would be big, but
ended up being less impactful?
3
MM: With so much buzz around
self-service kiosks, I expected greater
implementation of order entry kiosks
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