Inside NRF BIG Show 2009

Written by: Mike Monocello

With all the talk about the poor economy in recent months, I wasn’t sure what to expect when walking in to the Javits Center for day one of the NRF BIG Show 2009. While foot traffic was a little lighter than in previous years, you wouldn’t know it around the booths showcasing new products designed to save money.

For instance, one of the recurring trends of the show thus far has been around self-service. Not particularly surprising, as retailers in today’s economy are trying to do more with less. VeriFone (verifone.com) introduced its new MX880 customer-facing multi-function payment system which includes a tactile keypad and full-motion color video display. The MX880 can deliver promotions and value-added applications, while processing payments. VeriFone states that the MX880 is designed for applications ranging from high-volume attended lanes to self-service check outs and kiosks. The MX880 will be available by mid-2009.

Source Technologies (sourcetech.com) was showing off its new ServePoint Pro line of interactive kiosks. Depending on the size/model (7.5-, 12-, 15-, and 19-inch), the new kiosks are designed for loyalty/gift card and price checking applications with added digital signage, as well as patient checking applications in healthcare.

Zebra (zebra.com), also paying attention to demand for self-service solutions, was showing off its new Kiosk Print Station. The unit is an enclosure designed to house a Zebra TTP 2000 series kiosk printer (available in four print widths), a roll of media, and a touch screen kiosk computer, such as the IBM AnyPlace or the Motorola MK Series. Because the unit serves as a complete enclosure, it can be integrated without the lead time and costs associated with a custom kiosk solution. Possible applications include price verification, gift registry, coupon dispenser, recipe search, deli ordering device, and item locator. Expect the product to be available in March 2009.

Aside from self-service products, there were some other newsworthy items that caught my eye. For instance, Accu-Time Systems (ATS, accu-time.com) had a lot going on at its booth. First, Larry Dawson, ATS’ newly appointed VP of marketing, was present and sharing some product-related information. In addition, the workforce management/time and attendance manufacturer announced a communication enhancement to its Global Series of human capital management terminals. The Maximus, Optimus, and Prodigy terminals now can accommodate GSM modems, allowing the terminals to be used anywhere a cellular network is present. Potential applications include construction sites, temporary venues like seasonal festivals and sporting events, and places where wired or Wi-Fi networks are not an option. ATS also announced a new color display for its Maximus terminal.

Aures (aures.com) is a new company that impressed me. While the POS terminal and peripheral manufacturer has a proven history in Europe, NRF 2009 marks its first foray into the U.S. market. Kelly Jamison, Aures’ general manager, told me that the company will have its U.S. base in Denver. Aside from specifications that compare favorably to competing products, the company’s POSLIGNE equipment stands out visually due to available color trim and face plates and soft lines in the design. If you’ve got customers looking for POS equipment with trendy styling, check out Aures.

I stopped by the CognitiveTPG (cognitivetpg.com) booth where I caught a sneak peak at the company’s new printer designed for retail, healthcare, logistics, and work in progress applications. Expect to hear more in early Q2.

If you’ve got customers selling alcohol or tobacco, Datalogic Scanning (scanning.datalogic.com) released its new drivers’ license parsing applications (now part of Datalogic’s Aladdin software package that ships free with Datalogic scanners). The software allows users to selectively grab all or part of the information acquired by scanning the bar code on a driver’s license. The extracted information can then be used to autopopulate forms.