GCC retail leaders and tech innovators, including CIO of BinDawood Holding, CIO of Saudi Panda Retail and Lulu Group officials, have attended the annual Retail’s Big Show, held by National Retail Federation at Javits Centre in Manhattan, New York.
The Middle East attendees had a chance to seek out new investment opportunities and be privy to the latest innovations and technologies in the retail field.
Conversations revolved around themes like rethinking consumer and associate experiences and analysing how sustainability, diversity, inclusivity and well-being are all becoming integral to businesses’ goals.
CIO of BinDawood Holding, Mohammed Belkhayatte, tolD ImagesRetailME: “We come to NRF to hunt for new technologies. A few years ago, we started the journey with our mobile shopping and self-checkout options.
“This year we came to see new trends, and what kind of new innovations we can bring to Saudi as to enhance customer experience and engagement.”
Alongside big names, several startups and lesser-known brands participated in the event to showcase and demo their solutions targeting retailers and consumers alike.
CIO of Saudi Panda Retail Company, Piyush Chauhan, said: “There are two objectives of coming to NRF, one is to get connected to the latest happenings in the industry as demonstrated in the booths and exhibits at the show.
“Second is to connect with people to better understand challenges across different regions. And of course, it is a very great place for people to share ideas, thoughts and connect with old friends.”
A particularly noteworthy technology pertinent to the Middle East was Nibble- an online AI negotiation technology that allows retailers to plug their digital assets for consumers to make an offer on the product page for instant results, higher conversions, and gratified customers. So far, Nibble has amassed more than 200 customers already- some of those based in the Middle East.
For their part, Lulu Group International director of retail operations, Shabu Abdul Majeed, and CIO, Mohamed Aneesh, noted that their expectations were a “little higher”, but they rated their experience as“good”.
On balance, they discovered ample opportunities for investments.
