Events

If you’ve ever visited the Cisco Store Tech Lab in San Jose, California, you’ve probably seen how seamlessly Cisco and our partners’ retail technology is integrated into the store. Now, how do we showcase that technology at our travel stores? Learn about our efficient set-up process at our most recent show, Cisco Live EMEA 2024, held in Amsterdam from February 5-9. 

Everything starts with the floor plan of the booth at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Center. Once we have that, I’ll start mapping out where all the store technology needs to go: we work with our partners to decide where to place their solutions to ensure they can work optimally. 

For instance, we met with EVERYANGLE to determine what areas we want to monitor for footfall analytics, queue counting, and engagement zones. Cameras had to be placed in strategic locations to give us full coverage of the store. 

Cogniac helped us figure out where to place our Meraki MV63 camera to have a clear view of specific T-shirts that were used in a demo in conjunction with Wipro VisionEDGE. When a shirt is picked up off the rack, the MV63 relays that information to Cogniac, and then Wipro VisionEDGE receives a trigger alert to change the screen next to the shirt to educate the customer about the product and explain how our products empower an inclusive future for all.  

Before we ship out to Amsterdam, I’ll set up the technology we’re taking in a lab in San Jose to test that everything is functional. I had our equipment road-tested and packed into just three crates by mid-December (a month and a half before the show), and JLL Logistics helped us ship it all over to Amsterdam.  

A few days before the start of Cisco Live, JLL delivered the crates to our booth at the RAI, and our team started unpacking and deploying the equipment. Since we had the map ready, placing everything where it needed to go was seamless. I gave the network team the placement of the switches, cameras, smart fitting rooms, and so on beforehand so they could run the proper electrical lines through the booth, and all we had to do once we arrived was plug everything in.

This is the first year we’re baselining the store’s power consumption, both at the San Jose store and at all our travel stores, with the help of CAE Labs’ WiserWatts. We plan to schedule our power at next year’s shows to compare energy and cost savings. It took a bit to figure out how to route the power for all the technology through the Meraki MT40s (smart power controllers that monitor and remotely control power). We deployed twelve MT40s for full coverage of the booth, and it took a few trips to the electronics store to get the right adapters, but now that we’ve done it once, it will be a lot easier globally. After that, Fidel (the store’s Merchandising Project Manager) helps us place all our Meraki cameras. Everything is online by the Saturday before the show starts, and then we do any last-minute configuring and deploying our digital signage playlists.

The technology makes it a lot easier for our store associates in their day-to-day functions. Meraki smart buttons were set up to allow the associates to change our digital signage (for instance, changing the screens to indicate that the store was closed) without requiring backend access. Our travel stores utilize temporary store associates, so the process of restocking merchandise was similarly simplified: all they had to do was input the product’s ID, and the corresponding electronic shelf label would flash in the back of house to indicate the item’s location.  

Now that the travel store and tech lab are set up, I review the tour schedule with Kaleigh (the Cisco Store and Tech Lab’s Program Manager) to make sure the flow of the tours is fluid. We had a tour scheduled for the Cisco Champions the day before the show started, so our rehearsals had to be completed in advance.

We’d set up what we like to call the Triforce of Wisdom, or our triangular tech wall, to display our technology to visitors. Fidel, Courtney (our Marketing Lead), and Anjana (our Product Marketing Specialist) had wired up the products, such as the Meraki MT40, VusionGroup’s SESimagotag electronic shelf labels, and so forth beforehand so visitors could see the technology in-person. Meraki just launched their new MV13 and MV33 smart cameras a few days ago, and tour attendees had the opportunity to gain a sneak peek into those products during the show.  

And that’s it! Our set-up process has been streamlined in a way that allows our small team to have things up and running in a matter of a few days.

To learn more about the Cisco Store Tech Lab, come visit us in San Jose, California, or catch us at Cisco Live US in June. If you were able to stop by the store at Cisco Live EMEA, thanks for saying hello! Hope to see you next year.  

The National Retail Federation (NRF) just hosted its 2024 show at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City over the MLK long weekend. Kaleigh Bisconti and Brian Domine from the Cisco Store and Cisco Store Tech Lab team share their insights into the technology they experienced and where they see the future of retail heading. 

Kaleigh: I’m Kaleigh Bisconti – I oversee the Cisco Store and Cisco Store Tech Lab program, which includes the travel stores, physical stores, and our online stores.  

Brian: I’m Brian Domine – I run all the technology deployments in the Cisco Store through the Cisco Store Tech Lab, both at the physical locations and at our travel stores.  

