If there was a prevailing trend discussed at the EuroCIS and RBTE retail tech trade shows this year, it was about making customer interaction easier. Everywhere you turned during the events, someone was talking about checkout solutions and business analytics that can help improve the customer experience.

EuroCIS took place in Dusseldorf, Germany, at the end of February, and we were among the 411 exhibitors from 29 countries that participated in the event. More than 10,000 visitors made it to the show, an 18 percent increase from last year. We also exhibited at RBTE (Retail Business Technology Expo), which happened about two weeks later in London, drawing 350 exhibitors and more than 15,000 visitors, 28 percent more than last year.

At EuroCIS, there was much discussion about how to implement omnichannel strategies to give shoppers a seamless buying experience across various devices, including smartphones, tablets and laptops, in addition to storefront locations.

The goal of omnichannel strategies is to improve the shopping experience, but the challenge is how mobile and online solutions support the staff at a physical store, and vice versa. In other words, if shoppers increasingly rely on web-based purchases, do the physical sites become more of a fulfillment center? Do sales staff shift to more of an information role?

Business analytics was another hot topic. As old POS systems get replaced with new solutions, it will be easier to integrate the software with data analytics systems to capture information on customer preferences, popular items, busiest times and so forth. All of this information can be studied and applied to operational improvements and promotional campaigns.

Strong Interest in Cash Management

The APG/Cash Bases Stand at EuroCIS 2016

We had a strong presence at EuroCIS and RBTE, where visitors stopped by our booths to see our cash drawer models and cash-management solutions. There was strong interest in our SMARTtill™ solution, which we added to our product portfolio last year after our merger with U.K.-based Cash Bases. Retailers are very interested in automated cash management solutions as cash handling is one of their biggest costs. Cash costs U.S. businesses $55 billion yearly. While most of that is due to theft, the figure also includes time spent on processing, counting and transporting bills and coins.

In discussions with retailers, it was clear they are looking for new, innovative solutions to address cash management. We sensed, for instance, that retailers increasingly want more than just a general application cash drawer. Flip-top cash drawer cassette solutions equipped with high capacity trays and extensive media storage caught the eye of a number of show attendees. Cassette cash drawers integrate easily into existing retail environments as they include legacy baseplates for easy adoption-an attractive option for retailers. The European retail marketplace continues to request highly customized cash drawers that allow for quick customer serviceability.

Mobile POS (mPOS) solutions also drew a lot of attention, and we fielded a lot of inquiries about our NetPRO™ suite of mobile cash drawers. APG’s V.P. of Global Marketing, Stephen Bergeron, had a big crowd at a presentation he gave on cash payments and e-payment trends within a mobile or traditional stack POS environment. We expect this topic will continue to spur a lot of discussions as more and more retailers look for POS flexibility to improve the shopping experience.

We met a lot of people at both RBTE and EuroCIS, and came away with a good sense of what retailers are looking for. This confirmed that we are on the right path to help them meet their cash management and mobility challenges