For the first time, 麻豆原创 and LAFW are teaming up to unleash creativity of emerging designers with the innovation power of 麻豆原创.

The LAFW Retail Experience powered by 麻豆原创 is a unique storefront located at the official central hub for all LAFW activity at NYA Studios in Hollywood, California. This innovative endeavor reimagines the traditional retail landscape by combining creativity, commerce, and technology.

Each day, different designers participating at LAFW will bring their collection to display within the experience to highlight their work for all attendees of LAFW. In-season products will be made available to purchase for the public at the LAFW Retail Experience powered by 麻豆原创. Additionally, select designers will provide a customization booth for limited edition designs and patterns that will be applied to items such as denim jackets, T-shirts, and tote bags live onsite.

At the specially commissioned version of the 麻豆原创 Experience Center, 麻豆原创 highlights how its solutions bring transparency and convenience to retail processes in order to make a circular economy part of everyday business.

The future of fashion has to be circular, which is rallied home when you read the reality from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which states every second, the equivalent of a garbage truck-load of clothes is burned or buried in landfill. The LAFW Retail Experience powered by 麻豆原创 will be diving deep into how designers can help to stop this.

Different booths that showcase how 麻豆原创 can help designers inspire and engage consumers by making the transition to a circular business model. Shifting to a circular business model that uses resources responsibly and creates garments designed for extended wear, while recycling promotes the circulation of products and materials at their highest value by verifying material provenance from origin to end-of-life.

At one booth, you can learn how to understand current and future demand to ensure the right inventory reaches stores and customers every time. Another booth will show you how to improve speed and responsiveness by staying ahead of change with intelligent planning that enables you to adapt to any circumstance, which helps shorten delivery and shipment cycles.

You can also visit a booth that helps achieve comprehensive value chain transparency from raw materials sourcing to last-mile logistics and recycling, which improves the environment, business, and people鈥檚 lives. At another booth, you can gain transparency along the entire supply chain of your purchased product from raw material to delivery, both from the customer鈥檚 and the business鈥檚 standpoint. You can explore alternative options for each step and discover more about their performance KPIs.

Finally, you can visit a booth that showcases how you can collaborate with the best available suppliers by gaining a comprehensive understanding of your supply chain. Strive for zero waste by incorporating resilience and circularity into your supply chain.

If you cannot attend LAFW and want to learn more about the 麻豆原创 retail technology ecosystem in an immersive fashion experience, access the 麻豆原创 Experience Center at .

Speaking at this year鈥檚 during a keynote with Sven Denecken, senior vice president and chief marketing and solutions officer for 麻豆原创 Industries and Customer Experience, Scheier modestly described her revolutionary strategy.

鈥淚 decided to have a small goal of changing the fashion industry to be inclusive of the 1.8 billion people on earth who are living with a disability,鈥� said Scheier. 鈥淗aving a partner like 麻豆原创 helps us navigate the world and understand that people with disabilities are living in a world that actually wasn鈥檛 made for them. Our equation is that fashion plus technology equals adaptive, and 麻豆原创 is the platform to help us expand and understand the power of inclusion, especially with the largest minority on our planet.鈥�

Building an Ecosystem of Changemakers

Runway of Dreams develops programs and events that celebrate people鈥檚 differences with fashion shows that exemplify the power of collaboration across industry ecosystems. Unlike typical runway events with one fashion designer, numerous world-renowned brands come together to sponsor Runway of Dreams fashion shows that debut clothing designed for people with disabilities. Scheier is also founder and CEO of GAMUT Management, the first-of-its-kind consulting company to work exclusively with and for people with disabilities.

鈥溌槎乖� has come in to help our shared clients understand the huge business opportunity around people with disabilities,鈥� said Scheier. 鈥淭he button was invented in the 13^th century, giving technology a huge opportunity to get involved in this space and be a changemaker. And GAMUT is a platform for that. Just because things have been done in a certain way for years, doesn鈥檛 mean that鈥檚 how they have to remain.鈥�

Future-Ready Mindset for Industry Differentiation

The fashion industry is just one example of how 麻豆原创 helps customers stay one step ahead of market dynamics where industries are converging, embedded artificial intelligence (AI) is an indispensable tool, and partner ecosystems are vital for business growth.

