5 Key Trends Noted at NRF 2022: Retail's Big Show

Automation, crypto, frictionless store experiences, e-commerce and safety/security are among top priorities

Even a cursory trip around the show floor was enough to reveal a breathtaking range of solutions to help retailers, from sourcing of products to the in-store customer experience, and all points in between. Following are five particularly noteworthy trends observed at NRF 2022: Retail's Big Show:

Automation Rules: This one was pretty obvious, from the sheer number of such solutions in evidence at the show, including Locus Robotics' "co-bots," designed to work alongside humans in fulfillment warehouses, zipping around the company's display area; AutoStore's grid-based picking system, also being demoed; Avidbots' state-of-the-art robotic floor cleaner; and Ottonomy, whose proprietary technology enables fully autonomous curbside and last-mile delivery, reducing retail's carbon footprint, to name just a few.

Crypto is Coming: With all of the buzz surrounding cryptocurrency, particularly Bitcoin, of late, it's only natural that retailers would increasingly be looking into crypto as a payment option for consumers, and tech companies are meeting that need. Atlanta-based NCR, for example, recently acquired cryptocurrency software provider LibertyX, which enables customers the ability to buy and sell cryptocurrency, conduct cross-border remittance, and accept digital currency payments across digital and physical channels. NCR will use its Pay360 platform to offer the LibertyX capabilities as part of its solutions for banks, retailers and restaurants.

Frictionless is Here to Stay: Although Amazon's much-touted Just Walk Out technology predated the pandemic, there's no doubt that consumers' enthusiasm for quick, convenient, contactless shopping experiences skyrocketed during the age of COVID-19. Of course, once consumers discover an easier way of doing anything, that becomes the expectation, and retail tech must rise to the occasion. Other retailers to explore such technology include Ahold Delhaize USA, Giant Eagle, and Hy-Vee at its fuel stations and convenience stores.

Evolution of E-Commerce / Safe and Secure progressivegrocer.com

In Case You Missed It: The D&D Daily's NRF Big Show Recap (published on Jan. 19)
 

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Retailers & Law Enforcement Grapple with ORC Surge
Retailers, Officials Seek Solutions to Leap in Shoplifting and Organized Theft

Risks and threats of mall or store violence and shooting incidents are growing for retailers compared to five years ago, according to a NRF survey.

Already burdened with shipping delays, employment issues, inflation and ongoing worries over COVID-19, retailers are increasingly concerned about upticks in thefts and, more importantly, how to curb the behavior.

Factors like understaffed stores, employee theft, the abundance of online marketplaces to unload stolen merchandise, increasingly sophisticated criminals, lenient penalties and a collective anger among some have ratcheted up theft concerns in certain cities.

While shoplifting has been part of doing business for generations of stores, the problem with theft now - including shoplifting and organized retail crime - is not only that it's costly, but it has led law enforcement officials to caution that it can fund other crimes, such as the drug trade.

As for the root cause of such thefts, he speculated about the proliferation of online marketplaces that makes selling stolen merchandise easier. "Certainly, technology has enhanced criminal activities in so many ways," he said.

Now that thresholds have been raised in the majority of U.S. states, and overburdened police and prosecutor resources are looking to reduce their involvement in petty-level crimes. Many vendors and software developers are creating products to help address shoplifting and other problems, he said. Retailers are taking a closer look at point-of-sale analytics and point-of-sale data mining. Adopting fingerprint technology, for example, is among the undertakings.

Protecting the safety of employees is something that weighs heavily on retailers, he said. Companies are putting together training programs so that staffers know how to deal with such circumstances to know firsthand what company policies are and how to respond. From Matthews' standpoint, people fail to understand the quantum of the impact of shoplifting.

While technologies are being developed and retailers are trying new practices to try to improve the situation, Matthews said creating legislation that would aid federal, state and local agencies with information sharing, more funding for policing stores and additional resources to target and root out organized retail crime and their involvement in loss and shoplifting are needed. finance.yahoo.com

Retailers & Businesses Scared & Blaming Manhattan DA's Soft-n-Crime Policies
NYC business leaders grill Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg over soft-on-crime policies

City business honchos grilled Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in a virtual meeting Friday - with some blaming his soft-on-crime policies for contributing to fears that the Big Apple is growing unsafe.

Joe Ucuzogly, CEO of Deloitt USA, said his company's employees are shaken after senior manager Michelle Go was killed when she was randomly pushed into the path of an oncoming subway train in Times Square less than a week ago, sources said.

Ucuzogly asked the DA if the city will be working to make the subways safer, sources said.

A retailer also told Bragg that crime is so bad in New York City that he's installing the same type of security here that is used in his stores in violence-wracked Caracas, Venezuela, sources said.

