Magazine: A visit to the store of the future

Our magazine set up its Future Store stand for the fifth time at the Sirha Budapest trade show between 9 and 11 May 2016. On 400m² a wide range of brand new products, sales supporting tools and services were presented, and the majority of these made their debut here. Let’s now see what these were! In the future shoppers will arrive to the store in electric cars. Two models were displayed in the parking lot of the Future Store: the Peugeot iOn can go 150km with just one charging and by using a rapid charger the battery can be charged to 80 percent in half an hour. The Citroën Berlingo Electric can go 170km with a single charging and its storage space is 3.73m³. Still in the parking lot visitors could see the INTERTON Group’s IVS speaker that ensures optimal speech understanding in acoustically difficult spaces (where there is a lot of echoing, such as large halls, churches, swimming pools, airports, etc.).

Shoppers could enter the shop through door made by Swiss company RECORD. Their doors can be found in many places, from retail outlets to office building to hotels and restaurants. The glass surface of the doors can go from transparent to non-transparent at the push of a button. Upon entering customers also had to pass through WANZL’s automatically opening eGate, which also has an alarm function in case someone wants to exit the shop through the gate using force. The eGate can also be used to count shoppers for visitor data. Another new solution was the anti-theft system integrated into the gate: it uses radio-frequency (RF) and acousto-magnetic (AM) technology to protect goods, while the side walls can be decorated in accordance with the retailer’s needs.

Once inside the store, shoppers could choose from several types of Wanzl baskets and shopping trolleys to start their shopping tour with. In the Future Store TOMRA installed their latest bottle return vending machine, which not only takes back bottles with deposit on them but also PET bottles, aluminium cans and Tetra Pak drink cartons. The machine is very fast as 60 items can be returned in a minute. On the receipt that shoppers get there is a QR code, which customers can scan for monitoring how much they have already done for the environment by returning bottles.

Fresh products always attract consumers in a store, but it does matter a lot how they are presented. By using the modular baked goods offering system Wanzl BakeOff, shop owners can be sure that customers will be lured by the delicious breads and rolls. The shelves can be filled with products both from the front and the back, and the system is easy to clean, too. With the help of Sanodor Kft.’s Brandaroma product, perfectly realistic and delicious fresh bread smell will fill the air in even those stores where there is no bakery. Sanodor also brought their unbreakable Rubbermaide waste bins the store of the future. Wanzl’s YourTable multifunctional table range is perfect for selling food and non-food products alike. In the Future Store it was used to present the high-quality fresh fruits and vegetables of the Vitamin Szalon franchise. It was also here that Bizerba showcased their new, self-service, 15” touchscreen scales, which are combined with a light that starts flashing when the machine runs out of paper to print on.

Walking towards the deli counter visitors came across the Sága Foods Zrt. stand, where the company introduced the biggest sensation of 2015: Snacki & GO! mini turkey wieners are sold in a plastic cup. They can eaten cold or heated in a microwave oven. Having tasted the delicious mini wieners, the fun continued at the eisberg Hungary Kft. stand. The convenience salad and dressing specialist’s latest innovation is Tokaj Dressing – a product range produced using balsamic vinegar made from Tokaj Furmint wine. All dressings are free from preservatives, flavour enhancers, added sugar and artificial aromas; plus they can also be consumed by those sensitive to gluten and lactose.

Visitors of the Future Store moved on to get an insight into the world of Bizerba. One of the company’s latest innovations is a tablet computer displayed in front of the deli counter, on which shoppers can see the data from the scales, and learn about their ingredients and select the products they wish to buy in advance. The new VSC Flex slicer also measures the product while slicing. K-Flex is the new Bizerba PC-based scales that are fully integrated into the counter. Justice Security was present in the store of the future to introduce their ­POSeidon system: it matches camera images with textual information from scales and cash registers in a database, so that when there is some kind of suspicious transaction by shop assistants, all store managers need to do is search the database for what exactly happened. Still in the deli counter zone, Sanodor Kft. placed their sensor-operated hand disinfectant dispenser, which ensures that those working behind the deli counter always serve customers with clean hands. The company also brought another solution, called PROZONE, which uses ozone molecules to do away with bad smell in-store (e.g. in the cheese or fish section).

It was also in the future store that ABB’s smallest-ever industrial robot made its debut. It was serving soft drinks to shoppers. The 25kg robot can lift 3kg of weight and its arm stretches at a distance of 580mm. Those shoppers who got a bit hungry again, now had the chance to taste Kométa products from the deli counter. Kométa’s sales exceeded HUF 30 billion last year and they employ 700 people. Kométa products are of superb quality, they are soy- and gluten-free, plus some of them are lactose- and milk protein-free as well.

