-Attend the NRF Retail Big Show New York 2021 in 2 full days of guided and personalized tour

–Get inspired by the most innovative solutions that revolutionize commerce and distribution, and discover the latest concept stores

-Benefit from on-site support to analyze the latest retail trends and meet experts as they will share their stories and insights on the market and its prospects.

-Be accompanied in the acceleration of your innovation projects

-Experience meetups, visit companies and incubators, and more in outstanding venues all around New York during 1 full day of  unique experiences

The Retail’s BIG Show, or NRF New York is the world’s leading annual retail event, bringing together 40,000 retail professionals and vendors from more than 90 countries for educational and networking opportunities. The convention includes 500 education sessions, nearly 500 speakers, and more than 800 exhibitors to share visionary ideas, build partnerships and experience new technology.

New York is one of the largest and most populous urban agglomerations in the world and is the second most densely populated city in North America (after Mexico City).  It is the world’s most important economic center and is the city with the highest GDP with almost 7,000 high tech firms. New York’s Smart City approach is to ensure that the city does have a real positive impact on citizens, residents and tourists.

Link NYC: New York stands out for its integrated technology services, such as LinkNYC, a Wi-Fi network that replaces more than 7,500 public telephones in NYC with new structures called “Links”. Each Link provides quick and free access to public Wi-Fi, allows phone calls, device charging, and includes a tablet for accessing city services, as well as maps and directions for getting around the city.

Hudson Yards: It is a unique smart neighborhood project in NY. It has sensors that measure noise, air quality, car traffic, or pedestrian flow in real time. In addition to having its own Wi-Fi network, the 100% connected eco-district also guarantees to reduce its energy consumption by 30% compared to conventional construction.

Some interesting startups to look at:

Soofa: Soofa public benches allow you to recharge your tablet or smartphone using photovoltaic energy. It also detects connected devices, and therefore counting passers-by and analyzing the flow of visitors.

Park Slope Food Coop: The first cooperative supermarket where only volunteers can buy its products in exchange for a few hours of monthly work at the store. Today, some 17,000 New Yorkers who are members of the Park Slope Food Coop benefit from quality organic products at unbeatable prices thanks to the brand’s low operating costs.

2020 marks a step forward for the retail industry, with a focus on technology, stores, and ecosystems, such as the rise of concept stores and retail-tech stores. 

A concept store is where retailers and brands test new ideas such as store layout, fixtures and design, launch specialty products for a targeted audience, introduce lifestyle services such as on-site tailors and restaurants, and deploy interactive elements such as augmented reality.

A retail-tech store is a physical store that evolved into a fulfillment center, a showroom, an omnichannel shopping, a high-touch market or a product research center, thanks to technologies such as AI and 5G. Retail-tech stores use interactive technologies such as Smart Fitting Rooms, 3D Printing, Eye-Tracking, and Augmented Reality.

The example of Nike’s House of Innovation: Nike opened its House of Innovation on the Fifth Avenue of NYC. In the store, shoppers can customize their shoes, scan & pay, and get expert help from the staff and Nike’s fan community, and even scan their feet and upload the design to their Nike application: the 3D Spatial and Vision AI Deep Learning technologies create a win-win: customers can get the “perfect fit”.