ECRS CATAPULT® Retailers have been restlessly awaiting the opportunity to learn and network face-to-face since August 2019, and the buzz for this year’s ECRS Ignite conference could barely be contained. Hundreds of grocery retailers from around the country joined forces in Dallas, Texas to experience the newest in retail POS technology, forge new relationships, and expand their skills to take their businesses to the next level. For those who couldn’t join, check out a few highlights from the conference below to see what you missed at Ignite 2022.

Reunited and It Feels So Good

Opening Keynote: Harnessing Innovation with Sara Frasca

Kicking off the conference was innovation leader Sara Frasca, who outlined fresh approaches to growth, creativity, and transformation. Her inspiring keynote focused on the importance of creativity and how she employs a systematic approach to selecting and launching the ideas that best drive growth and innovation.

Keynote: Extracting Value from the Ignite Experience with Pete Catoe

In this informative presentation, ECRS Founder & CEO, Pete Catoe, charged retailers with intentionality during their time at Ignite. He opened with an ECRS company update and then shared exciting advancements in our product suite:

• CATAPULT Data Warehouse
• ECRS Self-Checkout Product Offerings
• Accelerated Checkout®
• WebCart Recommendation Service & DoorDash Delivery
• Produce Recognition
• Our latest integration with SendGrid

Keynote: Building Tattoo-Worthy Customer Loyalty with Ken Schmidt

Former Director of Communications for Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Ken Schmidt, welcomed retailers back on the final day of Ignite to discuss the importance of going beyond the basics to build a tattoo-worthy brand. He took attendees on a journey of branding and challenged retailers with ways to be competitive against today’s household names.

Valuable Sessions to Strengthen Skillsets

With nearly 35 sessions in a variety of formats, Ignite 2022 participants had ample opportunity to satisfy their yearning for knowledge on key products and resources. Ignite delivered Success Workshops, Keynotes, Breakout Sessions, Round Table Meetings, Product Demos, and other exclusive events for every level of experience.

Pre-Conference Success Workshop Day

This year, over half of all retailer attendees registered for the Success Pass to attend our intensive Success Workshop Day. With a focus on CATAPULT WebCart ™, CATAPULT® Reporting, Loyalty & Dynamic Promotions, and Made-to-Order, these Advanced Workshops proved to be the most popular content of the event.

Breakout Sessions

Session content for Ignite 2022 had a special focus on new products and retailer-led sessions. Nearly 30% of all sessions were led by retailers or featured retailer data and product experiences.

Among our diverse content offering, the following sessions made our list of “Top 3 Most Attended”:

• Breakout: Clean Data = Positive Customer Experience
• Breakout: Putting Your ECRS Resources to Work
• Breakout: WebCart’s Recommendation Service

In The Lab: The Store of The Future, Today

If there’s one thing attendees took away from the conference, it was that ECRS is focused on innovation. Echoing Pete Catoe’s address, the Ignite Product Lab boasted the latest and greatest product offerings from ECRS. Retailers of all sizes tested products in a hands-on, real store environment where they could act as shoppers and see how CATAPULT truly transforms the customer experience.

Featured among CATAPULT’s flagship point of sale technology was the redesigned PWA-based e-Commerce app for grocery, CATAPULT WebCart. Other powerful products included in the store were:

• AutoScale, ECRS’ native deli scale software and hardware
• Accelerated Checkout®, ECRS’ consumer smartphone checkout solution
• New Self-Checkout Hardware Solutions
• New Data Warehouse & Cloud Reporting Module
• Customer Loyalty Software
• Gateway & Vendor Portal
• Produce Recognition, powered by machine learning

Networking: The Meetings that Matter Most

It had been nearly 1,100 days since the last in-person Ignite – a gap of time that was evident by the explosive energy and excitement during this year’s networking events.

• Monday: Opening Reception in the Product Lab
• Tuesday: Annual Conference Party at the Glass Cactus
• Wednesday: Casual Closing Event at the Texan Station

Pictures are worth a thousand words, so here’s a few highlights from our networking events at Ignite 2022.

Looking Ahead

Words can’t describe how happy we are to be back in-person for Ignite. The amount of focus, effort, and passion that went into this event was unparalleled. ECRS staff could see it, attendees could feel it, and everyone left with a sense of satisfaction and gratitude. ECRS has reflected on this event, proud to serve such a collaborative and positive community of retailers just looking to be better.

We hope you’ll join us next year as we continue our mission to leave the communities we serve better than we found them.

Sign up for the ECRS Ignite newsletter and be the first to get updates on Ignite 2023!

–––––

Looking to simplify your point of sale software stack? Contact ECRS today to learn more about how our single platform technology can help you reduce your technical debt and optimize your grocery operations.