Build resilience with the latest from Microsoft Cloud for Retail

Developing strategies and technologies to quickly respond to shifts in the marketsuch as changes in customer behavior, new competition, and the impact of global eventsis what sets resilient retailers apart from the competition. With unprecedented global changes to how we live, work, and play, digital technology is the clear path forward for many retailers to succeed.

Microsoft Cloud for Retail is designed to support resilient retail by providing retailers with the tools and insights they need to quickly adjust to changing conditions and seize new opportunities. Retailers are looking to accelerate their digital capabilities to give consumers what they want and show store associates that they are the most valuable asset. Our latest solutions, made to help retailers elevate the shopping experience and empower store associates, are now generally available.

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Become a resilient retailerand drive sustained profitability and growthwith Microsoft Cloud for Retail.

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Optimize in-store shopping experience and store operations with the Smart Store Analytics app

Smart stores are brick-and-mortar retail establishments that use a variety of smart technology to track shoppers and shopping behaviorfrom product discovery through purchaseand use this intelligence to enhance the in-store shopping experience. The Microsoft Cloud for Retail Smart Store Analytics solution provides insights using anonymized data about shoppers’ in-store journeys. The solution enables merchandising managers to monitor their stores and make data-driven decisions to optimize store performance. Managers are provided with indicators including a built-in AI model that supplies a view into items commonly purchased together. The AI model, developed specifically for the retail industry, uses checkout data to help understand shopper behavior and allows retailers to make decisions based on rich behavioral information uniquely available in smart storesincluding shopper actions such as picking up or returning an item, or lingering in front of the shelf.

Smart Store Analytics gives retailers analytics and insights to make sense of their data and grow their business. Store managers can assess the number of items moving from shelf to cartmonitoring window shopper data against paying customer data and determining how quickly customers check out while maintaining individual customer privacy. Additionally, the shopper heatmap helps managers understand which aisles are highly trafficked versus not. This way the store can avoid putting products that need clearing in the dead zone areas. Changes to complementary product placement, ordering frequency, and promotional opportunities can also be made based on the recommendations provided by the AI model. The ability to provide insights allows retailers to adjust their operations to improve customer experience. This can help to reduce wait times for customers, improve product placement, and optimize staffing levels.

abka, one of the world’s most innovative companies in retail, operates more than 50 AI-powered autonomous nano stores that offer customers the convenience of a digital experience in physical stores. abka is partnering with Microsoft and AiFi, the largest provider of autonomous shopping solutions, to enhance its autonomous self-operating stores while also delivering great customer experiences. Fusing AiFi’s rich shopper interaction data with Microsoft Retail AI models can help store operators make data-driven decisions in areas such as store layout, product catalog, shelf placement, and shelf inventory optimization. Together, AiFi, Microsoft, and abka will help customers continuously optimize in-store operations and enhance the end-user experience.