鈥淭o be future-proof, companies need to have a future-ready mindset,鈥� said Denecken. 鈥淚ndustries are the vertical edge that provides differentiation for the business鈥nd 麻豆原创 offers that deep industry knowledge to help organizations鈥avigate every emerging trend, turn the unexpected into opportunities, and differentiate to grow at that vertical edge backed by our . We are reshaping every industry.鈥�

Industry Convergence Transforms CX

Denecken used the central digital showcase at the event as an example of how convergence is rapidly reshaping industries, redefining boundaries between traditional value chains for sustainable, intelligent, and networked business. This improves the customer experience and helps build the circular economy.

鈥淐onvergence is happening in every sector. There are many scenarios such as energy where fuel stations are becoming retail stations, [straddling] the oil and gas, automotive, utilities, and retail industries,鈥� he said. 鈥淭o digitally transform鈥nabling people, partners, and the entire system to collaborate on product and service experiences, you need to think across industry boundaries to create added value that will differentiate your brand. 麻豆原创 has the digital industry solutions and business process understanding to help you deliver value that drives profitable growth.鈥�

Generative AI with a Business Purpose

Industry convergence is also behind 麻豆原创 industry networks, where organizations from industrial manufacturing, life sciences, consumer products, and high technology go beyond traditional partnerships to collaborate across boundaries, sharing data and tools for faster innovation, including embedded generative AI that has a business purpose and delivers results.

鈥淭urning AI technology advancements into business impact is a challenge for many companies, especially if they lack in-house expertise,鈥� said Denecken. 鈥淲e have built business AI capabilities directly into the 麻豆原创 portfolio, combining that with our industry knowledge to power critical functions that include transportation management with generative AI, predictive replenishment, intelligent product recommendations, and 麻豆原创 Digital Assistant, which can provide a unified natural language interface for all 麻豆原创 solutions.鈥�

Industry-Specific Data Fulfills Customer Promise

Denecken explained how 麻豆原创鈥檚 mission is to help industries become more customer-centric, linking data company wide. In a fascinating demonstration, Andre Bechtold, senior vice president and head of Solution and Innovation Experience at 麻豆原创, showed how the company鈥檚 on-site delve into real-world scenarios for industries, connecting data across business value chains between consumers and organizations to strengthen customer relationships and generate revenue from new cross-industry business models.

鈥淲e鈥檙e making the customer experience more industry tailored, starting with automotive, consumer products, retail, and utilities,鈥� said Denecken. 鈥淭his allows companies to meet individual customer needs at any touchpoint. Personalized experiences result in increased order sizes, return visits, customer loyalty, higher profit margins, and greater wallet share.鈥�

Driven by cloud-based technologies, industries are blazing new business trails with boundary-crossing innovations like inclusive fashion for consumers.

Susan Galer is a communications director at 麻豆原创.聽Follow her @smgaler.

Over the past decades, the fashion industry underwent a technological revolution, reshaping the way retailers and brands engage with their customers. Personalization lies at the center of this transformation. By customizing the shopping experience for consumers, retailers stand out from their competition and foster greater customer loyalty. of consumers say personalization directly influences their decision to purchase from a brand, and 78% say it impacts their likelihood of making repeat purchases and referring the brand to friends and family.

Historically, fashion retailers relied primarily on traditional marketing techniques, such as print advertisements and in-store displays, to attract customers. However, with the rise of e-commerce and the Internet, customers now want and expect a personalized shopping experience that meets their individual needs and preferences. Customers are looking for seamless integration across multiple channels, including brick-and-mortar stores, online Web sites, mobile apps, and social media.

Omnichannel retail provides customers with the flexibility to shop whenever and wherever they want, and it provides businesses with in-depth data on customers’ shopping habits and preferences. With this information, fashion retailers can build a comprehensive profile of each customer, which can then be used to create targeted marketing campaigns, product recommendations, and personalized shopping experiences. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning also enhance the customer experience. By analyzing customer data, AI can predict the likelihood of a customer making a purchase, offer real-time suggestions, check in post-purchase, and follow up for customer feedback. Enhanced customer understanding leads to better marketing decisions and better business outcomes.

麻豆原创 solutions play a prominent role in the execution of timely and impactful personalization, connecting customer data from demand to delivery and bringing sustainable, intelligent enterprises to life 鈥� from the back office to the front office.

Dive deeper into five solutions shaping the future of customer experience 鈥� in fashion retail and beyond.

