The retail AV market in the U.S. accounts for more than $3 trillion a year in spending, and the annual value of the quick-serve restaurant (QSR) industry is nearly $200 billion. Those two monstrous figures add up to a golden opportunity for integrators.
[related]“Those are markets that we just can’t afford not to participate in,” says John Moezzi, national account manager for NEC Display Solutions of America.
The challenges in the retail AV and QSR markets are no secret: In an economy built on consumption yet shifting to online sales, getting foot-traffic into stores is vital to the sustained health of these businesses.
And that’s where eye-catching digital solutions come in.
“There are certainly diverse applications within the retail AV marketplace for display solutions because retailers are having to differentiate themselves through experiential environments to engage consumers,” Moezzi says.
“There are certainly diverse applications within the retail AV marketplace for display solutions because retailers are having to differentiate themselves through experiential environments to engage consumers,” Moezzi says.
“NEC is uniquely situated to provide solutions and strategy to integrators in the retail AV and QSR markets, with a wide variety of products and sales reps that have firsthand knowledge of those markets.
NEC is somewhat different from our competitors in the fact that we have a very full product line with everything from desktop displays to lamp-based and laser projectors, large format ultra-high-definition displays, video wall displays and high-brightness displays.
“Now, with our recent acquisition of S[quadrat], we have a direct-view LED Solution for indoor and outdoor applications. We believe that the market for that product is going to take off in a big way. And with this full product line, we enable retailers numerous options to really distinguish themselves.”
NEC Briefing Center retail vignette
Creating a Retail AV, QSR Business Strategy
For integrators looking for a seasoned partner in the retail and QSR space, NEC’s vertically oriented sales teams are a reliable resource of expertise, staffed by sales reps who have first-hand knowledge of these markets.
That enables them to relate to both the integrators and end-users in those markets — and to offer the best solutions.
“When we built this vertical team, we sought to bring in industry veterans because we really do want to be solutions engineers and business strategists to our customers,” Moezzi says.
“When we built this vertical team, we sought to bring in industry veterans because we really do want to be solutions engineers and business strategists to our customers,” Moezzi says.
“Before joining NEC, I was with a retail design firm for seven-plus years. I understand what retailers are going through. I understand that ecosystem as well as the digital signage ecosystem.
“Understanding both sides of the equation, we can partner with integrators to deliver application-specific solutions that will resonate with retailers and solve the challenges that they face.”
NEC at InfoComm 2018
As it does for its other vertical-market solutions, NEC relies on partnerships with other brands to create and sell bundled packages that deliver a complete end-user solution.
In the retail AV and QSR markets, for instance, NEC combines its video wall displays with mounts from Peerless-AV and power conditioners from companies like SurgeX, which are then packaged and sold as a single SKU.
“We’re bringing to market application-specific bundles that can be easily selected and procured by our integration partners,” Moezzi says.
The retail and QSR markets are lucrative, but not for the faint of heart. The challenges in the ever-changing retail AV space, in particular, are diverse and constantly changing, challenging integrators and suppliers to stay one step ahead.
For those integrators ready for the challenge, NEC offers an experienced hand, as well as industry-leading products and solutions.
“At NEC we like to keep the pulse of the industry verticals we serve,” Moezzi says.
“We do that in order to anticipate the needs of our customers in the short-term as well as further down the road. We couple that approach with extensive R&D to provide solutions that embrace the future challenges of our customers. You’ll see that materialize with the forward-thinking solutions that we’re bringing to the marketplace today.”
