By Corbin Ball, CMP
A novel reverse lead retrieval product is now available
putting data collection in the hands of the show visitors (the
buyers) and providing significant new ways of quantifying exhibitor
return on investment by tying tradeshow participation with actual
sales.
Previously, electronic lead collection has been almost exclusively a one-way process - with exhibitors (the sellers) collecting buyer contact information primarily by scanning barcodes or magnetic strips on the show visitors' badges.
The ShowToShelf system, premiering at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (www.nacds.org) recently at the San Diego Convention Center, changes this. More than 460 attendees (of the 650 drug store retailer buyers at the show), using ExpoBadge Bluetooth barcode scanners provided by American Exposition Technologies (www.expobadge.com), simply scanned the UPC bar codes of the products they were interested in as they toured the more than 1200 manufacturers that filled the exhibit halls. The buyers were also given a card with "barcode actions" to tie to the product scans (send literature, call me, etc.).
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To access the information about new products scanned, attendees went to one of ten wireless Bluetooth-enabled information terminals/cyber cafes distributed throughout the halls. The UPC codes scanned were wirelessly downloaded from the scanners into the system, matching the show visitors, exhibitors, products and action codes scanned.
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The linked contact/product/action code information was then immediately emailed to both the attendee and the exhibitors. This is a reversal of the lead retrieval process. The buyer is given the power to choose directly the products of interest rather than the exhibitor collecting the lead information and deciding on what literature to send.
Fitz Elder, NACDS VP, Member Programs and Services, was delighted with ShowToShelf, saying that it helped to "identify unregistered products and to provide better service to both exhibitors and buyers." He was satisfied with the 70% utilization rate by the buyers considering it was a first time offering. He definitely intends to use the product for future shows.
At the same time, AC Nielsen (www.acnielsen.com), the marketing information company, tracked the data for market analysis. The benefit is that the products can be tracked from point of interest on the show floor all the way through the distribution channel ending with the checkout counter in a store. This is the first time that a direct link can be automatically established and analyzed for marketing purposes between buyers attending a specific show and direct after-show sales. In this UPC-code oriented show, it also helped to immediately identify new products that did not have registered codes.
John Green, VP of Industry Strategies for AC Nielsen, was also very positive about the ShowtoShelf system as it helped to identify products with unregistered UPC codes. "The sooner we can identify the product, the faster we can track it, and the better data we can give to our clients. We were thrilled with the response."
Registration contractors and/or lead retrieval service companies are the traditional suppliers of auto identification products to exhibitors at trade shows and may be in the best position to take advantage of this new need in the marketplace. According to Michael Nolan, President of American Exposition Technologies, "ShowToShelf is a natural expansion of our expertise in developing auto id applications for the entire trade show space. Our entire team was excited to be part of the rollout of this new application".
"We chose the CodeReader CR2 as the data collection hardware for this application because of its' small size, ease of use, long battery life and built in wireless transmission capabilities", noted Nolan.
The ShowToShelf system is an excellent example of how technology can be used to improve the tradeshow process - to improve the attendee experience and for exhibitors to track the return on investment from the show floor to the point of sale on the shelf. It benefits everyone involved, the buyers, the marketing agency, and the companies selling the products.
About American Exposition Technologies (AET)
AET is an auto identification systems integrator company
specializing in the trade show and exposition market. Visit www.expobadge.com to learn more about the benefits of choosing our AET's products such
as ExpoBadge®, ExpoSession®, Instant Leads, ShowToShelf, Database
Management and Freelink.
For more information about AET's products and services
contact:
Leah DeLeon
American Exposition Technologies
PH: 800 490-9941
FX: 714 712-7351
ldeleon@expobadge.com
www.expobadge.com
For information regarding Code Corporation contact:
Kerri Humpherys
Code Corporation
Director of Marketing
Office: (801) 984-7884
kerri.humpherys@codecorp.com