Each year at NRF: Retail’s Big Show in New York City, retailers get a glimpse of the all the shiny, new technologies designed to engage customers, boost store associate performance and improve operations. On Jan. 14-16, 2018, SATO Global Solutions (SGS) (NRF booth #4263), a wholly-owned subsidiary of SATO Holdings, will showcase its IoT, RFID, inventory visibility and related store performance solutions that allow retailers to bring the best parts of the digital shopping experience into the physical store.

IoT in Retail Bridges the Digital Divide
A recent Retail Systems Research study found that 70 percent of retailers surveyed felt that IoT would drastically change the way they do business. By working with retailers, SGS is deploying uses cases showing the possibilities of IoT in the store. By creating a digital mesh within the store using connected devices – such as RFID labels, beacons and sensors, digital displays, scanners and printers – retailers can re-imagine how shoppers interact with stores. They can empower store associates to provide high-touch service, and enable the store itself to encourage shopper and associate behaviors that drive sales.

IoT has been pegged as complex, cumbersome and expensive, requiring just the right mix of hardware, software and networks. In fact, SGS will show how IoT can be deployed in stages, using small successes to lead into larger deployments. SGS facilitates IoT adoption by creating connection points between inventory, store associates and shoppers that haven’t existed before now. These connection points offer a window into behavior, response options and actionable data, all integrated to provide a frictionless retail experience.

RFID Drives Inventory Visibility and Shopper Engagement
Today’s low chip prices and significant benefits have made RFID the clear choice for retail brands that want to attract millennials and digital natives. Inexpensive RFID tags on apparel, combined with a network of sensors, can identify location data on merchandise. This allows the network to share real-time, accurate location and status information about every item of tagged inventory with store associates – including purchased items, inventory currently in fitting rooms, misplaced items, or alerts that a store display is low or empty.

Shoppers also benefit from RFID labeling. Once in a fitting room, RFID tags can automatically populate digital displays showing complementary products, sale items or even historical purchases (tied to shopper loyalty data). Just like shopping online, customers can get personalized recommendations, creating opportunities for upselling and building loyalty.

SGS Brings the VISION
The SGS VISION Retail platform seamlessly connects all IoT inputs to continuously gather data and serve up actionable insights, whether to customers or store associates. The platform is designed to be expandable, sustainable and scalable, simplifying digital implementation and creating a foundation for future IoT growth. The net result of this strategy is a “smart” store that improves the in-store experience for all stakeholders, shoppers, store associates, managers and even supply chain partners.

SGS can also be found at NRF 2018: Retail’s Big Show in the Cisco (#2052) and RetailNext (#3165) booths.

About SATO Global Solutions
Fort Lauderdale-based SATO Global Solutions (SGS) is a subsidiary of SATO Holdings (TSE: 6287), a Tokyo-based pioneer and global leader in auto-ID solutions. Founded in 1940, SATO Holdings has offices in more than 25 countries and revenue exceeding US$900 million. As a key channel for the expansion of SATO technology developments, SGS develops and deploys comprehensive IoT solutions to unleash the power of information. By integrating technologies, hardware and applications, SGS helps turn raw data into meaningful and actionable insights, enabling businesses to make data-driven decisions that improve visibility and profitability. For information, visit satoworldwide.com and satoglobalsolutions.com.