RetailNext Deploys Digital Store Solution for Thomas Pink

Smart Store Analytics Part of Thomas Pink’s Acuitas Digital Alliance Pilot Solution Bringing the Benefits of the Online World to Physical Stores

Logo: RetailNext

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Jan. 16, 2017 - RetailNext Inc., the worldwide market leader in IoT smart store retail analytics for optimizing shopper experiences, today announced leading shirt maker and luxury clothing retailer, Thomas Pink, has deployed the Acuitas Digital Internet of Things (IoT) platform, which helps retailers to digitize the physical store, at its Wall Street New York City store.

Thomas Pink installed the pilot Acuitas Digital IoT digital store solution as part of its digital strategy. It will enable the retailer to track in real time the movement of merchandise and people around the store, use big data analytics to predict shopper behavior and provide a foundation for real-time interactive in-store experiences. This will help the retailer personalize customer service, optimize store layout, improve employee workflows, reduce cost and grow sales.

Launched in January 2016, the Acuitas Digital Alliance brings together like-minded technology innovators determined to bring the full benefits of the new digital era across the entire retail supply chain. Its members are BT, Intel, RetailNext, NexGen Packaging, SATO Global Solutions and Valmarc Corporation.

Acuitas Digital's solution uses IoT multi-sensors to automatically scan the whole store in real-time to improve efficiency and unlock new interactive in-store experiences. IoT-powered Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sensors provide real-time inventory visibility and movement tracking of merchandise throughout the store, increasing efficiency and delivering near 100 percent stock accuracy.

This new IoT approach to digitizing the store overcomes the limitations of legacy handheld RFID systems that rely on manual weekly or daily store scanning. Manual scanning can be error prone, time consuming and of limited value to retailers looking to deliver in-store interactive customer experiences or for real-time analytics.

The IoT powered video sensors within the Acuitas Digital solution will allow Thomas Pink to understand the behavior of customers in the store. They will provide insight and intelligence on what customers are buying, who goes where in the store, merchandising effectiveness and how the stores are performing.

Alex Field, marketing director, Thomas Pink, said, "The Acuitas Digital solution will give us the insight to ensure that we have the right products, in the right place at the right time, all of the time. This is fundamental to delighting our customers and delivering great new digital experiences to the store."

"We will now be able to use big data analytics to improve store efficiency and performance to help our people to spend more time with customers rather than getting tied up in admin tasks. We're incredibly excited about how it will transform the store for our people and customers. It will bring our digital store strategy to life and will show how it can become a real driver of growth."

The Acuitas Digital solution is offered world-wide by BT. It brings together best-of-breed components powered by the Intel® Responsive Retail Sensor, in-store analytics by RetailNext, software by SATO Global Solutions and RFID tags by NexGen. This is underpinned by global BT's Cloud of Clouds and networking capability and international support.

"As a charter company of the Acuitas Digital alliance, RetailNext is excited to participate in the deployment of this pilot smart store solution at Thomas Pink," said Bridget Johns, head of marketing and customer experience at RetailNext. "By being able to marry product movement data with shoppers' navigation of the store environment, Thomas Pink will eliminate the friction points so prevalent in other stores and deliver a differentiated, world-class shopping experience."

The Acuitas Digital solution will help Thomas Pink and its customers in a number for ways.

For example, if a customer picks up a men's shirt, carries it elsewhere in the store and then abandons it for another product, the next person who's looking for that shirt may not be able to find it. A sales assistant will then get tied up searching for the item, while the new customer waits. With the Acuitas Digital Alliance solution, the Thomas Pink sales assistant will know exactly where to find the item, saving time, removing frustration and giving the customer a better shopping experience.

Moreover, if a garment sold happens to be the last one of its style and size in the store, the real-time nature of the Acuitas Digital solution allows for a replenishment order to be made instantly and automatically by sending an alert notifying a sales assistant, rather than waiting until the end of the day for a stock check.

When combined with digital signage, the solution could also prompt a customer buying a shirt to consider a matching tie or cufflinks, improving service and helping grow sales. Fitting rooms will be transformed. New Smart Fitting rooms will improve customer experience and increase sales conversion.

