While ShopperTrak has attended NRF’s Big Show for many years, NRF 2017 was notably different for us. Following our acquisition by Tyco and the integration of our brand to form the traffic insights business under Tyco Retail Solutions, we were proud to exhibit in this year’s show as part of the Tyco Retail Solutions booth.

On display, we featured our various solutions, including our new Global Index, in addition to the loss prevention and inventory visibility offerings from Tyco Retail. Combined, our tailored services and solutions allow retailers to comprehensively understand what is happening across their business and make changes that optimize performance and enhance the customer experience.

And this was particularly relevant as we noted the emergence of new trends at the show, including the notion of unified commerce. While omnichannel is still present, retail solution providers appear keenly focused on an even bigger picture – one that provides a holistic, seamless customer experience. And this time, it must transcend channels.

For us, at ShopperTrak, this is pivotal because retailers, in order to be successful, need to drive engagement through an integrated experience with the goal of encouraging visits to their brick-and-mortar locations. Retailers must integrate meaningful technologies – whether that’s by simplifying a shopper’s search for merchandise, enabling a seamless checkout experience, or facilitating meaningful interactions with store associates – in order to produce an exceptional experience in the physical store and forge loyalty. Shoppers are tech-savvy tech and physical retailers need to recognize best practices and adapt traditional business models accordingly.

Simply put, the store (or mall) isn’t going away any time soon; it’s merely being rethought.

And, as we focused on in our panel session (Using In-store Traffic to Drive Profitability), which featured executives from Teavana and Sally Beauty, traffic data is an essential piece of tying in-store activities together and efficiently meeting customer demand. By understanding the flow of traffic to a retail store, operators are able to more effectively schedule labor, assign associate tasks, and evaluate marketing. The result of implementing traffic data equaled increased conversion rates, as well improved ATS for both retailers on the panel. It was clear that when championed in a retail organization, traffic data successfully garners results for retailers and betters store performance.