Cisco announced the
availability of Cisco In-Store Mobility Solutions designed to help
transform retail store environments. The solutions are an important
first step in executing Cisco’s mobility vision, also announced today:
to deliver highly secure, manageable and extensible mobile solutions
that enable businesses to improve their operations and enhance the
consumer experience. These offerings are the latest in a series of
technology solutions that Cisco has unveiled for the retail industry
this year.
Cisco In-Store Mobility Solutions integrate Cisco Unified
Communications and wireless solutions with Cisco Services best
practices. The foundation of these solutions is the Cisco Unified
Wireless Network, which helps protect the store environment from
wireless threats, helps safeguard customer financial information, and
serves as the platform to deliver mobility applications to employees,
suppliers and customers, anywhere in the store. For retailers, there are
several compelling benefits of mobility solutions. First, the customer
experience is improved with easy access to information and self-service
capabilities. Also, operations can be streamlined by increasing employee
responsiveness, curbing inventory losses, reducing costs and creating
new revenue-generating opportunities.
“Retailers today are looking for ways to respond more quickly to
customer demands and improve collaboration among associates and
customers,” said Ed Jimenez, director of global retail industry
marketing at Cisco. “Retailers are looking for their infrastructures to
provide more than just wireless data connectivity: They are looking for
advanced mobile services such as voice, location capabilities, and the
delivery of rich media. Cisco’s In-Store Mobility Solutions make this
possible.”
Cisco In-Store Mobility Solutions comprise two offerings:
Cisco In-Store Mobile Voice: The Cisco In-Store Mobile Voice Solution
improves associate productivity and collaboration by combining Cisco
Unified Communications and the Cisco Unified Wireless Network to deliver
mobile voice and data applications through Cisco Unified Wireless IP
Phone 7921G handsets and a variety of other devices from Cisco partners.
New, highly secure mobile technologies are enabling retailers to provide
their store employees with a greater ability to quickly access
information and collaborate with their co-workers without having to
leave the sales floor. At the same time, and over the same wireless
infrastructure, integrated unified communications and innovative
applications are delivering mobility solutions that help customers build
new connections between people, places and things. With the Berbee
PushToTalk application, employees are able to immediately communicate
with other associates and managers, adding the convenience of a
walkie-talkie function to a Cisco Unified Wireless IP Phone system.
“Delivering excellent customer service at any location within the
store, not just at the checkout, is a key focus for Dick’s Sporting
Goods,” said Tim Dorsch, the company’s network infrastructure manager.
“By using mobile technologies such as voice over wireless local-area
networks, we can improve responsiveness to customer demands and in most
cases resolve requests without ever leaving the customer.”
Cisco In-Store Personal Shopper: The Cisco In-Store Mobile Personal
Shopper combines the Cisco Unified Wireless Network and the MediaCartTM
solution to produce an interactive shopping cart with a video display
that enables customer self-service at the point of choice. Retailers can
deliver promotions, shopping lists, real-time price checking and store
navigation capabilities directly to the display.
MediaCart, built on Cisco
technology, uses passive radio frequency
identification sensors (provided by ThingMagic) to determine in real
time a customer’s location and deliver targeted point-of-choice
advertising to the shopping cart at points where featured products are
located. MediaCart data analyses provide valuable information to
retailers, including real-time performance reports about optimal
messages and customer buying patterns. This information gives retailers
and vendors insight into which advertisements are effective and allows
them to change promotions at any time.
“Retailers are turning to technology to help establish more direct
connections with their customers,” said Steve Carpenter, CEO of Media
Cart Holdings. “The Cisco and MediaCart solution cuts through the
clutter of in-store media to deliver personalized content to the
shopper, providing a unique opportunity for retailers to influence
buying behavior at the point of choice and improve customer loyalty.”
Cisco In-Store Mobility Solutions operate on the Cisco Intelligent
Retail Network, enabling retailers to quickly implement strategies that
create a unique consumer experience and differentiate their brands. By
deploying a solid infrastructure and advanced technologies, retailers
can better sense and respond to individual customers’ needs. Built on
the Cisco Service-Oriented Network Architecture framework, a Cisco
Intelligent Retail Network provides a reliable, flexible and highly
secure platform for delivering the capabilities needed to compete in the
world of connected consumers.
