In the retail sector, EuroShop is considered the world's largest trade fair for the retail industry and its partners. For the 4th time, we were on site in Düsseldorf for this big event. As one of 1,830 exhibitors, unfortunately we were not able to welcome all 81,000 trade visitors from all five continents at our stand, but we tried our best to show our solution to as many potential customers and partners as we could. Especially Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were busy days with intensive discussions and many new contacts.

As already observed during last year's EuroCIS, the current trend is towards ever larger players. We at MS POS are one of the few medium-sized family businesses in contrast to the large and global companies. Many companies have been bought up in the meantime, even traditional companies hardly have their roots in Germany anymore or are in the hands of German owners. This (unfortunately) fits the general trend of consolidation.

At our new trade fair stand in Hall 6, we showcased our three POS solutions live and for the trade public to try out:

POSsible
Our newly fully developed Solution, based on more than 20 years of experience in user practice and in-house development. The POS solution for the specialised, chain store retail sector has a consistent modular structure, where its latest version is SaaS-based. Individual processes can be integrated without changing the core of the application.

POSsible requires only one browser (platform-independent), is modular and yet standardised through exchangeable software components. Growth is pre-programmed, because POSsible can be used individually or in branch operations. Employees quickly find their way around, it is intuitive to use, with an attractive user interface.

Cegid
The system was developed according to the latest technological standards. Cegid stands out as a fully flexible and highly adaptable solution. The user interface is the same on all devices and can be introduced and learned very quickly. New functions and releases can be implemented easily and on the fly. Live Store accesses the Cegid Cloud System in real time, providing up-to-date information and facilitating the use of various omnicommerce functionalities offered by the platform.

Microsoft 365 Commerce
How Microsoft 365 Commerce provides a seamless customer experience has been a focus for many retailers in their checkout solution requirements. With its unified commerce approach, Microsoft 365 Commerce ensures a smooth customer journey across all online and offline channels.

The MS POS warehouse management system based on D365 F/O celebrated its premiere at EuroShop 2023. We presented an efficient warehouse control system based on modern tools (hardware and software).
With the integration of Hololens in D365, MS POS offers the possibility, to carry out maintenance or repairs in specific production areas without having to be directly on site. And we also showed how AI improves the efficiency in D365 even more, e.g. through intelligent allocation of payments to invoices or through automated booking of invoices.

Once again it has become clear that the retail industry needs to become more flexible. The question is how retailers alongside shopping centre operators can create places where customers would like to spend their time and come back! Although, this includes many aspects such as how shops are designed, furnish used, gastronomic offers and of course a pinch of entertainment. We are convinced that only an overall experience and feel-good atmosphere is attractive enough to revitalise city centres. The fusion of gastronomy and shopping experience helps in attracting people to this city sites in question. Nowadays, a traditional shopping street has lost its appeal as an everyday occurrence or cannot compete with the advantages of online shopping. Other city centre concepts are needed alongside the courage to implement them. The technologies are there and ready for use.

Konstantin Gergianakis, CEO of MS POS GmbH, sums up: "EuroShop 2023 was better than expected. At the same time, you could see that the retail fair is changing. Today, the event has transitioned into a more communication-oriented trade fair, in contrast to the past, when it was more of a supplier-customer retail fair. People try to engage into partnerships with each other, to sell or initiate a project. Dealers, on the other hand, are more reserved, decision-making processes are more protracted.

Nevertheless, as at last year's EuroCIS, it is still very important to meet in person, to exchange ideas and to maintain contacts. But potential customers get the actual information in advance on the internet, on the suppliers' website."

Since we already reorganised our website a few years ago, MS POS is very well positioned here. We have always taken into consideration the desire and need for information at all times, showing in an understandable and clear manner what we offer and its benefits. Detailed information and decision-making aids guide retailers through the process of finding the right POS solution. We are therefore pleased to receive positive feedback on our website.

In discussions with retailers, there was always a desire for that one (!) solution that goes beyond a normal checkout solution. It should not only be a "cash register", but should map everything in the store, from cashing up, an integrated merchandise management and customer loyalty programmes and of course be omnichannel-capable. In other words, one centralised solution instead of many different ones. Requirements that are now also coming from one-shop retailers, as they have understood how (survival) important it is to have a presence on the internet or to add an online shop.

Another focal point is the trend towards internationalisation. Although many retailers shy away from the complexity of an international roll-out, they also realise how important this is in order to retain a healthy business for the future. We are very well positioned here, both with our POS solutions and with our international project experience. Because the expansion into other European countries, such as Italy and France alone, is a challenge for many smaller companies. Not only legal differences, but also the mentality, culture, employees, and special features of the specific country require suitable solutions and a partner with expertise. Thanks to our experience in international retail, we are able to support small and medium-sized enterprises here.

It can no longer be overlooked that digitalisation is becoming increasingly important in retail. Through the use of innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence or real-time data exchange, new opportunities are constantly emerging that continuously improve customer experience and increase the efficiency and profitability of retail.

It remains exciting to see how retail technology will evolve in the coming years. Trade shows have been and will continue to be an important trend barometer for the industry and a gauge of what retailers are looking for in manufacturers and solutions.

On behalf of the management, we would like to thank everyone whose commitment and assistance made our participation and our presence at the fair possible in the first place. A big thank you goes to our trade fair team on site, our colleagues behind the scenes, our co-exhibitor Cegid "the english team", our colleagues from the MS POS location in Lodz, who travelled all the way from Poland by car, and of course to our booth builder and Michael Büllesbach for the successful booth design. Dankeschön! Thank you! Merci bien! Dziękuję!

After five days, the gates of EuroShop 2023 in Düsseldorf have now closed again and our trade fair team is back at the Willich location. But maybe we'll see you at EuroCIS from 27 to 29 February 2024!?