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First Edition

How will 5G make a difference today – and in the future?

While a new generation of wireless connectivity hits the market every couple of years, experts say the move to 5G will be unlike any leap of speed and performance the world has ever seen. The fifth-generation cellular system will nearly eliminate lag times to make real-time functionality and seamless connectivity a reality.

Fake it ‘til you make it

After years spent researching, interviewing and writing, I’m keenly aware of what I can do. Yet I’ll admit it — there are times I’m making it up as I go. Still, every now and then I’m reminded that in some way or another, we’re all making it up as we go. And maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

The digital edition of STORES includes must-read pieces, including the articles featured here. Read the current issue and browse the archives for issues you may have missed.

Cut TCO by 15% on barcode devices

Retailers have relied on rugged handheld devices for over 30 years to boost efficiency and productivity. All along, devices have suffered from failures due to charging contacts that get dirty, corrode, or break. Wireless charging prevents device failure, drastically reducing TCO. An enterprise can easily reduce TCO by 15% or more deploying wireless charging devices.

Download the White Paper

NRF is proud to provide our members with the online Retail Buying Guide to search for trusted vendors, products and services in the retail industry. Our guide is a user-friendly forum designed to bring suppliers and purchasers together. You can search by keyword, location, company name or category. Available whenever you need it, the Retail Buying Guide makes it easy to locate products and professional services geared to the retail industry. Click here to visit the online Retail Buying Guide! To advertise, please contact Sarah Allen for more information.

Trends

A home run in the grocery aisle

Ecommerce has its benefits, but there’s still nothing quite like the connection between a retailer and its local community. California-based food and supply store Smart & Final took on Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly as a secret employee in one of its stores in January, part of the annual Dodgers Love LA Community Tour week of service.

NRF News

How women are disrupting technology and retail

In her role as CIO for Qurate Retail Group, Karen Etzkorn plays a pivotal role in driving long-term growth, innovation and productivity by bringing best-in-class technology solutions to the retailer. She sits down with NRF’s Retail Gets Real podcast team to talk about the biggest technology to change the shopping experience and the value of girls in STEM.

Save on NRF PROTECT 2019

More than 2,500 retail loss prevention experts will gather at the NRF PROTECT 2019 conference in Anaheim, Calif., June 11-13, to equip themselves with valuable industry knowledge and techniques to tackle their largest challenges. Retailers who register by Friday will receive the early rate and save up to $425.

Relationships included with every shopper interaction.

Your biggest successes are still ahead. But to get there, you’ll need to include something extra in every transaction: an awesome relationship. That’s where Salesforce has your back. It’s the world’s #1 engagement platform, helping you connect to your shoppers in a whole new way.

Learn More

U.S. economy continues to grow but at a slower pace

The nation’s economic activity during the first quarter grew by 2.3%, slightly slower than expected amid trade policy tensions and global financial stability concerns. NRF is now predicting gross domestic product growth of 2.2% for the year rather than the 2.5% forecast in early February. Read more in NRF’s Monthly Economic Report.

Retail Deals

Prada has announced a collaboration with Oracle Retail to support efficiency throughout all of Prada Group’s core retail processes. Through the implementation, Prada can better deliver a more personalized shopping experience by strengthening customer relations at the point of sale while also optimizing its merchandising process, including sales and forecasts, performance analysis and more.

Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, a global market share leader for integrated in-store retail solutions, is enhancing the customer experience for Value Center grocery shoppers. Serving as Value Center’s express lanes, Toshiba’s self-checkout solutions enable a more personal shopping journey while reducing checkout times by allowing Value Center customers more control and privacy at the point-of-purchase.

Cleo, a worldwide leader in ecosystem integration solutions, has announced that Summit Resource International (SRI), a leading domestic and international private-label apparel manufacturer, has chosen the Cleo Integration Cloud platform to consolidate, integrate and automate the application and B2B data flows powering its rapidly expanding global business.

Chilean-based surf and skateboard apparel company Maui and Sons has announced the implementation of Oracle Retail to help the company scale their operations in Latin America. By implementing Oracle Retail Merchandising System and Oracle Warehouse Management Cloud, Maui and Sons was able to establish a foundation for future growth by streamlining inventory, adding new sales channels and more effectively serving the needs of its customers.

Linc Global, the leading customer care automation solution powering digital experiences that strengthen brand-to-shopper relationships, has announced that CUTS Clothing, creator of the world’s most comfortable shirts for professionals, has implemented Linc’s AI-powered platform to offer shoppers more personalized and engaging communication on the conversational channels they prefer.

Tapì Group, the international Group specializing in the design, production and distribution of high-end technological closures for the premium beverage sector, and Thin Film Electronics ASA, a leader in near field communications (NFC) solutions, have signed a Letter of Intent for an exclusive joint partnership to combine their industry-leading innovation capabilities to better serve the needs of the wine and spirits industry.