• 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Retail can store all the data needed to deliver exceptional customer experiences, providing the foundation for the rest of the solutions and bringing the overall experience to life. With real-time customer and sales information, businesses can connect and transform retail processes across the entire value chain.
• : This omnichannel customer engagement platform can empower marketers to build, launch, and scale personalized cross-channel campaigns that scale business outcomes. The platform helped scale its marketing and customer relationship management (CRM) operations to identify and target high-value segments and grow the CRM database. It also matches in-store and online data to enhance its customer identification capabilities.
• : This solution can provide businesses with a trusted e-commerce platform that unlocks innovation at scale. With access to enterprise-wide data, retailers can boost profits and customer satisfaction. With 麻豆原创 Commerce Cloud, created a unified e-commerce platform that connects customers to the right products faster than ever 鈥� reducing the loading time of pages from seconds to milliseconds, which results in fewer customers abandoning items in their shopping carts. It also provides data insights that help Carhartt鈥檚 merchandising team optimize its product placement strategy.
• : With enterprise-wide customer insights from 麻豆原创 Customer Data Platform, businesses can meet customer expectations by delivering personalized engagements while also increasing conversion and improving customer retention. Take millennials and Gen Z shoppers for example, which represent in purchasing power. These groups show growing interest in sustainable products. With the right technology, retailers can capture more detail around their sustainability preferences and shopping habits and then use the data to make sustainability transparent across their value chains and improve the customer experience in the process. Candy Company uses 麻豆原创 Customer Data Platform to dig deeper into its consumer base. With greater insights into consumer behavior, Ferrara discovered a strong link between its Trolli brand and gamers. Ferrara used this information to shape future promotions and sweepstakes. With deeper knowledge of its customers, Ferrara created a brand fan program and significantly increased earned media value.
• : Turn the challenge of returns into an opportunity with 麻豆原创 Intelligent Returns Management, an industry cloud solution from 麻豆原创. It can not only make the returns experience easy, flexible, and free for customers, it can also protect your business鈥� bottom line and improve customer retention. Gain insights around the kind of products that are selling and those that are not. With a more granular look into the colors, styles, and sizes of items that customers return, the business can make more sustainable decisions about design and production.

Curious how your business can leverage the full potential of these five solutions, and others, to improve your customers鈥� experiences and drive long-term business success?

On February 15th, during New York City鈥檚 Fashion Week, 麻豆原创 opened the doors of the redesigned 麻豆原创 Experience Center, home to the S.Fashion Experience Lab. During the opening event, Andre Bechtold, senior vice president and head of Solution and Innovation Experience at 麻豆原创, shared that, 鈥溌槎乖� Experience Centers offer visitors a visual and immersive experience that makes innovation tangible.鈥� From a personalized perfume machine and augmented reality (AR) 聽displays to virtual fitting rooms and AI-powered personal shopping assistants and robotics, the retail store of tomorrow reimagines the future of fashion.

this permanent location year-round, physically or virtually, to discover how 麻豆原创 helps retailers optimize their businesses and connect with their customers in a digital-first world. into the solutions above, along with many others, to learn how you can offer unique and personalized customer experiences that reinforce long-lasting customer relationships and grow lifetime value for your business.

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Kelly Cannon is part of Content Creation and Strategy at 麻豆原创.

Images via Andreas de Groot, Purple

The fashion industry contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and creates massive amounts of waste. One study found that the footwear industry alone is responsible for 1.4% of , and despite efforts to recycle , 90% of them end up in a landfill at the end of their life.

The Fashion Industry Faces a Global Reckoning

Consumers, investors, and governments are finally recognizing the link between fashion and the detrimental impacts of climate change, sparking a growing market for sustainable shoes and apparel.

At 麻豆原创, we believe the future of fashion will be sustainable, responsible, and conscious.

Who Is the Sustainable, Modern Retailer?

Sustainable retailers seek ways to identify and appeal to customers who are searching for eco-friendly products. Sustainable business practices help retailers differentiate and gain customer loyalty by offering greater transparency on individual product life cycles.

As more retailers put sustainability at the center of their processes, they also need to go a step further and deliver high-quality experiences to their eco-conscious consumers. Through hyper personalization, seamless omnichannel shopping, and unique in-person experiences, sustainable fashion companies can build enduring, long-term customer relationships by offering their customers what they want 鈥� maybe even before they know it 鈥� in unique and innovative ways.

So鈥�,鈥� how can fashion retailers leverage data-driven insights and predictive systems to鈥� differentiate themselves from their 鈥媍ompetition? It starts with hyper personalization.

