The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) RECon Convention in Las Vegas was loud (packed to the rafters loud) and clear proof of Retail’s comeback. Even the mannequins’ eyes, in front of Jones Lang LaSalle’s booth, were smiling. Actually store mannequins eyes now provide the lenses for Facial Recognition Technology that links your face to your profile so retailers can offer you exactly what you want. The secret to success behind all of this? Tech-savvy Property Management (no wonder we see tech jobs increasing on our Job Network) that can integrate all the wireless across a company’s Shopping Center locations. They can then direct customers to the stores that not only stock the trend they have been reading about in the Shopping Center’s marketing, but have the trending item in stock, in their size, and at the right price. Some are even offering to bring the item to your car. Alibaba made a splash with Facial Recognition Technology earlier this year with a technology called Smile to Pay that will use facial recognition to replace passwords. (Imagine not having to remember passwords!) As many in our industry ponder the ROI of Social Media, the Retail sector is using profiles to increase loyalty, and better yet… sales.
May 20, 2015