Kaleigh: There was a space called the Innovation Lab that displayed up-and-coming technology solutions. The Tech Lab’s partner EVERYANGLE was there: EVERYANGLE is responsible for giving us in-store metrics, such as customer demographics, sentiment, and purchase conversion rate, that you would previously only be able to get from online stores. 
Typeface was also a cool find. You can input your company’s brand guidelines and they leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to generate content in accordance with those guidelines. They can also cater the content they generate towards specific target markets. For example, if a car manufacturer wanted to adjust their content by geographic region, Typeface could do that for them. I could see the Cisco Store implementing this kind of technology in the future: Typeface could help create content for specific platforms.  

Brian: There were multiple companies such as Proto and ARHT with spaces containing life-sized holograms of a person. You could have two-way live interactions with the holograms, which was pretty cool.  

Kaleigh: From a retailer’s point of view, there were a lot of electronic shelf label (ESL) solutions that would make store operations more streamlined. They can be quickly updated with price or product changes, and you can even alter the currency according to which country you’re in.   

Brian: Lots of self-checkout kiosks with larger, more interactive screens than just a small tablet.  

Kaleigh: A big problem is workforce optimization. Retailers need to streamline the efficiency of sales associates on the floor in physical stores: for example, finding a way to automate the retrieval of products at the back of house. With workforce shortages, solving this problem is especially important. 

Brian: The Cisco Store utilizes Webex Connect to quickly answer customers’ questions and forward them to live agents if they need further assistance. Meraki cameras placed throughout the store help track customer demographics and sentiment and detect any theft or fraudulent purchases. These are just a couple of examples of how we try to solve the problems Kaleigh mentioned.  

Kaleigh: Having a seamless experience is one of the most important aspects in a retail environment. If a product is available in a physical store, it should be available online (and vice versa). At the very least, a customer should be able to quickly locate items in a physical store or get rapid assistance finding those items and/or shipping them home or to the store itself. There should be a self-checkout option that moves quickly too.  
One of the biggest plus points of a physical location is that a customer should be able to have a fresh experience there compared to the online offerings. This means having a more engaging store experience through interesting attractions such as in-store customization options.  

Brian: On the note of better engagement in-store, Webex demonstrated their customer communication platform, Webex Connect, through a mobile order coffee bar experience called Café Cisco at NRF. Customers could scan a QR code to begin the process and then quickly place their coffee orders by interacting with Webex Connect on their native messaging client. The baristas in turn could interact with the customers and keep them updated on their orders.  

The possibilities of Webex Connect don’t stop there. The concept behind Café Cisco can be translated into other experiences as well, including our upcoming in-store customization experience which will launch at Cisco Live Vegas later this year.  

Kaleigh: Meta displayed its Meta Quest products at the Innovation Lab, showcasing mixed-reality environments for multitasking at the workplace.  

Brian: There weren’t a ton of other AR experiences we saw, but spatial computing will become more of a topic of discussion once the Apple Vision Pro is released. 

Kaleigh: I see workforce optimization being tackled in the next few years. Electronic shelf labels (ESLs) will become a lot more prevalent, especially in the US. I hope we’ll be seeing more RFID self-checkout as well; it’s much more common in Asia and only a few stores in the US have implemented it so far. I also think we’ll see more integration in product searchability between online and physical stores.  
Understanding in-store audiences on a deeper level will be even more important in the coming years to make sure that physical stores stay efficient and worth the time and staffing power required to keep them running. As we mentioned before, Meraki cameras and Everyangle do a good job of getting us those physical store analytics at the Cisco Store.  
I think the retail industry will also be trying to develop and integrate more technological solutions that gather information about their customers while still maintaining their privacy. Shopping experiences may start becoming more personalized and stores may start creating more immersive experiences in their physical locations: for example, a digital screen changing based on who the visitor is. These changes will be interesting to track over the next few years for sure.  
If you had the chance to join us this year at NRF, thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you next year. 

Cisco Live Vegas is right around the corner and this year’s theme is “Let’s Go”! So let’s go as we have big things planned for this year’s event. Attendees (in-person and online) have an immersive experience awaiting them, full of merchandise, innovative technology, and fun! Here is your “Let’s Go” snapshot:

Look our for our giveaway where you can win FREE exclusive merchandise on Instagram.
Engage with us on social @ciscostore (IG,TW), @ciscomerchandisestore (FB)
Take a picture and upload it to our virtual photo booth.
Shop for your favorite Cisco Store pieces at the show or online.

