By Doug Baker, Vice President, Industry Relations, FMI
From frictionless checkout to inventory controls to mobile payment apps, today’s food retail business owners face a lot of technological opportunities. In addition, thankfully, recent advancements in food technology—the branch of science dedicated to food production—are streamlining processes so businesses can spend more time with customers.
Helping food retailers keep up with the latest food tech innovations is our focus. The FMItech program facilitates collaboration between the food retail industry and the tech industry in order to ensure each continues to benefit from advancements in key operational areas. We’ve worked with the Center for Advancing Retail & Technology (CART) to produce a TechTalk Series and with NielsenIQ on the Outlook for Digital Shopping in 2021. Moving forward, we have some exciting FMItech activities planned for the 2022 Midwinter Executive Conference:
FMItech @Midwinter
The FMItech program at Midwinter will promote conversations, explorations and private exchanges to enhance your technology strategy. Attendees focused on technology, ecommerce and automation strategies will join conversations and private meetings to explore innovations and partnerships to create actionable next steps in their retail tech strategies. These events have been designed to help CEOs think like CIOs, explore the store of tomorrow, discuss automated fulfillment and the path to ecommerce profitability.
FMItech Sessions: Combining Food Retailers, Manufactures and Tech Innovators
From manufacturing to distribution to preparation and consumption, numerous technologies exist that make food retail operations more efficient, while allowing an enhanced shopper experience. The FMItech program at Midwinter features Tech Sessions and talks showcasing how manufacturers are collaborating with retailers and other food companies to use technology for growth and success. On Friday and Saturday, January 21 and 22, 2022, talks will focus on AI-driven adaptive planogramming, computer vision, digital value creation, automated fulfillment, business process automation, and phygital retail.
Food retailers are using tech to not only transform how they operate but also how their customers interact with them. We are excited in bringing some of these forward-thinking food retailers together under one roof for the program focusing on ways food technology can expand and build on revolutionizing retail once again.
FMItech Pitches: Finding Innovation with Tech Companies
We are dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what's possible in food retail. Within the FMItech program, you can hear innovation pitches from emerging tech companies who are making an impact and have been selected by a panel of judges to appear at Midwinter. Learn more about our FMItech pitches.
Plan Your FMItech Experience
If you are a food retail professional focused on finding future-proof innovations for your tech strategy, or a company providing new solutions, learn more about FMItech at Midwinter.
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