A Look Back at RILA AP 2015

By: Adam Creamer, Agilence Inc.

Yet another RILA Asset Protection show is behind us and I must admit, it is one of the best shows we've ever had. Traffic to the booth was great, retailers were very engaging and upbeat the entire show, and the sessions were all grounded in current trends and practices that nearly every attendee could relate to. After attending a few sessions and speaking with some retailers I noticed that three different themes were taking shape this year: flexibility, analytics, and collaboration.

The analytics discussion seemed to be at the core of every conversation taking place. Each session mentioned data at least twice, and each retailer was looking for better ways to collect, analyze, and share their data. As an industry we are collecting so much data now that it can feel very overwhelming at times, and finding the right tools to keep all of your data in check seems to be at the top of most retailers' lists.

Stemming from this conversation was a greater need to collaborate. As each retailer, and each department within each retailer collects more and more data it is becoming imperative to share that data with each other in an effort to prevent losses while improving sales. One of the sessions that drove this collaboration point home was the panel discussion with Bob Oberosler of Rite Aid, Mark Mellor of Family Dollar, and Jim Levy of Checkpoint. They discussed how retailers like Rite Aid, Family Dollar, Walgreens, and CVS are sharing their data with each other, figuring out where the problem areas are, and solving them as one. While their collaborative program has just begun, each retailer is already making headway in loss prevention thanks to their data sharing.

Another topic that stemmed from the data conversations was the need to be flexible. Data will continue to grow and become more complex, and in order to maintain best practices you cannot be rigid. Utilizing rigid reports and practices will only result in you falling behind the eight ball. If your goal is to get the most out of your data than you must remain flexible. Be willing to try new things, look at a report in a different way, share your data with others, and combine different data feeds to find trends that may have been hiding.

After the first full day of the conference wrapped up on Monday, we hosted a little event called The Craze with some of our friends at i3, Iverify, CheckView, LP Software, Protos, and Palmer Reifler and Associates. Once the buses dropped us off at the Disney World Speedway, there was no turning back. Our retail friends got to go on a ride-a-long with a professional driver in a NASCAR, and once they felt the need for speed we all hopped in some racing go-carts and went head-to-head with each other. I would like to call this event a success, but it was more than that. The buzz it generated for all involved was great, and I didn't meet one person who had a bad time.

Overall this was a great show. I would like to extend a special thanks to Mona over at i3 for leading the organization efforts behind The Craze. I know I speak for everyone here at Agilence when I say we are really looking forward to Texas next year!