t’s been a couple of years since I last attended a Reflexis User Group Conference (called Reflexions), but I had the chance to attend the 2012 event in Las Vegas last week. Some things remain the same. For one, the event is still a love fest – Reflexis’ customers really love the company, and unlike other User Group conferences I’ve attended, not a negative word is heard. For another, implementations are consistently reported as four months or less. These are good things to hold steady, especially in periods of rapid growth.

And that brings me to things that have changed. Most basically, the conference has gotten a lot bigger. Reflexis has expanded its retail base significantly through 2011 and 2012. And the Reflexis product footprint has grown significantly as well. It’s a full-featured suite — several presentations were by retailers who have successfully implemented and integrated Reflexis workforce management/task execution solutions, including a specialty chain with almost 1,000 stores using task / labor scheduling integration to drive better execution. This chain reports direct positive impact to its bottom line. Reflexis is also moving to do some very interesting things: the company aims to take the disparate data coming from devices, activities and customers and turning them into actionable tasks.

Reflexis calls its new product “Store Pulse. ” In the brief demo I saw, I could envision some phenomenal possibilities. A customer enters the store and opts in for assistance on her mobile phone? A task is triggered for the right associate to attend to her needs. Dwell times too short at an end cap? In expectation that there’s a stock-out, a task is triggered to check the status of said end cap. Is someone bringing a booster bag into the store? Dispatch LP personnel to approach or follow. I’ve always been a fan of closed loop task management, and this raises it to whole new levels.

Deborah Weinswig, Citi’s star Retail Financial Analyst was on hand to speak as well. We don’t agree on everything: Deborah believes showrooming is a real threat to retailers, while I think it’s little more than noise – consumers have always done price comparisons on high-ticket items. I just don’t see them doing it on cans of peas or even a $60 blouse. But we do believe the store has an enduring place in the world of retail. We both believe that retailers must raise the quality of the in-store experience, and technology-enabled employees and managers are a lynchpin to improving that experience.

Mostly, I like hearing Deborah talk about “what the Street cares about. ” We know that thanks to her efforts and the efforts of other analyst thought leaders, the Street sees technology as a differentiator, not just a necessary evil. But more interestingly, because of the omni-channel phenomenon, coupled with the [final] recognition that much of the developed world is store-saturated to over-stored, the Street’s focus is moving away from square footage growth to inventory levels and merchandise turns. In other words, the Street wants to know how we’re using our capital.

I’m not going to depress you with her retail holiday forecasts (they depress me too!). But I will make you aware of her “Big Bold Predictions ” for 2013 (and my take on them).

1. Success of a Retail-backed mobile payment network (Paula note: I don’t know if the Retailer-backed network will be the big winner, but there’s no doubt that this will be the year of mobile payments. I think the consumer will make her own choices, which means multiple networks will co-exist.)
2. Retailers as venture capitalists supporting and encouraging fashion and design talent, and technology companies like Kiva. The Target/Neiman Marcus partnership is just the tip of the iceberg here, and we know Walmart has been buying up small tech companies like crazy. No argument here.
3. Big Data Dilemma solved (Paula note: The technology is available. Will we as retailers be able to get our heads out of the details and embrace what that data tells us?)
4. Brick and Mortar retailers will defeat Amazon! – Same day delivery and Best-in-class customer service. (Paula note: I expect something more like not-so-peaceful co-existence. No market is infinite, and it is indeed possible that Amazon is starting to reach the limits of its addressable market across much of the world. It happens to everyone.)

What do you think? In fact, if you have a few extra minutes to share your experience, I invite you to take our most recent Workforce Management survey. Within, you can tell us (anonymously, of course!) exactly what trends you’re seeing on your street.

All in all I was quite happy to make the trek cross-country to Vegas, even though I lost $60 at the Blackjack tables and got caught up in American Airlines’ work slowdown on the way home (6 over-inflated tires driving a 2.5 hour delay while they were cooled down and then deflated? Seriously??) But it was worth it.

Reflexis’ customers love the company. And it seems to be contagious. Stay tuned to see what happens in the coming year.