The National Retail Federation (NRF) wrapped its 102nd 'Big Show' earlier this month in New York attracting a record-breaking crowd of more than 27,000 people from around the world, including a rumored 2,000-person contingent from Brazil alone likely due to a retail boom in South America ahead of The World Cup and Summer Olympics.
While articles reporting on the show are pointing to key trends such as mobilizing the customer experience, improving Omni-channel retailing, enhancing the in-store experience and "Big Data," Verizon Enterprise Solutions is seeing some additional trends worth noting. As a business solutions provider to some of the worlds most recognizable and upcoming retail brands, we believe that underlying communications and IT infrastructure will play a key role setting the stage for retailers' success in the year ahead.
"Big Bandwidth"for Intelligent Networking
More bandwidth and faster speeds are in very high demand by retailers for optimizing video content, offering Omni-channel selling and delivering the mobile shopping experiences that consumers have come to expect.
"We continue to see significant network upgrades which include moves to advanced networking solutions such as Ethernet and Internet Protocol (IP) that are foundational for connecting people, locations and machines," said Scott Eason, vice president of retail and financial services for Verizon Enterprise Solutions. "Intelligent networking allows retailers to mobilize applications and keep business processes running smoothly, transport high volumes of data across their organizations, provide secure access on any mobile device to bring sales associates out to the showroom floor and tailor network capabilities to business needs."
Business Continuity:
With last year's Superstorm Sandy still fresh in the minds of retailers and the looming threat of more unpredictable weather events to come, business continuity and disaster recovery planning and implementation are now topping the priority lists of business concerns. Network back-up solutions such as Verizon VSAT satellite and wireless back-up for re-opening branch and store locations as quickly as possible have become hot sellers. Nobody wants to get caught again with shuttered store locations and flooded data centers, a good segue into the next trend of moving to the cloud.
Dynamic Cloud:
Recognizing the need to store voluminous amounts of critical data in a safe and secure location, major retailers are now buying into the cloud, in addition to realizing the flexibility and financial benefits offered for accommodating the seasonal highs and lows that are an industry hallmark. Public, private and hybrid cloud solutions are selling fast, and at this year's 'Big Show', Verizon Terremark announced enhancements to its public cloud solution, making this an even more compelling offer.
Global Data Centers:
Expansion into overseas markets by major retailers has created the need for leveraging global data centers. Verizon Terremark has a network of nearly 50 data centers around the world that serve major commercial hubs, allowing retailers to have a wide selection of connectivity choices and fewer latency issues.
Security Solutions:
Central to any retailer's success is securing its intricate IT ecosystem which includes all Point-of-Sale (POS) transactions processed over its network. Data breaches can be harmful to a retailer's customers and can also be damaging to a company's brand. Indeed, Verizon's recent Data Breach Investigation Report's Retail Snapshot found the industry to be one of the most targeted when it comes to cybercrime. From our dynamic network solutions to our cloud solutions and everything in between, security is integrated into everything we do.
Connected Machines:
Communications between machines and devices over high-speed wired and wireless networks is the secret sauce behind all of the innovation that is happening across the retail industry. From wireless back-up business continuity solutions to smart vending which has moved automation from labor-saving to revenue-generating, and Near Field Communications (NFC) which is allowing machines and devices to literally tap one another to communicate and transmit data, at the heart of it is having the optimal IT infrastructure in place which will allow for growth and new opportunities for retailers and their customers.
