IRCE 2015: In Case You Missed It

This was our eighth year participating at IRCE and being an integral part of the conversation in terms of addressing the future opportunities and challenges for retailers. IRCE always provides us with a unique platform to network with retail professionals from across the world─one on one─to discuss how technology can not only help them perform their jobs better, but also contribute to their companies profitability.

While interest in geolocation technology has been steadily increasing since our first appearance at IRCE, this year represented a significant shift in perspective in terms of retailers’ understanding and appreciation for the multiple applications the technology offers along with the value it can bring. From large international retailers, to multi-platform payment providers, to worldwide shipping companies, so many attendees proactively sought us out to discuss how IP Intelligence and geolocation technology could quickly, easily and cost-effectively be incorporated into their retail operations.

Among the challenges many of the attendees we met with were looking to address:

• Improving the online customer experience by truly engaging website visitors on that “first touch” without asking them to take some type of action (i.e. asking for location, device, etc.);
• Adding fraud-preventions tools that validate online customers and transactions while working invisibly across multiple screens and without interfering with the online experience;
• Making the check-out process more efficient by automatically estimating shipping costs or determining whether products can be shipped to customers in the first place; and
• Localizing content and inventory to show the nearest location of area retail stores that may carry the products a customer is seeking.

While there were still oh-so-many discussions around mobile as well as when and how the Internet of Things (IoT) would truly impact retailers, we found a recurring theme in almost every one of our meetings: Creating an excellent customer experience that is seamless and consistent regardless of channel or device.

In the coming months, we look forward to helping retailers develop the necessary strategies and tactics to create that experience for their customers, so they are prepared for the holiday season that is─yes─just around the corner. And, we look to IRCE 2016, back in Chicago again, where we’ll be excited to part of the dynamic discussion for all things retail.