Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014 - 42

retail tech

SportChek store in West Edmonton Mall.

report by Javelin Strategy & Research, from 2012 to 2013,
the volume of traditional cash transactions dropped by 10
per cent, a total of $86 billion, and is forecasted to plummet further over the next 6 years.
Apple Pay is one of these new players. Launched in October of this year, it's a mobile payment system that features
a built-in Near Field Communication (NFC) antennae and
works with iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. To make a payment
in-store, users simply tap their iPhone on a store's contactless credit card terminal. This follows similar contactless
payment systems from the likes of Google and Softcard.
Starbucks is a leader when it comes to mobile payment
options. More than 11 per cent of Starbucks' customer payments are generated via its mobile app. And it recently
added a barrista tipping module and a shake-to-pay feature to its mobile app. Now, it's piloting a new service (Mobile Order) that lets customers pre-order coffee and food,
anytime, anywhere. The retailer plans to roll out Mobile
Order across all u.S. stores in 2015.
The digital wallet market and future of payments technology is moving fast. What's next? Wearable technology
and more mobile payment systems that make it easier
for consumers, illustrating that cash is no longer king.
Juniper Research estimates that mobile payments are expected to quadruple to $630 million by the end of 2014.
No matter what the digital revolution brings, and what
other technology trends lay ahead, the basic principles
of bricks-and-mortar retailing still apply. While the rules
are constantly being rewritten, retailers can't forget the
basics of what customers want: the right product, at the
right time, at the right place, at the best price. Technology
investments, business decisions and innovations should
all relate back to this basic tenet.

and high-performance data centre.
The facility is also home to Canadian Tire Corp's new "App Factory," where advanced digital solutions and new technologies will be
$630 million
The amount that mobile
developed for use in-store and onpayments are expected to
line. The Centre serves as the core
total by the end of 2014.
digital hub for the Canadian Tire
Juniper Research
Family of Companies and allows
the company to provide greater digital services to its customers, suppliers, employees and partners.
What's the biggest risk with all these investments? According to Roman, it goes back to that refrain: "Let's get
digital!" If everyone isn't singing from the same song
book, it doesn't matter how much money, time, or resources a corporation invests in technology.
"It takes executive support," he says. "It's as simple as,
'Are they on the bus or off the bus?' It's not a forced march,
it's either important or it's not."
For Roman, and his Canadian Tire
colleagues, 28 months in, the digital
movie fun has only just begun. And,
some final advice the Chief Technology Officer offers other retailers?
"If you see yourself as a bricksand-mortar retailer only, that's what
you will become," he says. "You need
to see yourself as a clicks-and-mortar
retailer first. With that mindset, we
do stuff now in minutes that used to
take us weeks and months."
Discover new technologies that will change the face of Canadian retail
at Canada's largest digital Conference.
digital wallets: cash no longer king
Just like the slow march of death
made by many mediums and chanMARCH 11 - 12, 2015
nels that are now obsolete, we are
METRO TORONTO
moving ever closer to a cashless soCONVENTION CENTRE
ciety. This race to replace cash has
led to a crowded market of technolREGISTER NOW
ogy from wearable devices to chipAT DX3CANADA.COM
enabled cards. According to a 2014

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Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2014

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