Taking Marketing Personalization to the Next Level to Generate Interest

Seventy-one percent of consumers expect companies to deliver 鈥�,鈥� and a similar portion say it is frustrating when this does not happen. 鈥嬧赌婤asic segmentation鈥嬧赌� targeting to create value for customers will no longer suffice. Shoppers desire and expect proactive and personalized engagements across every touchpoint. And now, with technology solutions like , retailers can deliver personalized, real-time engagements at scale to grow customer lifetime value and turn shoppers into loyal customers for life.

Let鈥檚 take Brianna, a 32-year-old, eco-conscious sneaker enthusiast. She receives a targeted advertisement from one of her favorite brands, S.Fashion. She clicks on the ad and explores the Web site. The personalized Web experience serves relevant content, including a small infographic describing the environmental and social impact of each item. Content dynamically rearranges based on her behavior. She adds a pair of shoes, with the option to customize, to her shopping cart. Her phone rings, and she abandons the checkout 鈥嬧赌媝rocess.

What鈥檚 next?

Creating Seamless Omnichannel Experiences to Keep the Buyer Engaged

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated fashion brands鈥� transition from offline to online shopping channels. And now, these same brands are finding innovative ways to bring these journeys together. With , businesses can engage customers on any device, unlocking business agility and innovation at scale.

Seamless omnichannel shopping helps retailers reduce costs, improve agility, and increase consumer satisfaction by optimizing, streamlining, and integrating online and offline experiences. While bringing customers a dynamic and innovative buying journey, an omnichannel approach gives retailers a centralized view of inventory, improves fulfillment and delivery times, and simultaneously lowers the amount of carbon emitted during the delivery process.鈥疻ith solutions like , retailers can elevate customer engagement through unified customer data from all online and offline sources.

In Brianna鈥檚 case, a few days after the targeted advertisement she receives an e-mail from S.Fashion, sharing details about a shoe customization event happening at the store in her city with live music and a sustainable fashion show. Brianna registers, suddenly remembering her abandoned shopping cart. She buys the sneakers and chooses to 鈥渃lick and collect鈥� in store, so she can customize them onsite with different colors, fabrics, and patterns. The online and offline integration guarantees the correct sneakers are at the store, which serves as a micro-fulfillment center, maintaining appropriate stock levels for in-store and online purchases.

Reimagining the In-Store Retail Experience through Experiential Marketing

Today, online shopping offers convenience, while in-store shopping adds value with a memorable customer experience. Both serve as critical customer engagement channels. To compete, physical stores are reimagining the in-store experience and the role it plays in cementing lifelong customer relationships and driving increased consumer spending. Through experiential marketing, brick-and-mortar stores can add value to their customers in unique ways while increasing sales 鈥� customers spend 31% more than those purchasing online 鈥� and building brand equity.

Brianna arrives at the S.Fashion event, instantly engrossed in the music coming from the DJ located next to a long catwalk with models wearing the latest sustainable sneaker designs. Brianna checks in using a QR code that provides Maria, a friendly staff member, with Brianna鈥檚 customer profile and alerts her about Brianna鈥檚 purchase. Maria greets Brianna and shows her some of S.Fashion鈥檚 latest product offerings and takes her on a digital journey through the sneaker production process. Brianna is excited to learn how S.Fashion鈥檚 technology solutions provide sustainability insights at every step of the product life cycle, making it easier for her, as a customer, to make climate-friendly purchasing decisions鈥嬧赌�. Maria brings Brianna the shoes she bought online and takes her to the shoe customization table where she watches her one-of-a-kind shoes come to life right before the fashion show begins.

The Foundation of a Loyal Customer Base

Insight-driven personalization, seamless omnichannel shopping, and engaging in-store experiences lay the foundation for a loyal customer base and deliver growth and profitability. In the example of S.Fashion, this sustainable sneaker company personalizes its engagements, bridges its online and offline interactions, and hosts sustainable fashion shows and sneaker customization events that drive sales, loyalty, and brand evangelism.

In case you missed NRF and want to learn more about 麻豆原创鈥檚 retail technology ecosystem in an immersive fashion experience, follow 麻豆原创 Experience Center on for exciting news about the opening of 麻豆原创 Experience Center NYC on February 15.

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Kelly Cannon is head of Industry Thought Leadership at 麻豆原创.

