NRF 2022 In Review – It Only Takes One!

By | January 19, 2022
NRF 2022 KIOSK

NRF 2022 Review

Editors Note: We are in process of collecting photos, videos and comments on the show and will update this doc in the next few days. V1

The Kiosk Association exhibited at NRF 2022 this year.  We expected fewer attendees for sure. Several factors contributed to that the major one being Omicron pretty much everywhere. Weather events included a big icy snowstorm.  Many of the airlines canceled flights (1000 a day) leading up to the event including Southwest Airlines who suffered from a pilot shortage (many in quarantine and most of those unvaccinated).

Many of our members toughed it out (see the photos from the KIOSK/Posiflex booth) but some had to cancel due to COVID.

Excerpt from Forbes

When the National Retail Federation’s annual trade show and conference opens today at New York’s Javits Convention Center, it will be missing several of its planned keynote speakers, a number of major exhibitors, and about 10,000 attendees who had been expected to attend before the omicron wave swept across the country.

But leaders of the trade group, who since the pandemic began have advocated for keeping stores open, and praised retailers for their ability to successfully navigate the challenges of Covid-19, said the time for shutdowns and virtual events is over.

IHL did a The Good, the Bad and the Ugly review of NRF that makes some good points.  Sounds like we were luck to miss the TSA screening at LaGuardia.  Also some free data on how COVID variables are becoming the new normal and reshaping retail.  If you want to see the recording or underlying research, you can do so here. Intel put the free research report together with IHL and we reviewed and quite good. Contactless for example is not going away…

NRF Return on Investment ROI

Usually, shows are measured in business impact and specifically leads.  Our booth at 1606 was at the entrance of the lower level which is the best position on the lower level. There are multiple ROI equations depending on the company and the person. Our point of view is geared towards a kiosk manufacturer or component provider. As far as leads go:

  • If we normally received 200 leads in 2020, then in 2022 we received 25
  • Booth visitors are made up of A) those who seek you out, B) those who stumble onto you interested and C) those who stumble onto you just going through motions.
  • Our leads were A and B class
  • Retail customer interest likely represented 10,000 store locations. That’s good.
  • Attendee traffic for the entire show was rumored to be a seventh of usual traffic  (40,000 is total from 2020)
  • The optimistic operative phrase for NRF 2022 is the quintessential “It only takes one”

NRF 2022 Photos

  • Here is our saved gallery of photos from NRF 2022
  • NRF Gallery

    NRF Gallery — click for full size

     

NRF 2022 Videos

Pretty slick produced video by NRF with the dramatic music and the emphasis on together again.

NRF 2022 Show Floor Walkaround Coincloud (Kim Kenney of KIS)

Event coverage

The inflation issue is real and persistent across all categories, says NRF CEO Matt Shay
January 18, 2022 | ‘Closing Bell’, CNBC

Adobe Is Betting On An Omnichannel Future With Its New Tech For Retailers
January 18, 2022 | Forbes

NRF 2022: PepsiCo CEO sees bond-building moments amid pandemic
January 18, 2022 | Retail Wire

Why NRF is taking the Metaverse very seriously

January 18, 2022 | Morning Brew

Walmart U.S. President and CEO Named Chair of NRF Board of Directors
January 18, 2022 | MarketScreener

Agility, adaptability and flexibility – Target CEO Brian Cornell’s checklist for omni-channel retail in 2022
January 18, 2022 | Diginomica

NRF22: For Retailers, Artificial Intelligence Is One Solution to Solve Many Problems
January 18, 2022 | BizTech

2D barcodes could share far more product data than UPC standard, GS1 says
January 18, 2022 | Supply Chain Quarterly

Featured In ‘Retail’s Big Show’ NRF Innovation Lab, Ottonomy Addresses The Need For Sustainability In Retail With Autonomous Delivery Robots
January 18, 2022 | AIT News Desk

Walmart U.S. President and CEO to Chair NRF Board
January 18, 2022 | Progressive Grocer

5 Key Trends Noted NRF 2022: Retail’s Big Show
January 18, 2022 | Progressive Grocer

PepsiCo Foods’ CEO on 5 Pandemic-Born Consumer Trends That Are Here to Stay
January 17, 2022 | Total Retail

What’s Keeping This Ralph Lauren Exec Up at Night
January 17, 2022 | Sourcing Journal

Ralph Lauren CEO says metaverse is way to tap into younger generation of shoppers
January 17, 2022 | CNBC

Supply chain issues ‘will persist for the rest of the year’: NRF president
January 17, 2022 |  FOX Business

Walmart’s U.S. CEO Explains How He Approaches Diversity and Inclusion
January 17, 2022 | Footwear News

Ralph Lauren Uses Metaverse to Target Young Shoppers
January 17, 2022 | Pymnts.com

National Retail Federation elects Walmart’s Furner board chairman
January 17, 2022 | Talk Business and Politics

Ralph Lauren CEO says metaverse is a way to tap into younger generation of shoppers
January 17, 2022 | Bharat Express News

NRF 2022: The time is right to break into the Chinese market, says Alibaba exec
January 17, 2022 | Retail Week

NRF Keynote: Target’s Brian Cornell Talks Supply Chain, Economic Headwinds and Holiday 2021
January 16, 2022 | Women’s Wear Daily

Victoria’s Secret Executive Talks International Expansion
January 16, 2022 | Women’s Wear Daily

Thom Browne CEO Rodrigo Bazan Talks Store Expansion, Growth in China

January 16, 2022 | Footwear News

Walmart U.S President And Ceo John Furner Elected NRF Chairman
January 16, 2022 | ToyBook

Walmart’s John Furner Named NRF Chairman
January 16, 2022 | Women’s Wear Daily

Retail Group Says Its Trade Show – And Life – Must Go On, Despite Omicron
January 16, 2022 |  Forbes

Target CEO Says Being Early to a Store-Focused Approach Spurred Pandemic Era Success
January 16, 2022 | Footwear News

Inside the Sustainability Playbooks for Industry Leaders Walmart and Rothy’s
January 16, 2022 | Footwear News

Chewy CEO: ‘Customer Care is the Right Mantra to Focus on’
January 16, 2022 | Retail TouchPoints

Related Information

Author: Staff Writer

Craig Keefner is the editor and author for Kiosk Association and kiosk industry. With over 30 years in the industry and experience in large and small kiosk solutions, Craig is widely considered to be an expert in the field. Major kiosk projects for him include Verizon Bill Pay kiosk and hundreds of others.