The ZigBee Alliance has joined forces with the Global Market Development Center (GMDC) a global retail trade association, to further the ZigBee 3.0 standard in the retail market.
The general merchandise (GM), health, beauty and wellness (HBW) retail trade association has more than 600 members worldwide and will recommend the Alliance’s ZigBee 3.0 standard and its retail services components to member companies.
“Technology is driving a rapidly-changing and constantly evolving retail industry, and we have followed the leadership of the ZigBee Alliance and its members for quite some time,” said Patrick Spear, GMDC President and CEO. “Through this partnership, our members can now leverage the ZigBee 3.0 standard in their supply chain and across all of the systems controlling the in-store experience to significantly cut costs and improve flexibility as compared to using proprietary solutions. This will also improve product quality, tracking, marketing and merchandising, while creating new opportunities to dramatically increase customer loyalty through a better shopping experience. These innovations are allowing us to connect, collaborate and create commerce like never before.”
“We are excited about this liaison, which will give GMDC members a much deeper understanding about how to use the ZigBee 3.0 standard to build solutions that best fit the specific requirements of their retail environments,” said John E. Osborne II, chairman of the board for the ZigBee Alliance and general manager, The Kroger Co. R&D.
“This liaison expands the market opportunities for ZigBee Alliance solutions in the retail space,” said Tobin Richardson, ZigBee Alliance president and CEO. “Our solutions are already widely deployed in retail operations for facility-related uses such as building automation, and by consumers for smart devices and appliances used in the connected home. Now, we take the next step with the GMDC to extend the benefits of ZigBee Alliance technology for retailers and their customers across a broader range of connected systems – something other standards simply can’t do in an easy and scalable way.”