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* As an update, here is a video giving a brief overview of the in store manager/associate application for the iPad.

Imagine walking into a store and being able to locate precisely where a specific product, sales associate, or manager is right from your Smartphone!   As you move through the store to that location, and/or when you pass by other departments you can get alerts to special offers, so you never miss out on a good deal again!

The retail industry is seeing a major transformation driven by technology. Today online retailers streamline supply chains for same day delivery in major markets, traditional brick and mortar retailers are introducing new in-store shopping concepts, and customers demand simple and secure payment options. Mobility is playing a major role in this transformation. It is already dramatically changing the relationship between retailers and their customers. According to a recent survey over 65% of respondents say they have used their smart phone to aid in the shopping experience, and 44% of them stated they had visited a retailer’s website on the device while they were in the store. Customers are accessing product information and price shopping in real time right in stores whether retailers facilitate that mobile experience or not. But it is not just customers; we have found that many retail employees are using that same approach to assist customers in the store.

As mobile devices blur the lines between online and in store shopping it will be possible to leverage in store technologies to track shopper buying habits, preferences, and behaviors all in real time. The relationship between the retailer and the customer will become much more individualized and consultative, enabling even high volume commodity based merchants to interact with shoppers in a very intimate way only available in appointment based sales today. The retailers who understand these principles and can leverage technology to reach their customers in a relevant, precise and timely manner will lead the market.

To this end, SAP the leader in business applications and Cisco the leader in enterprise Wi-Fi technologies are working together to enable their retail customers. By combining the power of SAP’s HANA platform, Precision Retailing Engine, and mCommerce solutions with Cisco’s Mobility Services Engine (MSE) and networking hardware the two companies together offer transformative cloud based mobile solutions for retail unparalleled in the market today. Each of these technologies plays a key role in providing access to customer insight including likes, dislikes, behaviour, and location all in real time. It also provides the opportunity for personal interactions directly with the consumer which allow the retailer to develop brand awareness, and affinity like never before.

SAP’s HANA Platform serves as the back end for big data processing and allows for instantaneous access and analysis of vast volumes of data.

SAP’s Precision Retailing Engine (SPR) delivers personalized offers and suggestions in real time to consumers providing the ability to influence their behavior at the moment of decision.

SAP’s mCommerce solutions provide the ability to tie in loyalty programs and mobile payment options.

Cisco’s Mobility Services Engine (MSE) and networking hardware supply presence detection, real-time location tracking, and location analytics such as dwell times and traffic patterns.

The Mobility Innovation Center (MIC) at SAP has developed a Connected Consumer concept solution that showcases the power of these technologies to transform the retail shopping experience. This solution consists of both a client facing mobile shopping application and an in store associate/manager application which optimizes the in-store shopping experience and in turn complements and extends the online channel which will increase retail spend through timely and precise mobile interactions. Additionally it demonstrates the power of location based services and analytics to provide real time feedback for in-store marketing and operations. This concept solution has been sponsored by both SAP and Cisco and will be showcased at the retail demo theater and in the Mobility Discussion and Test Drive tables at SAPPHIRE in Madrid on November 13-16, 2012.

VenueLocationTopic
Mobile Campus Demo Theater (14/11 15:30 CET, 15/11 17:00 CET)MB 401Mobile Applications in Retail
Discussion Table (While Floor is Open)MB 418Delight Users with Innovative Mobile Apps for your Business
Test Drive Table (While Floor is Open)MB 415Build Custom Mobile Apps to Transform Your Enterprise
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