Michael Abbene, Product Specialist
October 26, 2017
The impact of the Millennial Generation on retail services and technologies, the increasing importance of data and analytics, potential new federal legislation, and other trends shaping the independent grocery market were discussed at the recent BRdata World conference. Grocers also learned about the latest solutions from BRdata and other software companies that are available or being developed to meet grocer’s evolving needs.
Attendees at the technology-focused conference participated in sessions hosted by industry experts and peers on topics such as data and store analytics, e-commerce integration, digital coupon distribution, markdowns, automated ordering, cloud reporting, organic/natural product integration, and more. During the breakout sessions customers showed a strong interest in utilizing BRdata to efficiently manage inventory, DSD, price optimization, computer generated ordering, and AD planning.
New York University professor, John O’Malley, also spoke about the importance to grocers of positioning their business to delight a multi-generational consumer base. During his session he stressed the importance of companies asking themselves: why do we exist as an enterprise, who is our customer, what do they value, how do we measure if we met their expectations or not, and how do we create more customers. The event’s agenda is developed by the BRdata User Group.
Another common theme amongst attendees was that access to data and store analytics is increasingly important to stay competitive while maintaining margins. BRdata’s rapidly growing set of cloud reports and dashboard features allows retailers to stay ahead of the data analytics curve.
The release of the first version of the BRdata Store App later this year was also announced. This first iteration of this application contains Grind Log and Markdown functionality. Future iterations will contain additional store functionality. With this application, users will now be able to create and print markdowns on the fly then instantly switch over to auditing or entering meat grind activities. Additionally, this application enables users to easily stream the BRdata webinars.
Nick Minnick from Quotient (Coupons.com) discussed the targeting of digital coupons based on consumer purchase patterns and store availability. This functionality will be ready to be added to BRdata consumer applications in the next couple months.
“The retail industry, particularly grocery, is rapidly changing. Customers expect services and conveniences that did not exist even two years ago. Retailers must adapt quickly or lose out to competitors,” said John Abbene, President, BRdata. “It’s an exciting time with new technology and analytics that grocers can utilize to enhance, monitor and continually improve the customer experience and the efficiency and effectiveness of their operations. BRdata World serves as a forum for grocers, wholesalers and vendors to share their perspectives and best practices for success in today’s dynamic market.”
BRdata offers an extensive range of back-office software solutions and cloud capabilities at an affordable monthly cost, including:
- BRdata Cloud: enables grocers to track financials, item movement, basket analysis, loyalty and competitive pricing
- BRdata Connect: a branded consumer app that allows retailers to engage directly with consumers through a variety of features, such as recipes, targeted deals, store locator and push notifications
- BRdata Collect: an e-commerce service that allows customers to order groceries online
- BRdata Back Office: An enterprise back-office solution for wholesalers, retailers and grocery store chains
Attendees heard about the latest features and functionalities from BRdata, as well as other vendor partners including DUMAC (RORC), Retail Technologies, Inc., CipherLab, Millennium Digital Technologies, ShoptoCook, WorldPay, FMS Solutions, Invatron Systems, Lone Peak Labeling Systems, and Seagull Scientific (BarTender).
New Morning Market, a gourmet local, organic food market in Woodbury, Connecticut, was among the independent grocers attending the conference. An IT manager from New Morning Market commented, “I was very encouraged and excited by the new developments made by BRdata and the direction the company is going in.”
“It was very helpful to network with other retailers and share knowledge about how they are utilizing BRdata solutions,” added another attendee. “I have taken a lot of information away from my first BRdata World conference which I hope to implement at our organization.”