Media representatives, customers, and 麻豆原创 employees came together in person when the center opened its doors again in October. Created in 2019, the center had undergone several months of redesign and refurbishment to reflect enhancements to 麻豆原创鈥檚 customer experience (CX) strategy for 鈥� a strategy that will now be rolled out incrementally to all of them.

Speaking at the ribbon-cutting ceremony in Walldorf, 麻豆原创 CEO Christian Klein talked about 麻豆原创鈥檚 place in the world of today: helping customers across the globe find solutions for highly complex business processes. He shared his conviction that 麻豆原创 solutions were making a key contribution to tackling the immense challenges humanity currently faced 鈥� not least climate change, high inflation, and energy security issues. Nevertheless, for many, its contribution was intangible and hard to visualize. What 麻豆原创 needed, said Klein, was to find ways of showing its software in action.

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Bringing the Benefits of 麻豆原创 Solutions to Life

That task falls to Andre Bechtold, who, as head of Value Experience at 麻豆原创, is responsible for the 麻豆原创 Experience Center Walldorf. In the search for ways to showcase 麻豆原创 software, he and his team refined the 麻豆原创 Experience Center strategy. 鈥淭he benefits of 麻豆原创 solutions are not always obvious to customers,鈥� Bechtold said. The aim of the refined strategy was, quite simply, to bring innovations closer to visitors and to tailor their experience to their specific industry and business needs.

The idea behind the center is to bring the benefits of 麻豆原创 solutions to life 鈥� whatever industry or sector a customer operates in. The team at the center prepares personalized presentations to suit each client. What鈥檚 more, instead of using generic storylines to demo certain showcases, content teams now create a tailored storyline for each customer, even paying close attention to details such as the company logo, lighting levels, and the floor layout. Virtual sessions are also available to help customers reduce their carbon footprint.

Customers who visit the center can opt to see an overview of all 麻豆原创 solutions 鈥� and even test them live. This is possible because many customers are already connected to 麻豆原创 through the partner network. As Bechtold pointed out, 鈥淭his allows them to experience the potential for innovation and the benefits 麻豆原创 solutions offer 鈥� in their own value chain.鈥�

The experience lab at the 麻豆原创 Experience Center in Walldorf focuses on the retail industry, offering an interactive look at the innovations 麻豆原创 is currently working on with its customers and partners to make supply chains more transparent, resilient, and sustainable.

鈥淎lmost no one knows their CO2 footprint today,鈥� said Klein at the reopening, which also attracted a lot of media interest. One of 麻豆原创鈥檚 aims, he added, was therefore to work with customers and partners to create the largest global business network of intelligent and sustainable enterprises. This network already comprises several million trading partners and enables transparency along the entire supply chain. It also provides an environment for co-innovation between customers and partners. The 鈥淪.MART鈥� store at the experience lab is just one example of this collaboration.

Experience the Future of Shopping 鈥� Today!

S.MART, the intelligent supermarket of the future, is designed to present a real-life example of an intelligent enterprise 鈥� and to give customers a personalized, end-to-end experience. As they walk along the supermarket aisles, they can watch the latest 麻豆原创 and partner solutions in action and see the possible benefits with their own eyes.

The S.MART supermarket is fitted with sensors and cameras that are connected to the 麻豆原创 system and 麻豆原创 ecosystem. A dashboard records all the data these sensors and cameras capture, analyzes it, and displays it as actionable insight for store managers. They in turn can see at a glance how many customers are currently in the store, which products are running low, and how many items of each product are left on the shelves. They can also see whether products have been placed on the wrong shelf. Armed with that knowledge, the managers can send push messages to store personnel and avoid costly shelf gaps.

Also showcased in S.MART are electronic shelf labels, which enable store managers to update product prices remotely with a single click of the mouse in the back-end system and sensors that monitor the temperature in refrigeration equipment and send alerts when issues arise, which saves energy and money and is also vital for ensuring food safety.

QR codes are used at S.MART to provide customers with more product information. People with allergies and special dietary needs, for example, can enter criteria in a dietary app of their choice. When they scan the QR code for a product, they immediately receive information on whether that item fits their dietary preferences or not. QR codes can also be used to provide details about a product鈥檚 origin or carbon footprint. The aim of services like these is to offer added value and transparency, and thus strengthen customer loyalty.

Cameras allow retailers to (anonymously) analyze customer behavior and even compile age and gender profiles of a store’s clientele. This makes it possible to address specific customer groups, helps with pricing, and provides insight into the best place to position promotional material and products.

