China way ahead of the west in omni-channel retail

Yesterday was conference day at the Amsterdam Produce Summit. The whole format of the event changed…

Yesterday was conference day at the Amsterdam Produce Summit. The whole format of the event changed this year, from a trade show to a conference. The theme was Retail Strategies : Seizing Success in the Omni-Channel Future. According to Lisa Cork from Fresh Produce Marketing, omni-channel is already here and suppliers and retailers can't afford not to at least be experimenting with it.

Loren Zhao from China Fruitday, said that China is way ahead of the rest of the world in this field and gave some examples of just how far ahead they were, with fresh produce vending machines and unmanned stores which use facial recognition technology to charge the customer for their purchases.

How far behind are western retailers when it comes to online shopping and mobile payments?

Rand Waddoups from Walmart shared some of his experiences in getting Walmart into the online world.

The day ended with a cocktail reception in the evening.

On Wednesday the event will conclude with industry tours to Robinson Fresh and a tour of retailers.