Path to digital first begins with Microsoft Cloud for Retail

A foremost focus of H2 is on extending our support to the retail sector. This past year, companies have experienced a shifting retail landscape, greatly accelerated by the global pandemic. Consumers are increasingly turning to online shopping experiences, opening the door for greater brand exploration and direct buying. Expectations of a personalized customer experience has grown at an equally rapid clip, placing pressure on retailers to not only transform where they engage customers, but how.  

 This shift has resulted in an explosion of data, an immense opportunity for retailers with the right technology to harness and generate insights and provide unmatched online experiences that resonate with customers. However, the vast majority of retailers of all sizes are playing catch-up, and urgently looking for the solutions and partners that will help them move into a digital-first economy. 

 Microsoft Cloud for Retail was launched in January 2021 as a comprehensive solution to getting the most out of their data, empowering employees, and exceeding customer expectations.  

 Microsoft Store shifts to digital first in one month with Microsoft Cloud for Retail 

When the pandemic struck, the Microsoft Store experienced the same impact that reverberated among retailers across the globe. However, instead of derailing business-as-usual, it accelerated a journey to digital-first that had been in the making since the first two physical stores opened in 2009. In 2011, we launched our e-commerce site and were building the foundation for a digital-first organization by making key investments in our organization, technology, and people. Bringing together the digital and physical store teams in 2017 was critical to building the culture we needed to make that shift. 

 Today, the Microsoft Store has a significant global footprint, covering 190 markets around the world and receiving 1.8 billion monthly visits from customers. Our team of global associates surpass 1,500 in number and collectively provides customer support in over 120 languages. A company of this size and geographic diversity must lay the groundwork in advance in order to pivot quickly in response to sudden market changes.  

 That groundwork enabled Microsoft Store to seamlessly step in as Customer Zero for Microsoft Cloud for Retail, implementing the capabilities that made sense and innovating on top to build unique capabilities tailored to Microsoft Store needs. For example, solutions like Dynamics 365 Customer Service Hub, Power Apps, and Teams made it easy to humanize the customer journey and deliver the best of the in-store experience online. 

 Years-long investment in our people and culture enabled us to make a rapid shift to digital transformation and go digital-first in less than one month. With our own house in order, we were able to quickly return to helping companies, educators, and consumers navigate the personal and digital impact of the pandemic. 

Microsoft Cloud for Retail sets up retailers for success 

So, what is important to know about Microsoft Cloud for Retail, the solution that underpinned Microsoft Store’s swift and successful digital transformation?  

Microsoft Cloud for Retail is a suite of cloud-based tools that brings together different data sources across the retail value chain. It uniquely connects experiences across the end-to-end shopper journey through a set of capabilities that deliver more relevant personalized experiences and operational excellence for sustained profitability. Critically, Microsoft Cloud for Retail is built on a robust, unified data platform that enables retailers to enrich core business processes and turn data into actionable insights.  

As demonstrated by Microsoft Store, retailers achieve maximum flexibility to adopt capabilities to address their most pressing business needs – be it understanding customers better, empowering employees, building a resilient supply chain, or reimagining retail.  

How partners can expand your Retail practice 

As we continue to roll out solutions for Microsoft Cloud for Retail, our ambition is to work in lock-step with Microsoft Retail partners to empower Retail customers to seamlessly connect their customers, their people, and their data. Increased data sovereignty for Retail customers provides you with new opportunities to help them harness the data to build the predictive and analytical power required for their own competitive advantage.  

 There are limitless avenues for you to align and enable Microsoft Cloud for Retail, including: 

• Scale your own go-to-market by aligning sales and marketing motions with ours. Strategic partners with co-sell ready solution will have curated presence on digital platforms and can leverage the Microsoft Field as a distribution channel and global sales force with co-sell ready solutions that extend core cloud capabilities.  
• Build on Cloud for Retail as a platform, taking the composable capabilities and using them to enrich solutions already in market-either for a specific Retail customer or at scale.   
• Enrich the overall Cloud for Retail ecosystem by building new or updating existing SaaS or PaaS solutions that take advantage of whitespace opportunities, extend core cloud capabilities, or deliver complete retail business processes 
• Unlock new revenue and high value service opportunities by tailoring Microsoft Cloud for Retail to each customer’s environment and business processes, driving ROI through greater adoption and use.  

Takeaway 

The Retail sector is advancing like never before with customers’ expectations changing by the minute. Microsoft’s current Retail customers and those companies looking to rapidly transform to digital-first are actively seeking out technology partners who can bring superior technology, industry knowledge, and experience. Whether Retail is your bread and butter or an area you’ve considered expanding into, now is the time to learn more about Microsoft Cloud for Retail and take the next steps to give your Retail customers what they demand and need to thrive. 

Learn more 

Explore Microsoft Cloud for Retail | Microsoft 

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Tags: Azure, Cloud for Retail, Marketing Foundations, Microsoft Partner Network