In the future, cameras will also help eliminate the need for customers to stand in line at checkout. 麻豆原创 is working on the corresponding technology with various partners, including Israel-based tech company Trigo. With retailers now also struggling to recruit staff, smart systems like this could provide a welcome solution. On the issue of whether they can be tricked and will make shoplifting easier, Bechtold seemed unconcerned: 鈥淪hoplifting is a fact of life. The question is, will it increase or decrease in the future? The smart camera systems are really good. We tried everything we could think of to catch them 鈥� and failed. I even tried putting my shopping in someone else鈥檚 bag. But it was still correctly charged to me.鈥�

Photos by Konrad Berger

CEO and Member of the Executive Board of 麻豆原创 SE Christian Klein told media representatives, customers, and 麻豆原创 employees how much this particular endeavor means to him. As one of the world鈥檚 largest business software vendors with customers generating 87% of total global commerce, Klein emphasized that 麻豆原创 software is used to run highly complex business processes. The two exhibits illustrate how 麻豆原创 works closely with customers and partners to find solutions to the challenges they face.

Now, in its very own exhibition space covering more than 500 square meters, 麻豆原创 can demonstrate exactly what its digital supply chain and Industry 4.0 solutions can do. 鈥淚t is important that customers can come and see all this for themselves,鈥� Klein stated.

Inside the Industry 4.0 Pop-Up Factory

The Industry 4.0 Pop-Up Factory is built like an actual factory and features, among other things, robots for component production that support the worker during manufacturing. The exhibit has an entire production line for mixing and filling liquids, as used in the process industry, and even driverless transport systems. The focus is on Industry 4.0 for customers in the process manufacturing sector 鈥� chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and consumer goods, for example. The setup also addresses the needs of discrete manufacturing like machinery, vehicles, and electronics. 麻豆原创鈥檚 smart factory showcases have evolved 鈥� and grown 鈥� over the years and can now all be seen in action together under one roof as a pop-up installation in rented premises.

The idea is to allow customers to experience the digital supply chain for themselves through showcases. By seeing the software in operation, they gain a better understanding of its capabilities. All stages of the product life cycle are demonstrated in a real-life setting, from product design, planning, and manufacturing through to logistics and maintenance. At the pop-up factory, 麻豆原创 wants to show how it has a broad portfolio of solutions for end-to-end processes and is a leader in digital supply chain and integrated supply chain.

The pop-up factory presents different lines of business, incorporates real equipment and machinery, and runs the same 麻豆原创 products as those that are shipped to customers. Not all the showcases are new, but, as Ralf Lehmann from Solution Management for Digital Manufacturing and Industry 4.0 says: 鈥淭he new factory allows us to bring everything together under one roof and to demonstrate realistic end-to-end scenarios.鈥�

Seeing Industry 4.0 In Action

The Industry 4.0 Pop-Up Factory is unique: 鈥淚t demonstrates the benefits of 麻豆原创 solutions in a realistic setting and allows customers and partners to see how they work in the real world and in a setup that is very similar to their own shop floor,鈥� says Matthias Deindl, head of Industry 4.0 Center EMEA & India.

The idea of a demonstration factory was born in the conference halls of Germany鈥檚 Hannover Messe trade show. Each year, 麻豆原创 presented showcases and product lines to demonstrate the capabilities of its solutions and technology. Customers would come to 麻豆原创鈥檚 stand and ask how they could recreate the scenarios at their companies. They wanted to know how it all worked and where they could see the solutions in action in the real world. In response, the existing showcases have been continuously developed over the years and now find their own home in the new Industry 4.0 Pop-Up Factory.

麻豆原创 has worked closely with its hardware partners for many years. Setting up the demonstration factory provided a great opportunity for a joint project with companies in the automation technology field. Among them are Arkite, asentics, Beckhoff, Endress+Hauser, Evoguard, Gebhardt, Google, intranav, item, Kuka, Krones, Kinemic, Mettler Toledo, Navvis, Neoception, OPC UA, Proglove, Rocketfarm, Sartorius, Schunk, SICK, TRUMPF, Universal Robot, and VMT.

Though the pandemic put a temporary end to in-person events, it did not end the plans for a demonstration factory. The team鈥檚 brief was: 鈥淗ow can we take our showcases to the people if they cannot come to us?鈥� recalls Lehmann. In the course of this, a TV studio was built specifically to stream digital customer demos.