Mike Beedles, chair of the Acuitas Digital Alliance, said, "Today's customers have higher expectations of the retail experience than ever before. Digital solutions are key to helping retailers meet this challenge and seize the opportunities new shopping behaviors offer. We're delighted to be working with Thomas Pink as it develops its digital store strategy and look forward to our mutual success."

For more information at the NRF's The BIG Show, please visit RetailNext in booth #3353 or the Acuitas Digital Alliance in booth 3181, or go towww.acuitasdigital.com.

About Thomas Pink

Thomas Pink was founded in London in 1984 by the Mullen brothers, whose founding inspiration was the history of Mr. Pink, the 18th century tailor credited as the originator of 'hunting pink' - referring to the scarlet jackets of hunt staff. The Mullen brothers appreciated the fundamental quirk of British humor that something so obviously red could be referred to as Pink. This quirk so appealed to them they saw it as a tension right at the heart of the brand they were founding - namely a men's brand called PINK - an obviously feminine color. Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton acquired the brand in 1999.

From business and casual shirting to evening and Made To Order shirting, PINK shirts are made using traditional, time-honored methods with exclusive fabrics from world-renowned mills. Detail is everything - the collars are hand turned and are composed of up to 14 individual pieces. Pink shirts are available in Classic, Slim and Super Slim Fit and in addition, the brand also offers tailoring, separates, knitwear and accessories.

Celebrated for innovative design, Thomas Pink made its name with the renowned original Classic Fit shirt. The style is a modern take on the classic Jermyn Street cut and is generously designed for style and comfort. It features a long tail that stays tucked, as well as signature PINK gussets. Since then, Thomas Pink has launched a number of pioneering shirting solutions - including the Athletic Fit and the Independent collar.

2015 saw the Jermyn Street shirt maker extended its popular 'Personally Pink' Made To Order service. An extensive choice of more than 160 fabrics span long staple Egyptian cottons, Sea Island cottons, linens. and fine cotton poplins in two-fold 100s, 120s, 170s, 200s and 300s. The service also encompasses options for evening and special occasions. The shirts are made in the United Kingdom and delivered to clients within three weeks. Final details include a choice of buttons as well as monogramming and engraved collar bones. The 'Personally Pink' Made To Order Service is available at Thomas Pink's London flagship store on Jermyn Street as well as in Heathrow T2, Sloane Street, Blomfield Street, Canary Wharf and Selfridges.

A very patriotic brand, Thomas Pink has proudly dressed The British & Irish Lions rugby team, designed an exclusive Team GB Collection for Rio, and ferried many an international guest around central London in its iconic union jack clad pink Morgan.

Today, Thomas Pink is a modern British shirt maker with over 100 stores worldwide and flagships in London's Jermyn Street, Madison Avenue, New York and Rue Francois Premier, Paris.

About the Acuitas Digital Alliance

Launched in January 2016, the Acuitas Digital Alliance brings together like-minded technology innovators BT, Intel, RetailNext, NexGen Packaging, SATO Global Solutions and Valmarc Corporation, to bring the full benefits of the new digital era across the entire supply chain, all the way to the physical locations where customers do business. The Acuitas Digital Alliance creates integrated, secure, cloud-based and future-proof solutions for businesses that want to take advantage of big data and the Internet of Things (IoT). With the right mix of infrastructure, mobile technology, applications and hardware, the Acuitas Digital Alliance can help brands better engage with customers and optimize operations from production to purchase.

For more information, visit www.acuitasdigital.com

About RetailNext

The first retail vertical IoT platform to bring e-commerce-style smart store shopper analytics to brick-and-mortar stores, brands and malls, RetailNext is a pioneer in focusing entirely on optimizing the shopper experience. Through its centralized SaaS platform, RetailNext automatically collects and analyzes shopper behavior data, providing retailers with insight to improve the shopper experience real time.

More than 300 retailers in over 60 countries have adopted RetailNext's analytics software and retail expertise to better understand the shopper journey in order to increase same-store sales, reduce theft and eliminate unnecessary costs. RetailNext is headquartered in San Jose, Calif.

Learn more at www.retailnext.net.

Media Contacts

Ray Hartjen

RetailNext, Inc.

(925) 895-5441

ray.hartjen@retailnext.net

RetailNext Inc. and RetailNext are trademarks of RetailNext Inc. in the United States.

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