If there was any doubt that the Internet of Things in retail is having its moment, Steve Rowen questions it no more. The moment of realization came not through a plethora of headlines and research reports, but at NRF’s annual convention in January. “Sometimes a show floor can feature lots of far-distant, futuristic ideas,” says Rowen, a managing partner at RSR Research. “This year we were pleasantly surprised by how many practical applications were there.”