Highlights of the EHI Technology Days on November 5th and 6th, 2019

The EHI Technology Days have been offering a glimpse into the future of trade every year for over 15 years.

The IT-Personalberatung, represented by its managing director Manfred Wenzel, is a welcome, regular participant in this event, as many customers in IT retail rely on the services offered by the IT-Personalberatung.

Mr. Wenzel always considers the EHI Technology Days a worthwhile event, not only because IT retail is like “one big family”. It is also worthwhile because it is always a pleasure to meet long-standing, cherished, business partners and to establish new, interesting contacts with decision-makers in trade. Last but not least, it is also worthwhile to stay on top of the current technologies and trends in trade.

Besides the traditional CEO panel in which current topics and trends in IT are discussed and which is one of the highlights of the event every year, Mr. Wenzel considered the innovations and startup section to be the crowning point of the event. A number of these presentations included highly interesting facts and findings, for instance:

BLVRD GmbH: Presentation by Ari Berzenjie

The smartphone has been the leading medium in today’s diversified communication landscape for a while. What may be surprising is the fact that when it comes to online shopping, the smartphone has to yield this position to the PC or laptop. Thinking about the ease-of-use the monitor, mouse and screen size offer, it quickly becomes clear that the shopping experience is much better using these devices, in particular with regard to fashion items, high-quality goods and technically advanced items, which can be presented in a better and more inspiring way than on the smartphone. The tablet computer, however, seems to become less important. It replaces the radio during breakfast and the TV when in bed or on the couch.

Dialogue Tech FMC GmbH: Presentation by Felix Zirkler

Voice, or more precisely, the human voice, is considered to become increasingly important in the relationship between man and machine. However, today, the actions performed by voice control are less than spectacular. For example, voice control has not yet reached e-commerce, because, as always, the user focuses on the added value, and in many applications, this added value is not yet evident. Why? Because in many cases, these voice applications are not yet technically mature and stable enough.

Panther Solutions GmbH: Presentation by Nils Streitbürger

Artificial intelligence (AI) and forecasting systems will play a very important role in the future of retail. In this domain, real margin improvements are possible. Panther Solutions is primarily concerned with optimum pricing and the optimization of processes. Retailers are also investigating AI to optimize their product range, to ensure that shelves are optimally stocked, that enough cash registers are staffed at all times or that the right quantities are available at the right time in the snack area.

Storemoods GmbH & Co. KG: Presentation by Yvo Schirmer

Another highly interesting topic was the influence of intelligent audio solutions that can subconsciously improve the shopping experience, tip the scales when it comes to deciding for a certain product, and set the mood and emotion to trigger multiple purchases. At the same time, audio solutions contribute to the customer’s well-being, influence the perception of a product range and encourage customers to stay longer.

In all of these innovative solutions, the collection of data plays a crucial role. Making profitable use of artificial intelligence is only possible by processing extensive data.