China in-store 2021 will be postponed

Currently, international travel to China still remains highly restricted, and the outbreak of COVID-19 continues to create uncertainties for retail brands in their offline expansion and sourcing plans. In view of the situation, the organizers have decided, after careful consideration, to postpone the 7th edition of China in-store (Shanghai’s International Trade Fair for Solutions and Trends all about Retail), originally scheduled to be held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre from August 31st to September 2nd, 2021. The new date and planning will be announced in the coming weeks.

“Witnessing normally a high percentage of international exhibitors and visitors, we decide to postpone China in-store 2021 during the special period in order to gain more time on travel normalization, get well prepared to welcome the fully recovered retail industry and to build a higher quality sourcing and communication platform.” said by Marius Berlemann, General Manager of Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd..

For the next edition, China in-store will continue to focus on innovative solutions in five dimensions: Shop Fittings & Store Design, Visual Merchandising, Retail Lighting, Smart Retail Technology and Retail Marketing. The innovative supporting programme, including Retail Stage, H!Tech Stage, ReTailor Hub, EuroShop RetailDesign Award China, Retail Technology Award China as well as Visual Merchandising Challenge will offer the opportunity for visitors to discuss hot topics with excellent solution providers, leading retail brands, shopping mall executives and academic experts.

In the next stage, Messe Düsseldorf Shanghai will organize a series of offline networking events to share retail industry insights and build deep connections. Meanwhile, the organizer will continue to work with trade media, associations, research institutes and the EuroShop Trade Fair Family to collect the latest and most comprehensive retail information for retail professionals and publish on China in-store official website, WeChat and LinkedIn so that retailers can keep up to date with the latest trends in the retail industry.

For more details about , please follow China in-store LinkedIn or visit the official website:http://www.c-in-store.com/en/.

July 27, 2021

Retail Express

COVID-19 puts artificial intelligence M&A in the spotlight

2020-07-15

The ‘Artificial Intelligence M&A’ market report from Hampleton Partners reveals the year 2019 saw a total of 279 deals – more than the 261 AI deals recorded across 2017 and 2018 combined. The first quarter of 2020 recorded a promising 95 deals.

Heiko Garrelfs, Sector Principal, Hampleton Partners, said: “On the back of record AI deal volumes in 2019 the arrival of Covid-19 is putting artificial intelligence innovators and companies further in the spotlight for strategic buyers. New norms such as health checks and social distancing at work are driving AI adoption and adaptation. Companies are having to find new ways of automating processes and drive cost-efficiency as, in many sectors, their profits are coming under pressure. On the home front, if ‘stay at home’ and ‘shelter in place’ orders continue, we expect to see more language analysis, chatbot and personal assistant AI deals beyond the usual suspects of Apple, Amazon and Google.”

AI used for the purpose of quantitative analysis represented 70 per cent of all AI deals between May 2019 and May 2020. It remains the technology of choice for acquirers seeking to capitalise on efficient ways of processing, automating and augmenting large amounts of data.

Heiko Garrelfs continued: “AI is a key source of transformation and disruption. Segments such as Vision and Language Analysis are seeing high growth as tech giants are making their AI models available and democratising the sector, giving companies and startups the chance to develop top-class technical products and develop their niche. Ultimately, this all-round momentum for AI is set to continue, given the unwavering interest from strategic acquirers looking to capitalise on the added-value AI can bring to all processes.”

As the major influencer of China's retail industry, C-star - Shanghai's International Trade Fair for Solutions and Trends all about Retail will bring the most advanced retail technology to the exhibition, building up a great communication platform for both domestic and overseas manufacturers as well as for retailers through online and offline platforms. Check out the exhibitors of Smart Retail Technology now.

Source: Hampleton Partners

Tags: artificial intelligence, automatization, chatbots, data analysis