UAE Capital to Host First Smart Stores Expo for Suppliers to the Middle East Retail Industry in January of 2017, with 25% of Exhibitors Looking to Meet with owners of Consumer Electronics stores
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
New store owners in the UAE prioritise well trained staff, with another 24% giving importance to back office hardware and software, as factors that are most essential for day-to-day retail operations.
These finding are part of a survey conducted by Virtual Info Systems (VIS), as they announce the launch of the first Smart Stores Expo (SSE), in Abu Dhabi in January 2017, a dedicated exhibition for suppliers to the regions booming retail industry. The survey also found that 18% of store owners place importance in ERP and Merchandise management, with POS systems at 17% and logistics at 15%.
The survey of potential exhibitors shows that 15% are looking to promote their retail security solutions, supply chain and logistics suppliers stood at 11%. Retail design and fabrication suppliers are at 10%, followed by furniture and fittings at 9%, and signage at 8%. Other suppliers for lighting, POS software, storage solutions and signage are also in the mix for participation at first Smart Stores Expo exhibition.
“Smart Stores Expo is designed in such a way that it will cater to all aspects of the retail industry, here in the region including providers of smart products, services, equipment & solutions to existing as well as new businesses. The idea for the exhibition came up as we identified a gap in the market when we realized that it would benefit the industry to have all the suppliers in one place. This means a new entrant into the market need not run in multiple directions trying to set up a venture.”
“The UAE has been found to be the 8th most-popular global location among international retailers, the highest in the Middle East. This also makes it one of the most lucrative regional markets for foreign investors. With retail sales, according to xxx expected to reach USD 284.5 billion by 2018, the need to meet the growing demand for consumer goods has led to a boom in planned shopping mall developments here,” added Jayaraman Nair, Chairman – VIS Exhibitions and Conferences.
Talking to new store owners, virtual merchandising was a priority for 35%, whereas the size of the store stood at 27%. Layout was a priority for 23 percent of new owners, whereas signage and display was at 10%, and wall coverings at 5%.
25% of the suppliers also wanted to meet consumer electronics stores owners, and 23 % preferred supermarkets and hypermarkets. Preference for Pharmacy and Jewellery store owners stood at 12% each, and department stores at 18%. There were preferences for owners of fashion stores, convenience shops, and grocery stores.
Other preferred visitors that potential suppliers wanted to meet were store owners at 27%, and purchase managers at 24%. Preference for design consultants, and IT managers was at 21% each, and franchisees managers and start up SME’s account for the rest.
Smart Stores Expo 2017 is categorically designed to offer 4 broad categories of exhibitors’ profile: Smart Store Design, Smart Store Technologies, Smart Store Services and Smart Virtual Stores. This broadly means that A to Z solutions ranging from Architecture, Commercial Design, Audio Visual Equipment to Retail Logistics & Store Simulations will be addressed at the expo.
This expo itself is a networking platform, and the Conference area and the Business Lounge provide space for holistic networking sessions. Participating exhibitors can also maximise mileage as part of the extensive marketing campaigns being carried out by the organizers of the Smart Stores Expo.
Exhibitors will be part of their social media campaigns, monthly newsletters & press releases, business matchmaking sessions along with pre-event coverage in industry publications. This can be leveraged as a platform for parallel or future marketing activities too.
Smart Stores Expo is an ideal platform for investors to launch, showcase & present their latest innovations, services and products; along with meeting industry peers, building brand awareness and meeting prospective clients. Both exhibitors and visitors will have a unique opportunity to stay up-to-date with emerging trends in the dynamic retail industry, locally, regionally, and globally.
As the dynamics of running a retail store evolves, owners now have to get out there and keep track of industry trends and this expo seeks to serve that purpose, by being a one-stop-retail solutions providing the latest in technology, trends & equipment.
Smart Store Expo will be held from 23-25th January 2017, at ADNEC (Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company).
