OREANDA-NEWS. Intel Corporation today unveiled a range of technological innovations that are driving new retail experiences for consumers and enabling retailers to better understand and connect with customers. The solutions feature popular brands including Boulanger*, Brooks Brothers*, Coop*, Levi Strauss & Co.*, and Nordstrom*. The company also announced the Intel® Retail Sensor Platform, the first vertical solution based on the Intel® IoT Platform, designed to enable future retail systems with analytics.

New Retail Experiences
Intel is driving the future of the Internet of Things (IoT) for retail by powering solutions that are behind several new and exciting shopping experiences for customers. These include:

  • Digital scanning with Intel® RealSense™ technology for body measurement to make a custom Brooks Brothers shirt using Size Stream*.
  • Precise foot scanning solution at Nordstrom* using Volumental* technology to give recommendations for shoes that are a great fit.
  • A Capgemini* solution that uses Intel® RealSense™ and Intel® Core™ processors to instantly translate small-scale physical building blocks into customizable 3-D room or store layouts to allow customers to enter a virtual reality model and design their spaces how they want.
  • Coop*, a leading Italian grocer, is showcasing the supermarket of the future, developed by Accenture* in collaboration with Avanade*, featuring Intel technology to recreate the atmosphere of an open-air market with a digital, interactive twist.

"Retailers seem to be turning a corner in terms of using new technologies to better understand their business and connect with customers," said Joe Jensen, vice president of Intel's Retail Solutions Division. "In fact, Lightspeed POS recently found that, compared to last year, twice as many independent retailers are currently investing in technology that uses data analytics and software to make smarter buying decisions."

"We want to serve customers in new and unique ways and we're constantly testing how technology can enhance our service experience," Scott Meden, Executive Vice President, GMM of Shoes, Nordstrom. "In our shoe business, fit is a critical component of serving customers and we're excited to explore improving the accuracy and convenience of finding the right size."

Understand and Connect with the Customer
Intel technology has been helping retailers lower operating costs, increase sales and secure consumer data for many years. Now, with increased data analytics, retailers are able to better understand and connect with their customers by having more visibility about inventory and customer shopping patterns.

  • WestRock*, a leading retail display provider, is now able to gain real-time inventory insights using conductive ink technology from T+ink* in its intelligent smart shelves and pegs. The technology will enable real-time information about on-shelf product availability and gives retailers the necessary data to ensure they have the right product at the right time.
  • French retailer Boulanger* worked with Capgemini and Intel to create new digital retail spaces in-store. The interactive and content rich environment  helps engage customers with virtual walls, and allows employees and stores to perform better using analytics technologies.
  • Intel continues to drive security for the evolving retail customer experience, with growing ecosystem support for Intel® Data Protection Technology for Transactions, including HP*, Ingenico* and Panasonic*.

New IoT Platforms for Retail
Available today, the new Intel Retail Sensor Platform is the first vertical end-to-end Intel® IoT Platform solution that combines an Intel-based retail sensor, an Intel-based gateway, and the Intel Trusted Analytics Platform (TAP) to provide a simple, affordable way for retailers to gather actionable, near-real-time intelligence – saving money and converting more sales. Levi Strauss and Co. is currently piloting the platform in three stores in the United States.

Demonstrations of the solutions are on display at Intel's NRF booth (#2543) in New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.