Technology change for shoppers may be rapid
The Arizona Daily Star
Published: 04.11.2008
By Christie Smythe
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
For those who are still baffled by self-checkout lanes, be prepared.
More new technologies are likely on the way for
retail stores, speakers said Thursday at this
year's Global Retailing Conference, held by the
University of Arizona's Terry J. Lundgren Center
for Retailing. About 250 retail insiders and
students are attending the two-day event, held
at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort Thursday and today.
On the horizon for major retailers, according to
the speakers, are technologies that allow
transactions to be made using cell phones or by
sliding a palm over a scanner; shopping carts
that can add up totals for items and send that
information to a cash register; and "smart tags"
that allow consumers to find detailed
information by scanning the tags with a cell phone or other hand-held devices.
"The pace of change is very, very fast," Jan de
Jong, worldwide industry solutions manager for
Microsoft Corp., said about technological innovations in retail.
"Consumers are used to technology and will
expect it from retailers," de Jong said.
Marketing strategies are also increasingly
relying on the Web, said John McAteer, vertical
director for retail at Google Inc. In his
presentation, McAteer focused on the potential
power of YouTubein marketing campaigns. Typical
consumers spend about as much time in front of
their computers as they do watching TV, he said.
"If you're looking to spend your media dollars,
clearly it should be where the consumers are: online," he said.
Along with Google and Microsoft, other
technology-related companies that are either
speaking at or sponsoring the conference include
business technology firms Inovis and SAP, and online shoe retailer Zappos.com.
In an interview, retailing center Director
Melinda Burke said the conference organizers
wanted to "assemble retail leaders that are guiding the future."
Some new in-store technologies, such as
cell-phone purchasing and digitized carts,
already being used in places including Japan and
Germany, de Jong said. Other technological
innovations already being used on a limited
basis are marketing via cell phone and online customer-service chats, he said.
Speaking in a prerecorded video presentation,
Microsoft France executive Christophe Heurtevent
said new the new technologies can help retailers
save money and improve experiences for
customers, provided the technologies are simple enough for consumers to use.
"It has to be smoothly integrated rather than imposed," he added.
Sabrina Helm, a University of Arizona retail
professor who attended the event, said she is
interested in technological innovations in
retail but isn't sure about the "technological readiness of consumers."
"We are focusing on a consumer group that is
already tech-ready," she said, referring to
younger, tech-savvy generations. "But that's not
everybody, and not necessarily where the money is coming from."
Regardless of technological changes, many
consumers still value human interactions, she
said, praising Zappos.com for providing that in an e-commerce business.
Zappos.com CEO Tony Hsieh said in a presentation
that he wanted his company to have "the very
best customer service." The company
indoctrinates all employees, including
call-center workers and software engineers, in a
customer-service-oriented culture, he said. The
company also provides added perks for consumers
such as "surprise" overnight shipping upgrades.
"That creates a wow experience for the customer
and causes them to remember that and causes them
to tell all their customers about it," he said.
Contact reporter Christie Smythe at 434-4083 or csmythe@azstarnet.com.
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