Digitalization POS: prospects for the retail sector at Internet World 2016

E-COMMERCE The pressure on retailers from online stores is increasing. At this year's Internet World, new solutions will be presented to prevent further store closures.The German retail sector is facing massive changes. The growing online trade and smartphones have radically changed the rules of the game in retail and are increasingly shifting customer budgets towards online. Brick-and-mortar retailers must react, as the fatal consequences are already becoming apparent in the form of closed stores and increasingly unattractive city centers. The Internet World trade fair has taken up this issue and will be showcasing solutions for the digital transformation of retail on March 1 and 2, 2016 at the Munich exhibition grounds.Channel thinking must be overcomeOnly a few store owners are addressing the changing purchasing behavior of their customers. However, the fact is that consumers are increasingly shopping online - and the trend is rising. As a result, the Swiss retail sector grew by exactly zero percent in 2014, while online retail grew by 10.6 percent. The German Retail Association HDE expects the share of e-commerce in total retail to increase to around 30% by 2020. The smartphone is also increasingly determining consumer purchasing behavior: Many use it to regularly search for local offers and half of users already make search queries about retailers via their smartphone. Many customers also use it to find out about products, prices and suppliers directly in the store. Almost one in ten people complete this mobile research in-store directly by making a purchase via their own cell phone.Even if the exact picture of the retail of the future is far from clear, the strict separation of e-commerce and bricks-and-mortar retail will no longer be tenable in the future. Consumers will buy from a brand or provider, not from its channel. "It must be clear to every retailer that the only thing that matters is that sales are generated by their own company and not by their competitor. Which channel is completely irrelevant," explains Swiss management consultant and online expert Thomas Lang.Internet World 2015: Internet World ShopThis is what the store of the future could look likeHow can these developments be integrated into the existing structures of brick-and-mortar retail? Visitors to the Internet World trade fair will find hands-on technologies in the specially designed "Internet World Shop". On an area of 75 square meters, the trade fair will showcase shopping technologies in live use - including a shopping app that allows customers to select their favorite items online in advance and then guides them to their favorites in the store. Innovative POS checkout solutions and a mobile checkout and advice system for sales in open spaces will also be presented. For the first time at the trade fair, a sticker will be on display that can network the home with stationary retail - and vice versa. weShop, a holistic store solution developed by the communications agency Serviceplan together with Vitrashop, Cancom, Cisco and NEC, will provide a vivid illustration of what the store of the future could look like. Among other things, visitors can experience individualized customer contact using beacon technology, style advice via video conference, product recognition using RFID technology or even a staging of outfits in a spy mirror in the fitting room.Know-how and prospects for the retail sectorAnother highlight of the trade fair is the Kaminzimmer. Expert talks will take place on this stage, providing trade fair visitors with compact knowledge. Futurologist Nils Müller (TrendOne), for example, will present scenarios for retail in 2020 and showcase exhibits in a live demonstration that will give visitors an idea of the technologies of tomorrow. Prof. Dr. Susanne Spintig (Munich University of Applied Sciences) and Christian Rößler (Serviceplan) will exclusively present the preliminary results of the study "Digitalization at the POS: What customers really want". A panel discussion on the topic of "More visibility online - strengthening the retail trade through local online initiatives" with Bernd Ohlmann (Handelsverband Bayern e.V.), Michaela Pichlbauer (Rid Stiftung für den bayerischen Einzelhandel) and Ben Rodrian (local digital platform Yatego Local) will round off the program. The Internet World trade fair is being held for the 20th time this year. 360 international exhibitors and sponsors will present the latest developments in online retailing on 22,000 square meters of exhibition space at the Munich exhibition grounds. 16,000 visitors are expected. Under the motto "The Future of E-Commerce", a high-caliber congress on the top trends in e-commerce will take place on both days of the trade fair. Visiting the trade fair is free of charge after pre-registration. There is a charge for attending the congress.Program focus: Digital transformation in retailInternet World 2016, Messe München, East Entrance1. March 2016, 10.00 - 12.30 a.m., Kaminzimmer, Hall B5Admission is free of charge. The program in the Kaminzimmer is presented by UDG United Digital Group.______________________________________Internet World 2016Date: March 1 and 2, 2016Location: Messe München, Hall B5 + B6, New East EntranceCosts Congress: Discounted tickets for m&k readers from EUR 650 plus VAT with code IW16mukTrade fair costs: Trade fair visit free of charge after pre-registrationInformation /Registration: www.internetwold-messe.de_______________________________________