The Industry 4.0 Pop-Up Factory is designed to be a source of information and inspiration for customers and partners. It offers deep-dive sessions with experts, either in person at the factory or online. 麻豆原创 has invested in the latest video technology and equipped the entire venue with cameras 鈥� not just to give live-stream audiences the best possible experience but also with sustainability in mind.

Positive Feedback: The New Industry 4.0 Pop-Up Factory Delivers

Even before the factory鈥檚 doors officially opened, its showcases had been used in more than 400 live sessions with customers and prospects, both in person onsite and remotely via Web meeting. The feedback from customers has been very positive. The remote sessions have been equally well-received. 鈥淭hey have many advantages: you can hear everything, you can see everything, and anywhere from 80 to 100 people can all attend at the same time,鈥� Deindl says. 鈥淏y offering virtual sessions, we give our customers a way of reducing their carbon footprint.鈥�

Many of the inquiries the factory team receives are from managers overseeing manufacturing processes at our customers. They want their leaders to experience the 麻豆原创 solutions featured in the Industry 4.0 Pop-Up Factory sessions and see the benefits for themselves.

Besides being able to see the software in action, experts who come to the factory also appreciate the chance to get into conversation with other visitors there. It has created communities in which people regularly share their thoughts and ideas. This not only gives customers confidence but provides the Industry 4.0 Pop-Up Factory鈥檚 organizers with valuable feedback. Especially in the critical phase leading up to the buying decision, visiting the factory and talking to others there can give a customer a fuller understanding of the solutions so that they can be sure the decision they are making is the right one.

Do you have questions about the Industry 4.0 Pop-up Factory? Contact us.

Photos by Ingo Cordes

But what happens when the answer is 鈥淣o, actually, I didn鈥檛. You were all out.鈥�? You cannot teleport out-of-stock item onto the shelf for the customer鈥檚 experience to be made whole immediately.

Create one too many of these unfortunate experiences, and the customer is apt to move their shopping elsewhere, where the experience is smoother and more rewarding.

Future of Retail Technology at Brick-and-Mortar Stores

The customer friction can be costly. But problems like stockouts and long lines 鈥� and the customer friction they beget 鈥� are promising to become a thing of the past for retailers that adopt the most recent innovations in machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT).

With smart technologies like touchless shopping and automated on-shelf forecasting, customers are delighted with a frictionless in-store experience that resembles the ease of online shopping. Innovative intelligent stores, or 鈥渟mart stores,鈥� are popping up everywhere.

S.MART Pulls Back the Curtain with an Immersive Retail Journey

Enter the future of retail: At the , curious minds can step into the intelligent store 鈥淪.MART鈥� for a journey into an innovative, sustainable retail enterprise in action.

With centers across the globe, 麻豆原创 Experience Center locations are state-of-the-art innovation spaces for reimagining business using 麻豆原创 solutions.

In October 2022, the 麻豆原创 Experience Center in Walldorf will officially open its doors, which will be the first of many milestones to come on an ongoing transformation journey toward an even more captivating exploration into 麻豆原创 innovation worldwide.

The S.MART component provides a taste of all the available uses cases of 麻豆原创鈥檚 retail technology ecosystem in one immersive grocery store experience. Peruse the aisles as a customer while simultaneously seeing how various types of data are captured in the back office, in order to gain insights into the shopping behaviors and interests of customers, more sustainable business practices, improved product performance, and more efficient staffing.

To kick-start their own transformations, retailers can request a customized visit, where the 麻豆原创 Experience Center is set up as a secure testing environment for use cases specific to their business needs.

How Digital Transformation Solves 10 Traditional Retail Challenges

The value of building a store like S.MART goes beyond keeping shelves nicely stocked. Here are 10 common challenges retailers experience and how digital transformation through an intelligent store can solve them.

1. Respond to customer expectations of personalized and immersive experiences

Personalized loyalty programs in-store and online offer customers the discounts and rewards they appreciate and are likely to use. 麻豆原创 solutions allow for businesses in the tech ecosystem to effectively create products like augmented reality (AR) on mobile shopping. AR technology enables personalized experiences by turning a two-dimensional search into a full-fledged 3D immersion. The camera on the consumer鈥檚 device scans their real-world surroundings and mirrors the product in that environment. That way, consumers can virtually try before they buy. Learn more about how 麻豆原创 supports AR technology like Adloid here. These types of customer-centric tools can help ensure that you are responding to customer expectations of streamlined, digital experiences and keep them coming back for more.