Give back my purchasing on-site, rounding up at checkout, or using our donation tower.
Open your books and Meet the Author at the Cisco Press counter in our booth.

Shop exclusive merchandise 

When we say exclusive, we mean exclusive! This year on-site at Cisco Live we have a new assortment of Cisco Live and graphic merchandise for you to select from. We are open in Bayside B 3:00pm on Saturday and 8:00am Sunday through Thursday! If you are not able to be at the show, you can find our merchandise options available online today.

Learn from our Cisco Store Tech Lab

The Cisco network is the foundation of the Cisco Store’s retail environment. The Cisco Store Tech Lab consists of both Cisco and partner technology that works in tandem to power our retail experience. Our technology stack includes product such as Meraki cameras, Meraki smart buttons, Meraki sensors, Everyangle visual insights, Keonn’s Smart Fitting Room, Cisco DNA Spaces, Fankave social media listening, Smirrl, SES Imagotag, and our augmented reality app, the Cisco Store Xplorer. The Cisco Store team will be on site to show you the technology at work and answer any questions you may have. 

If you are interested in guided tour to see and learn about our technology stack, sign up for a session. Don’t be afraid to drop in as we will be running them throughout the day. We will take you through various use cases and show you how the technology powers our retail experience in real time.

Impact through our inclusive future initiatives 

 Cisco’s purpose is to power an inclusive future for all. At the Cisco Store, we took this initiative in as a priority and now you can experience it for yourself! Every merchandise purchase made on-site, $1 is donated to Three Square Food Bank, who provides wholesome food for hungry people in Southern Nevada. You will be able to round-up your purchase at checkout to The Nevada Homeless Alliance or use our donation tower to also give back to all of the above, plus Sole Hope.

Along with this, we have icons on each hangtag to show how each piece of powers an inclusive future. These six icons include minority owned businesses, charitable donation, inclusive community collaborations, recyclable material, socially conscious, and sustainability. Make an impact by making a purchase at the Cisco Store as our entire assortment powers an inclusive future!

Engage with the Cisco Store 

We are counting down the days until we see you! We appreciate each one of our customers, so please come say hi! There are multiple ways you can stay engaged with us during the show.

• Follow us on social @ciscostore (IG,TW), @ciscomerchandisestore (FB) and tag us in any pictures!
• Come visit Cisco Press and attend Meet the Author Sessions from 2-3pm Monday – Wednesday.
• Donate to Three Square, The Nevada Homeless Alliance, or Sole Hope on behalf of the Cisco Store at our donation tower
• Participate in our giveaway (we promise this is a good one). There are more details to come but it is available to our online and in-person shoppers!
• Stop in for a tech tour
• Join Cisco Store rewards

We are so excited to see you so soon! Constant updates will be provided on our social channels. Let’s go!

Cisco Live Amsterdam is only a few short days away! This year will be better than ever before. Attendees (in-person and online) have an exciting experience awaiting them, full of merchandise and innovative technology! Attendees can shop all collections, learn how Cisco and partner technology power the Cisco Tech Lab, and give back to Voedselbanken, the Netherlands first food bank. Read through our Know Before You Go Guide to be fully equipped for what to expect at the show! We hope to see you there.

Shop exclusive merchandise

Who doesn’t love to shop? We got you covered! This year at Cisco Live we have a large assortment of merchandise for you to select from. We are open from 8:00am Monday through Thursday! If you are not able to be at the show, you can find this merchandise available online today.

Learn from our Cisco Store Tech Lab

The Cisco network is the foundation of the Cisco Store’s retail environment. The Cisco Store Tech Lab consists of both Cisco and partner technology that works in tandem to power our retail experience. Our technology stack includes product such as Meraki cameras, Meraki smart buttons, Meraki sensors, Everyangle visual insights, Keonn’s Smart Fitting Room, Cisco DNA Spaces, Fankave social media listening, Smirrl, SES Imagotag, and our augmented reality app, the Cisco Store Xplorer. The Cisco Store team will be on site to show you the technology at work and answer any questions you may have.

If you are interested in guided tour to see and learn about our technology stack, sign up for a session. Don’t be afraid to drop in as we will be running them every 30 minutes. We will take you through various use cases and show you how the technology powers our retail experience in real time.

Power an inclusive future

Cisco’s purpose is to power an inclusive future for all. At the Cisco Store, we took this initiative in as a priority and now you can experience it at Amsterdam! You will be able to round-up your purchase at checkout or drop a token into our donation tower to donate to Voedselbanken, the Netherlands first food bank.

