RetailNOW 2012 Spotlights Growth of SaaS Models And Mobility

At this year’s RetailNOW conference, developed by the Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA), the growth of consumer-grade devices, SaaS business models and mobile payment will come to the forefront, offering technology providers, resellers and end-users in retail and hospitality the education to thrive and survive. The event will take place July 29, 2012, to Aug. 1, 2012 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nev.

“Each year, RSPA’s goal is always to improve RetailNOW not only from an attendance factor but also improve the education, networking events and the EXPO floor,” said Joe Finizio, President and CEO of RSPA. “We take the lessons learned from the prior year’s show and add fresh ideas to address current issues affecting our members and industry.”

Within the last year, vast developments in IT products, such as iPads, iPhones and Android-based tablets and smartphones have ignited a “generational change among the retail technology reseller community,” Finizio explained. As a result, session themes during the conference will focus on the market need for organizations in the industry to “step up their game.”

“To be successful at addressing all of the changes taking place we’ll need good information, planning and execution,” Finizio reported. “Because merchants have become tech savvy and there is so much information on the Internet, retail technology providers can’t hack their way through business — they will not be successful. Today, you need to be on top of the industry addressed, the technology and the business needs or lose the customer.  In addition, there is a huge need for retail technology providers to be aware and involved in the retail transaction data security of merchants.”

Educational sessions and panels at RetailNOW will highlight hot topics in the retail industry within three key themes: Industry Business Vision, Technology Vision and Customer Vision. 

“For each of those main themes, we will have industry business leaders, technology leaders and a panel of customers to provide attendees with a view of the business, technology and end-users needs,” Finizio said. “The main sessions then are followed by several supporting breakout sessions.”

Sessions taking place at this year’s RetailNOW event include:

• “Profit and Thrive in the New Payments World”;
• “Rev Up your Recurring Revenue Engines”;
• “Marketing Plan Development and Execution”;
• “Mobile Payments: What Does it Mean for the Reseller Channel”;
• “How VARs Can Take Advantage of the SaaS Marketplace”; and
• “Obstacles and Benefits of the ‘As A Service’ Model for the POS Dealer.

The 2011 RetailNOW conference, which took place in Orlando, Fla., drew more than 1,400 attendees and 134 exhibitors, including hardware manufacturers, application solution providers, distributors, service providers and resellers. Due to this high demand, the RSPA expanded exposition space by 25% in February 2012. As of June 10 2012, EXPO Hall space has sold out, with more than 150 exhibitors presenting on the floor.

• conference
• education
• Joe Finizio
• Las Vegas
• Mandalay Bay
• Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
• mobile
• mobile payment
• mPOS
• POS
• President and CEO
• recurring revenue
• RetailNOW
• RSPA
• SaaS
• sessions
• VAR