2. Optimize product placement 颅颅

Heatmapping allows for visualizing visitor traffic, while camera streams and 3D vision sensors give demographic and soft biometric details like time of day, age, gender, and time spent at locations. Armed with this data, you can identify heavily trafficked areas and patterns in customer behavior, so you can better strategize product placement and limited time offers.

3. Prevent stockouts

Demand forecasting helps prevent shelves from going bare. Out-of-stock items, or stockouts, are caused by one or a cluster of causes: unusually higher demand, supply chain disruptions, inventory miscounts, and improper planning.

Forecasting technology helps to deter those challenges. Additionally, with technology apps that maintain one consistent source of stock information across the supply chain, you can maintain a more accurate record of goods and further boost forecasting efforts. With the latest AI, you can more effectively keep your shelves stocked, and avoid lost sales.

4. Keep shelves tidy

Today鈥檚 customers expect stores to look tidy and organized. AI connected to video cameras can interpret if a product is misplaced, while sensor-based technology identifies if a shelf is empty. Store personnel are alerted so they can act immediately and keep the shelves pristine.

5. Make the most out of limited storage space

Deep learning and machine learning applied by AI surfaces actionable insights related to customer behavior and supply chain fluctuations, enabling for improved forecasting and more accurate inventory decisions.

With automated sub-daily demand forecasting, you order what your customers are likely to buy at a particular time of day 鈥� no more, no less, making the most out of your shelf and storage space and delivering what customers want when they want it.

6. Reduce food spoilage

According to a , 鈥淎long the food chain, approximately 15% of food losses by weight and value derive from transport, warehouse, and retailing activities. However, for a variety of reasons, temperature abuse and improper handling in transport seems to dominate.鈥�

An effective way to make a dent in that problem is by using smart technology to improve cold storage issues throughout the supply chain, from packing to marketing. At the retail location, as soon as freezers are open past a set period or there is a deviation in the temperature of the products, an alarm is triggered to alert store personnel to address the problem.

7. Become a more sustainable enterprise

Historically, retail companies are a major contributor of carbon emissions and waste, putting them under the scrutiny of consumers and regulators. With demonstrable sustainability practices, retailers can successfully differentiate their聽brands, attract new customers, and drive life-long loyalty. By harnessing the power of AI, you can perform accurate and responsive planning, thereby optimizing the flow of goods to reduce emissions, overstocks, and food waste.

8. Minimize annoying checkout lines

We have come far from long checkout lines, noisy cash registers, and paper receipts. Customers can simply add products to their virtual baskets and leave the store without any wait time at the point of sale. As noted, today鈥檚 consumers are digitally savvy shoppers who expect retailers to provide a streamlined experience in-store and online. 鈥淛ust walk out鈥� experiences help recreate the simplicity and ease of shopping online.

9. Comply with maximum occupancy limits

When it is important to know that maximum capacities are not exceeded, and costly fines are avoided, you don鈥檛 need a person standing at the door with a tally counter in hand. Automated analysis of all persons entering and exiting the store are kept in real time, and store personnel is notified when maximum capacity is reached. Plus, with historical data, you can plan staffing needs accordingly.

10. Motivate employees

Machine learning and AI technologies from 麻豆原创 can serve to reduce friction points in the workforce. For example, insights into the busiest times and store sections can inform optimized staff schedules, reducing stress burnout. Automated alerts regarding empty shelves and improper product placement can help simplify an employee鈥檚 workday, thereby increasing engagement. And streamlined forecasting and replenishment processes replace cumbersome and inaccurate manual efforts, enabling store associates to be more efficient and successful in their inventory keeping responsibilities.

With intelligent features that foster a future-forward work environment, employees are more empowered, productive, and happier. And at the end of the day, a happy workforce thrives on serving happy customers.

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Markus Marsch, head of Value Experience Strategy and Operations, explains how retail experiences like S.MART are the future of retail.

More Inspiration on the Way

麻豆原创 Experience Center locations around the world showcase innovative solutions and use cases for all industries and lines of business. We are creating more of these experiences 鈥� like an 麻豆原创-driven retail fashion studio in New York and a smart cities experience in Dubai 鈥� to showcase how 麻豆原创 builds the innovative solutions that run the world鈥檚 most intelligent and sustainable enterprises.

connect businesses to 麻豆原创 solution experts, inspire transformation through innovative demos and immersive stories, and engage enterprise transformation through hands-on workshops.