Along with this, we have icons on each hangtag to show how each piece of powers an inclusive future. These six icons include minority owned businesses, charitable donation, inclusive community collaborations, recyclable material, socially conscious, and sustainability. Make an impact by making a purchase at the Cisco Store as our entire assortment powers an inclusive future!

Engage with the Cisco Store

We are counting down the days until we welcome you at Cisco Live Amsterdam! We appreciate each one of our customers, so please come say hi! There are multiple ways you can stay engaged during the show.

1.     Follow us on social @ciscostore (Instagram, Twitter), @ciscomerchandisestore (Facebook)

2.     Tag us in any pictures!

3.     Come visit Cisco Press and attend Meet the Author Sessions from 2-3pm Tuesday and Wednesday

4.     Donate to Voedselbanken on behalf of the Cisco Store at our donation tower

5.     Participate in our giveaway (we promise this is a good one). There are more details to come but it is available to all our online and in-person shoppers!

6.     Sign up for a tech tour here

7.     Join Cisco Store rewards

8.     Try out our virtual photo booth

9.     Take our event survey so we can make next year even better

We are so excited to see you so soon! Constant updates will be provided on our social channels and at merchandise.cisco.com. We are ALL IN!

Cisco Live 2022 is only a few days away! We are back this year better than ever before. Attendees (in-person and online) have an exciting experience awaiting them, full of new merchandise and innovative technology! You can expect opportunities to shop all collections, learn how the Cisco Tech Lab comes to life, and give back to one of three amazing charities. Read through our Know Before You Go Guide to be fully equipped for what to expect at the show! We hope to see you there.

Shop exclusive merchandise

Who doesn’t love to shop? We got you covered! This year at Cisco Live we have three brand new collections launching at the event. Grab them first by swinging by our booth Sunday-Thursday! That’s not all. We will have a wide array of options to make sure you find exactly what you need. If you are not able to be at the show, all of these fantastic pieces are readily available online today for you to take full advantage of the experience.

Learn how to make hybrid work, work better

Our Cisco Tech Lab is back, with more features and opportunities to see the retail ecosystem in action with the help of our ecosystem partners. A few you can be excited to interact with are our new Meraki MT30 smart button, Everyangle visual insights, Keonn’s Smart Fitting Room, Cisco DNA Spaces, Square POS systems, Fankave social media listening, Smirrl, Sato RFID printing, SES Imagotag, and our personal Cisco Store Xplorer AR app. Our Tech Expert, Brian Domine, will be on site ready to show you the technology first-hand and answer any questions you may have.

If you are interested in a deep dive of our entire tech stack, sign up for a tech tour here. We will take you through various retail use cases and demonstrate the how the technology makes an impact in our store retail experience.

Impact through our inclusive future initiatives

Cisco’s purpose is to power an inclusive future for all. At the Cisco Store, we took this initiative in as a priority and now you have the opportunity to experience it at Cisco Live! First, you will be able to round-up your purchase at checkout or make a separate donation to one of three charities, Replate, Solar Sister, and Seacology. These organizations all help influence our environment positively and sustainably.

Along with this, we will have our inclusive future collaborations readily available for you to find what speaks to you. From our newest CAAN collaboration all about strength in community to our Women of Cisco merchandise all about allowing women and their allies to be confident in the workplace. Additionally, we will have a large variety of Pride merchandise, honoring Pride Month, focused on encouraging all to be 100% themselves. All purchases of these community pieces go to support a fund chosen by the community that they believe supports what theri mission stands for. This also applies online! Learn more and make an impact this Cisco Live 2022.

Engage with the Cisco Store

We are here and counting down the days until we welcome you back! We appreciate each one of our customers, so please come say hi! There are multiple ways you can stay engaged during the show and from at home:

1.     Follow us on social @ciscostore (Instagram, Twitter), @ciscomerchandisestore (Facebook) and tag us in any pictures!

2.     Come visit our Cisco Press, Meet the Author Sessions (6/13 2:00-3:00pm, 6/14 3:00-4:00pm, and 6/15 2:00-3:00pm)

3.     Take advantage of our promotions, especially our spend $150+ and receive a free Cisco Live bag, while supplies last

4.     Donate to one of the three organizations mentioned above

5.     Participate in our giveaway (we promise this is a good one). There are more details to come but it is available to all online and in-person!

6.     Sign up for a tech tour 

7.     Join our loyalty program, which was made possible by Yotpo

8.     Take our event survey so we can make next year even better

We are so excited to see you so soon! Constant updates will be provided on our social channels and at merchandise.cisco.com. We are ALL IN!