At the next stop the global market leader in simple and secure payment solutions, Ingenico Group presented how digital advertising displays can be turned into secure contactless payment terminals. Developed by Ingenico Labs and recently acquired startup Think&Go, the new solution is perfect for busy places such as shopping centres or airports – the Connected Screen opens a new trading channel for retailers.

Before doing any more shopping in the Future Store, it was time for a coffee break. NESCAFÉ® DolceGusto® is all about innovation, no matter whether we talk about coffee machines or capsules. Since the end of 2015 the Drop coffee machine has been available in Hungary – this device is equipped with a touchscreen.

From 2016 NESCAFÉ 3in1 is available in several limited edition versions, such as Warmy Caramel in the spring and Coconut Dream in the summer. Boci chocolate’s new Boci Nasi products, Maggi 2in1 bases and Maggi’s premium cream soups could also be found on the shelves. One of Nestlé’s latest innovations is Nestlé OATS, but various versions of Nestlé Corn Flakes, including the new Choco product were also displayed. Nestlé Professional products target the public sector catering and the Horeca channels, plus the Nescafé Alegria and Milano hot beverage machines also belong here. In the infant nutrition category the company offers the Nestlé BEBA PRO infant formula range – these products are made with the new-generation OPTIPRO protein.

Visitors then moved on to the stand of Fruitful-Company Kft. They distribute Almdudler, Orangina and Spezi in the Hungarian market. In the store of the future prices were indicated using ­Szintézis Zrt.’s PRICER electronic shelf labels. These labels use two-way communication, giving feedback on a label’s status or on the successful updating of prices. Preston Trade Center’s mobile software makes the work of FMCG product sales reps easier, especially when they have to work away from their office. Tchibo Budapest Kft. launched the Black&White brand in September 2015. This coffee is available in 250g and 1kg, 100g instant and capsule versions.

Living Surface is a 2m wide screen that is capable of displaying images in two layers, e.g. the ‘upper’ layer is controlled by the movement of shoppers’ hands, while the ‘lower’ layer is an image or video footage – this time the device was used to advertise Coca-Cola’s Taste of ­Feeling campaign. 2015 was the year of great changes for Coca-Cola as they changed product sizes, to make them fit better with various consumption occasions, while the 0.33-litre can got an exciting new design, targeting teenage consumers. Another Interton solution, the Digital Display Cabinet was also installed in the Coca-Cola corner: products can be placed inside, while the front of the cabinet is actually a Full HD display on which various contents can run.

ICO is the biggest office supplies manufacturer in Hungary and in Central and Eastern Europe. They brought a special version of the legendary Moleskine notebook and a device called Smart Pen with them. The pen can be used to take notes in the notebook, and the handwritten text is automatically transmitted to a tablet computer and can be edited, shared or sent as an e-mail. As customers moved on, they came across Instore Bit’s new solution: the company has combined its Instore Bit iBOX and iMESH solutions to analyse the faces of customers who enter the store, doing automatic, real-time and anonymous data collection. Visitors of the Future Store then reached the shelves that were full of Henkel products. This was also the place where Brandbank demonstrated how their Merchandising Exchange service can be used – combining their own product database with Nielsen’s Spaceman software – to create planograms digitally. At the moment Henkel sells a stunning 600 SKUs in Hungary and on the shelves store visitors could also see new products such as the Fa Fruit Me Up range, Palette Intensive Color Creme hair dyes and the Essence Ultime & Styliste Ultime product line, the fruit of cooperation between Schwarzkopf and Claudia Schiffer.

Swedish group SCA has been the manufacturer and distributor of premium quality and innovative Zewa paper products since 1995. This year their new product is 4-layer scented toilet paper Zewa Almond Milk. Those who saw the movie Avatar could relive the experience in the booth set up by viaFlora: their patented idea Flavatar is living plants that glow in the dark. How do they do it? Their surface is treated with a 100-percent vegetable based liquid, thanks to which they can be charged with natural or artificial light to glow for 4-5 hours in the dark.

Stepping out of this magical world the customers of the Future Store found themselves in front of Nestlé Purina’s interactive installation. This can help pet owners understand the difference between various pet foods, so that they can select the best ones for their little favourites. Interton’s HyperSound parametric speakers can be used to create private sound zones in large spaces – one can step into and out of these.

Shoppers knew that the tour was coming to an end when they reached the checkout of the Future Store. This was the place where Laurel showcased their eReceipt: by using this solution customers can store their receipt on their smartphones, therefore they can always find them (this can be of great help when there are warranty issues). Master Clean has been providing cleaning and maintenance services to partners for more than 12 years. Szent György Security Solutions is a specialist of security and safety management services. When leaving the store of the future, visitors got a bottle of Almdudler and a gift from Zewa. Next to the store they could see one more thing: the second generation model of Opel Movano Food Trucks – an ideal solution for those who wish to sell food from a mobile unit.