From January 14 to January 16, 2024, the SimpliField team traveled from Paris, France, and Fayetteville, Arkansas to New York City, New York to participate in National Retail Federation, Retail’s Big Show (NRF).
The team was prepared with new features to share around recent updates in SimpliField’s advanced analytics, field merchandising, and updated partnering industries with the crowds at NRF.
If you haven’t been to the show, many of the team described this year’s tone as “booth bonanza,” and “excitement extravaganza,” and other alliterations that simply conveyed: lots of people and lots of commotion.
Building Blocks for a Successful Event
Our SimpliField red booth stood out at the intersection of two main pathways, expertly placed in front of a breakout room. Many stopped by for our delicious chocolate and flowing Nespresso. It was our pleasure to meet with faces of the retail industry — new and familiar alike.
“It was wonderful to be there and see everyone in person,” shared Benjamin Tricoche, Vice President of Professional Services for SimpliField. “Once again, NRF was a fantastic experience to connect with clients and industry experts. SimpliField was honored to attend.”
When our team stopped for lunches or took a chance to make introductions around the event, we were met with innovation at every corner. The majority of companies represented had AI or automation instilled in each of their product offerings—many displaying robots and sensors.
“Nearly every time I purchased a breakfast, lunch, or coffee item at the event, I interacted with zero humans,” said Billy Ruck, Vice President of Revenue/Optimization for SimpliField. “There were automation technologies on display at every corner. Of course, if you went to a food truck, that was a slightly different story. But, from the hamburger vending machines to the automated checkout kiosks in the camera-filled human-less convenience store, the signal was clear: the quick-service restaurant and retail food industry is changing rapidly.”
What's Changing in 2024
The three days at the Jacob Javits Convention Center buzzed with talk of advancing AI in 2024, automating retail tasks for efficiency, and building interest around the compelling speakers. The Millenials and Gen X-ers were especially enthusiastic about Magic Johnson’s presentation as he challenged the next generation to work hard, pursue their dreams, and face life’s challenges head on.
Four general categories defined the companies in attendance: process hardware (POS, lazer guns, RFID), visual merchandising software and services, logistics and supply chain management, and grand-scale tech software (like Microsoft and Google).
We'll Fill You In on What You Missed
NRF 2024 boasted of incredible leaps for retail innovation, and we’re thrilled to see what’s in store for the coming year and NRF 2025.
Did you miss the chance to see us at NRF? We’d be honored to catch you up on what you missed. Plus, we have a select number of gifts leftover that we’d love to share with you. Reach out to start a conversation with us and book a demo to learn about our always-innovating platform.