"The tone is [New York City] is lawless, and his memo empowers lawlessness," a caller said, referring to the memorandum Bragg recently issued directing his office to take a lenient approach to prosecutions by dropping some misdemeanor cases and not seeking bail or prison time in a host of others.

In the roughly hourlong meeting with Bragg and the lobbying group Partnership for New York City, about 30 people spoke - with many saying they and their employees were scared as concerns mount that the city is heading in the wrong direction.

Speakers flung questions at Bragg, who has been under scrutiny since taking office for what critics say is a lenient approach to prosecutions that keeps dangerous criminals on the street.

Bragg told the group that his office won't tolerate violent crime, violence against police officers and gun possession. But the DA didn't back away from his theme of social justice, saying that must be balanced with public safety. nypost.com

New Florida Theft Bill
Florida lawmakers cracking down on smash and grab robberies
High-end smash and grab robberies are plaguing retailers across the county and here in Florida, where a high-end handbag retailer in Palm Beach lost $1.5 million in merchandise in December alone.

As Capitol News Service reporter Mike Vasilinda tells us, state lawmakers may soon require online merchants to know more about who is selling on their platforms. The Florida Retail Federation says organized retail theft is skyrocketing in Florida.

"69% increase across the board, and it's not just big-box retailers. It's all retail. And these are organized entities. This is not shoplifting," says Florida Retail CEO Scott Shalley.

Senate Bill 944 would require eBay and other middlemen between remote sellers and buyers to verify identities and contact information for anyone who sells more than $20,000 a year on a platform. Senator Dennis Baxley is sponsoring the bill.

"Registration of the marketplaces online will allow us to detect stolen merchandise much quicker," Baxley said.

Walgreens and Home Depot voiced support. eBay lobbyist Jim Daughton asked lawmakers to wait for a federal solution. "Obviously we prefer the federal bill to pass," said Daughton. But a Senate committee decided the state couldn't wait for something that might not happen at all.

Following the vote, Baxley told Capitol News Service, "Florida is leading the way. We're saying we're not going to tolerate that. We're going to interrupt the sales process."

Think of this online registry as a traditional pawn shop that collects information about who is selling what and often recovers stolen property. The Florida Retail Federation believes the registry will get results. Online facilitators who don't follow the law could face fines of up to $10,000. The law is set to take effect in July. But eBay says they'd like more time if it passes. wctv.tv

   RELATED: Senate bill to crack down on organized retail theft in Florida

DA Takes on Newsom as Calif. Crime Surges
Gavin Newsom's crime comments ripped by California DA

Newsom, a Democrat, praised three state laws, claiming they've helped reduce crime -- but Fresno County DA Lisa Smittcamp was having none of it

California Gov. Gavin Newsom faced some sharp criticism Wednesday after appearing to accuse police and prosecutors of not holding criminals to account. Lisa Smittcamp, district attorney in Fresno County, claimed Newsom "should be ashamed of himself" for remarks he made earlier in the day, FOX 26 reported.

Newsom's comments came after he praised three state laws, claiming they had helped reduce crime in the state: Proposition 47, which downgraded some felonies to misdemeanors; Proposition 57, which reduced prison sentences; and Assembly Bill 109, which shifted detainees from state prisons to local jails, FOX 26 of Fresno reported.

But California has seen a surge in high-profile crimes in recent months, including "smash and grab" thefts at major department stores up and down the state, and shocking murders - including the "follow home" slaying of Beverly Hills philanthropist Jacqueline Avant on Dec. 1 and the brutal stabbing death of UCLA graduate student Brianna Kupfer at a store in Los Angeles last Thursday.

Smittcamp, who has been district attorney in Fresno County since 2015, claimed the Brown-era laws were having no discernable impact on reducing crime, FOX 26 reported. She accused the governor of trying to "destroy law enforcement" by "weakening our laws."

"If he thinks that shoplifting is down, and all of his rhetoric about Prop 47 and the success of it is simply just a lie," the district attorney said, according to FOX 26. "They've caused such a disrespect for the law by weakening our system, by weakening our laws. Newsom has tried to destroy law enforcement, so for him to sit here and say that he wants a more local effort put forth is so offensive to me, because he is the person who is letting these dangerous criminals out of prison on parole left and right." foxnews.com

DOJ Declares 'All Hands On Deck' Initiative to Stop Violence Ravaging Philly
Feds Step-Up Focused Effort to Deter Violent Crime in Philadelphia
As Part of All Hands on Deck Initiative, U.S. Attorney's Office Secures Indictments Against Delaware Man Accused in FDR Park Carjacking and Against Philadelphia Felon for Attempted Armed Robbery and Shooting of Convenience Store Owner, and Obtains Lengthy Prison Sentence for Drug and Firearms Trafficker.

