3How SMART
can it really
get?
Sometimes I wonder if we are getting a little Smart-
fatigued. Know what I mean? Smart phones, smart
watches, smart cities – there is no dearth of ‘smart’
today, so much so that we no longer care or know
what exactly ‘smart’ means. Could it be that we
humans are getting a little less smart, with so much
dependence on all these
‘smart’ things around us?
But I’m rambling. The fact
is that for most of us, smart
means efficiency - the
capability to perform many
tasks with optimum usage
of resources. So a smart
watch not just shows us
the time, but also enables
our communications and helps us manage our time
better, a smart phone - something we take for granted
today - almost manages our daily work and personal
life. A Smart City, as per popular definition, is one
that performs efficiently in terms of its infrastructure
and services. Now to come to the purpose of my
musings – smart walls, another term for video walls
or digital signage, is a smart way of communicating
to potential customers inside or outside the
store. Supported by the right technology, smart
communication through digital devices can herald a
smart retail environment serving multiple purposes -
customised communication, data gathering, shopper
engagement, enhanced in store experience and
much more. With a little bit of imagination, some
cutting edge technologies and ...er...smart budgeting,
there is no limit to what a digitally enabled in store
communication can accomplish. But this would
require many factors to evolve – awareness, access to
right tech partners, clear definition of the purpose and
more. Go through the stories under our cover theme
this month to get some perspectives on this.Speaking of smart, Indore is another tier 2 city in the
country that occupies a prominent place in the list
of Smart Cities. Our Retail Yatra section this month
focuses on Indore as a retail market with growth
opportunities. Check out the interviews with some
prominent retailers in the city who share their
growth journey. Now let me leave you to read and
savour everything we have for you this month. Smart
Reading! :-)Vasant Jante
Editor & PublisherVolume 14 Issue 10 July 2019
EDITOR & PUBLISHER Vasant Jante
SR. ASSOCIATE EDITOR N. Jayalakshmi
SR. REPORTER Smita Sinha
SR. REPORTER Mohit Manghani
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VM-RD Visual Merchandising & Retail Design is a monthly Owned, published and
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Visual Merchandising & Retail DesignJuly 2019