NACDS Total Store Expo to feature forward-looking Vision 2028 pavilion
ARLINGTON, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores Total Store Expo is around the corner and the organization will be bringing back its popular “Vision” pavilion at the exhibit hall in San Diego this year. The Vision 2028 pavilion, curated by retail and consumer goods accelerator XRC Labs, will explore the future of retail and pharmacy through interactive technology demos and dialogue with industry experts.
“Technology, omnichannel and rapid innovation continue to play an increasingly important role in the evolution of retail, so we are excited to present Vision 2028 — in large part due to the work and insights of XRC Labs and Kantar Retail,” NACDS president and CEO Steve Anderson said. “This program contributes mightily to the excitement of the NACDS Total Store Expo. Retailers and exhibitors have the unique opportunity to strategize about how their business will operate in the future – a decade from now – in addition to focusing on the product they need to sell today.”
The selection will span such emerging technologies as augmented reality, virtual reality, 3-D printing, machine learning, robotics and computer vision — all of which are currently disrupting current approaches to doing business. The companies confirmed to be participating in the Vision 2028 Pavilion are:
AdhereTech: Maker of smart, wireless pill bottles that collect and send adherence data in real time.
Facenot: A facial identification platform to recognize customers in real time, identifying loyal customers and giving them special treatment.
Feelter: A mart widget for online shopping that serves customers valuable social information on products.
Forge: A platform that provides scheduling software, a performance rating tool to track high-quality employees, and a verified talent pool of additional workers to hire, ensuring supply and demand of labor are met during peaks and lulls of business.
InVRsion: Maker of realistic, customized virtual reality experiences for B2B businesses, including retail space simulator ShelfZone, which reproduces the store environment by overlaying data onto products, shelves, and zones to support inventory merchandising.
LogistiVIEW: Maker of enterprise augmented reality solutions that solve real-world business challenges. The VIEW Platform manages and tracks the execution of repeatable tasks with minimal loss of human efficiency, ensuring a business can have a safer, more productive, and more accurate logistics workforce.
Neura: Artificial Intelligence and machine learning technology that enables apps and devices to deliver experiences that adapt to who their users are, and react to what they do throughout the day.
VirtualApt: Augmented reality and virtual reality for real spaces. Using proprietary technology, including robots that autonomously navigate and capture 360 degree video, they create the experience of a moving or guided tour of a space.
WiserTogether: Maker of consumer-focused healthcare IT solutions that advance clinical and financial outcomes, and patient satisfaction results, including the Return to Health platform.
Also this year at NACDS Total Store Expo, Kantar Retail will return to the innovation pavilion.
Vision 2028 will be open during Exhibit Hall hours on Sunday, August 20 - Tuesday August 22. The NACDS Total Store Expo takes place Aug. 19-22.