The countdown for EuroCis 2024 has just begun. Only four months to go until the largest European trade fair for retail technology starts!

Already four months before the doors of Messe Düsseldorf are open, the number of exhibitors or the area of booked square meters in relation to the 2022 event have far exceeded!

The HOT TOPICS at EuroCis 2024, titled “Go beyond today”, are:

AI & Machine Learning: The use of artificial intelligence and machine learning is one of the most important technological challenges for many retail companies in the coming years. Particularly data analytics, AI already plays a major role, helping retailers with sales forecasting, assortment management and pricing. In the future, retailers will rely even more on AI-based applications, which will then also use technologies such as image recognition and sensor technology. As digital pricing expands, dynamic pricing, long common in online retail, will become more important.

Connected Retail: The fusion of online and offline retailing, often referred to as omnichannel, is booming. Click & Collect services have become the norm for many consumers, and other services such as Click & Reserve are also becoming increasingly popular. Many retailers have also merged their loyalty systems from the online and offline worlds, giving customers a 360-degree view of the purchases, they have made. In the future, it will be more essential than ever for every retailer to seamlessly connect digital and brick-and-mortar sales channels.

Customer Centricity: Many retailers are seeking ever closer direct contact with end consumers in order to offer them personalized and individualized digital customer services. Customers’ smartphones play a major role in this context. Keywords are the digital consulting assistant, personalized online offers based on the individual customer profile, the playout of digital individualized coupons, digital customer cards, etc. The key for many retailers is fundamentally to be in direct contact with the end consumer. For many retailers, it is crucial that digital services are designed with the customer in mind.

Payment: The Corona pandemic has permanently changed consumers’ payment behavior and caused a boom in contactless payment methods. Apple Pay, Google Wallets, etc. are now increasingly being used to pay by smartphone. In the coming years, the touchpoints at which customers pay in stationary retail will move further away from the traditional checkout environment. Scan & Go solutions enable payment via smartphone app, mobile checkout solutions allow payment via tablet or smartphone with staff on the store floor. The merging of payment channels from the online and offline worlds will also increase, so that online payment methods can be used in stationary locations.

Seamless Store: Since the launch of AmazonGo, a wide variety of automated store concepts have developed in which the stationary shopping process is largely digitized. Food and convenience retailers in particular will continue to invest in the further development of such “cashierless” formats in the coming years. This will involve various forms, from Scan & Go and Tap & Go to the use of sensor technology and image recognition. Implementing a seamless store strategy often requires extensive investment in the technological infrastructure. In this context, cloud-based applications also play a major role, as they enable flexible and rapidly scalable implementation of innovative applications.

Smart Energy Management: Smart energy management is becoming increasingly important for retailers, especially in light of rising energy costs. Whether lighting, cooling, ventilation, heating or building management in retail – all these functions contribute to high energy consumption, which must be minimized. However, this requires a well-developed strategy and appropriate tools with which to monitor energy consumption. Only then can appropriate measures be implemented to reduce energy and save operating costs.

EuroCIS Specials 2024 – Stages, Start-up Hub and much more

EuroCIS 2024 will offer a diverse program – both face to face and digital. Insights and trends are provided by three Stages, specializing in technology, connected retail and start-ups. Top speakers will report on exciting cases and news in their field. The fourth edition of the popular Start-Up Hub will offer the opportunity to establish business contacts with promising newcomers.

Once again this year the EHI Retail Institute will be awarding prizes for outstanding use cases: the retail technology awards europe (reta) and the Science Award.
Guided Innovation Tours give visitors the opportunity to meet high potentials and innovations.

For more information, please follow this link.