United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced a series of updates on violent crime cases being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, as the Office continues to emphasize its All Hands On Deck initiative which brings together federal law enforcement and agency partners to tackle the serious violent crime problem in the City of Philadelphia.

When I announced the All Hands On Deck initiative in April 2021, I vowed that we would do all we could to stop the violence ravaging our city and support the Philadelphia Police Department in its work," said U.S. Attorney Williams.

And with more than 30 homicides so far in just the first 20 days of the year, our diligence and commitment to this work comes at a critically important time." justice.gov

Independence, Missouri to crack down on shopping cart thefts, littering
Independence leaders passed an ordinance Monday night cracking down on what they call "a major concern" for the city, shopping carts littering the streets and sidewalks.

Lawrence Jones on nationwide crime spike: DAs put criminals before actual victims

Progressive NYPD critics sing a different tune after rookie cop is slain


LA's 'Wild West' of Rail Theft

DA Blames Railroad Company for Rail Theft Surge
Los Angeles, CA: DA Gascón says Union Pacific doesn't adequately protect cargo
A day after Gov. Gavin Newsom toured a stretch of Union Pacific rail tracks in Los Angeles littered with the remains of looted packages, L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón said the railroad doesn't do enough to ensure its trains are adequately locked and protected. In a letter to UP General Director of Public Affairs Adrian Guerrero, the district attorney said that the Los Angeles Police Department has determined that

"UP does little to secure or lock trains and has significantly decreased law enforcement staffing. It is very telling that other major railroad operations in the area are not facing the same level of theft at their facilities as UP."

Guerrero wrote to the DA's office last month, suggesting that Gascón's decision to dismisses certain misdemeanors such as trespassing has resulted in a spike in railway container theft that cost UP an estimated $5 million. According to UP statistics, train container theft increased by 160% from 2020 to 2021 in L.A. County, with more than 90 containers broken into every day on average.

Gascón said Friday that his office recently conducted a review of cases submitted for filing consideration over the last three years in which UP is listed as a victim and found that the number actually dropped in 2021.

In 2019, 78 cases were presented for filing; in 2020, 56 cases were presented for filing; and in a "sharp decline," 47 such cases involving UP were presented for filing consideration last year, Gascón wrote, with over half of those filed by the DA's office for prosecution.

The charges filed included both felony and misdemeanor offenses alleging burglary, theft, and receiving stolen property, the DA wrote: "Of the 20 cases that were declined for filing, 10 were not filed due to the insufficiency of the evidence presented to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, which is our ethical standard to file a criminal case," according to Gascón. spectrumnews1.com

U.S. Congress Responds to LA's Organized Rail Theft
 - Asks U.S. AG For Federal Assistance
A group of Republican U.S. Representatives on Thursday sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland calling for federal assistance in cracking down on thefts that have disrupted the supply chain.

The California Highway Patrol said it was expanding its own retail theft task force that will allow it to beef up patrols and better coordinate with police, the sheriff's department and Union Pacific's security force. Union Pacific and other railroad firms employ their own police forces accredited by the state to protect its rail lines. police1.com

Newsom Unveils Effort To Fight Theft Of LA Railroad Cargo
The governor described a multi-agency effort to clean up the rail lines and recent multi-agency efforts launched to prevent the thievery and hold perpetrators accountable.

The 'weakest link in the supply chain': Thieves looting LA trains like the Wild West

See more coverage of LA's train theft surge in the Jan. 18 Daily

Facial Recognition, Gait Recognition, Voice Recognition & Heart Rate Analysis
Sounds like regulations are coming

Industry, civil society weigh in on biometrics policy in letters to White House

Oosto, Clearview, NYCLU, SIIA, ITIC, academics

Stakeholders and advocates are chiming in with responses to a U.S. government request for information on public and private sector uses of biometrics, providing a snapshot of a social dialogue straining against the inertia of misunderstanding and self-interest.

The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) posted the RFI in October to gather information on "past deployments, proposals, pilots, or trials, and current use of biometric technologies" for identity verification, identification, and attribute inferencing.

When comments closed over the weekend, submissions had been made by various stakeholder groups. A somewhat optimistic review might conclude that opinion is converging at least around the need for clear definitions, the value being provided by NIST's efforts and the need for more federal government action. biometricupdate.com

Notice of Request for Information (RFI) on Public and Private Sector Uses of Biometric Technologies

A Notice by the Science and Technology Policy Office on 10/08/2021 Closed on 1/15/2022

The purpose of this RFI is to understand the extent and variety of biometric technologies in past, current, or planned use; the domains in which these technologies are being used; the entities making use of them; current principles, practices, or policies governing their use; and the stakeholders that are, or may be, impacted by their use or regulation. OSTP encourages input on both public and private sector use cases. federalregister.gov

Walmart mandates RFID tracking for home goods-opening up potential marketing opportunities

Better accuracy for online pickup and delivery is current impetus, but giant retailer's RFID push opens other future marketing applications

Walmart is mandating all home goods products carry radio frequency identification (RFID) tags by September 2, and projects it will extend the mandate to more categories over time, in a major expansion of a tracking technology that appeared all but dead only a few years ago.

The full-on embrace of RFID by the biggest U.S. retailer brings large new swaths of product categories into the so-called "internet of things." That could eventually spawn new marketing, analytics and research capabilities-particularly in studying in-store behavior or enabling touchless checkouts.

But for now the move is aimed at improving Walmart's supply-chain efficiency by making it easier to track items everywhere they go in stores, which has become a much greater concern as the retailer's curbside pickup and Walmart+ delivery businesses grow.

In a recent memo to suppliers, Walmart said it's been implementing product-level RFID tags on apparel over the past year and now is expanding that to home goods, including kitchen and dining products, home décor, bath and shower, bedding, furniture, and storage and organization products. The memo also suggests more categories will have similar mandates over time. adage.com

A Pandemic of Resignations
You Quit. I Quit. We All Quit. And It's Not a Coincidence.

Why the decision to leave a job can become contagious.

Something infectious is spreading through the work force. Its symptoms present in a spate of two-week notices. Its transmission is visible in real time. And few bosses seem to know how to inoculate their staff against this quitagion.

Quitting rates were high in August, September and October. Then, according to Labor Department data, they climbed even further: More than 4.5 million people left their jobs voluntarily in November, a record high in two decades of tracking.

Economists explained the numbers by noting that competition for workers led to better pay and benefits, driving some to seek out new opportunities. Psychologists have an additional explanation: Quitting is contagious.

When workers weigh whether to jump jobs, they don't just assess their own pay, benefits and career development. They look around and take note of how friends feel about the team culture. When one employee leaves, the departure signals to others that it might be time to take stock of their options, what researchers call "turnover contagion."

So quitting begets more quitting, a challenge that employers can't always solve with raises or perks. Even a single resignation notice can breed a "hot spot," said Will Felps, who teaches management at the University of New South Wales and was an author of a study of turnover contagion. nytimes.com

These 14 Retailers Lead the Way in Returns
However, just 14% of retailers were considered leaders in returns, according to Incisiv, which assessed top retailers' returns capabilities and experiences across four key areas: product content and digital experience, returns policy and information, returns and refund process, and 360-degree service.

The assessment, dubbed the 2022 Omnichannel Returns Benchmark Index, puts 14 retailers out in front:

Returns have come under the spotlight after digital orders across the retail industry accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, 10.6%, or $428 billion, of all retail trade was attributed to returns--and returns are expected to grow in 2022 and beyond.

For retailers, the returns experience is important for the customer experience. A whopping 95% of consumers said a poor returns experience will make them less likely to shop from a brand again. Flexible return policies are important to customers and have helped the returns leaders assess higher. However, only 26% of retailers in the index have return windows over 60 days, found Incisvi, which conducted the index in partnership with Appriss Retail. The apparel category leads the industry for flexibility, as all assessed retailers allowed online orders to be returned in store and 90% allowed replacements or exchanges.

The retail industry understands that returns are a normal part of doing business, but there are other ways to improve the issue. Only 20% of retailers in the report have chat agents who can help shoppers initiate returns, and 3% allow shoppers to return items curbside. There are other solutions that can improve the rate of returns as well, including allowing shoppers to modify their online orders. Only 60% of retailers allow shoppers to cancel an order before it ships, and only 16% allow order modifications.

In addition, not all retailers have good data around their returns, including why they occur and whether a specific instance of return is good or bad for business, Incisiv noted in its report.

"Retailers must rethink returns as an integral part of their business strategy," said Steve Prebble, president of Appriss Retail. "Retail is dealing with an influx of returned items; now is the time to stop thinking of returns as a cost of doing business and begin to view them as a time to really engage with your consumers." retailleader.com

Nation's Largest Retail & Entertainment Complex "Mall of America' Has 10 New Tenants
The 5.6 million-sq.-ft. Mall of America features more than 520, retail stores and restaurants and a host of attractions, including Nickelodeon Universe and a 7-acre indoor theme park.

Here's the 10:

Kohl's Gets $9 Billion Bid From Starboard Value Group


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