This document discusses how customer-centricity and new technologies can drive profits for retailers. It explores trends like omni-channel retailing, the Internet of Things, big data, digital merchandising and social media. These trends allow retailers to better understand customer needs and provide more personalized shopping experiences. The document argues that prioritizing customers and leveraging new technologies can help retailers build long-term relationships with customers and increase loyalty and profits.
It’s time to start developing a robust e-commerce marketing strategy to sustain in this rapidly growing e-commerce landscape. As a matter of fact, this huge market attracts different kind of brands which will make the competition tougher.
This presentation provides a comprehensive overview of the current retail industry. It begins with a look into the four primary types of retailers: department stores, specialty retailers, big box retailers and discount retailers. From there, the deck explores the topic of overall channel expansion, which leads into a discussion on two omni-channel trends for 2013. The presentation wraps up with a discussion on technology companies that are partnering with retailers and a summary of opportunities for retail companies.
Your cognitive future in retail industryTero Angeria
Cognitive + retail = the future
Welcome to the age of cognitive computing, where intelligent machines simulate human brain capabilities to help solve society’s most vexing problems. For retail,cognitive computing has already arrived, and its potential to transform the industry is enormous. Cognitive systems are driving more personalized
shopping experiences and helping unearth customer trends. Our research reveals that retail leaders globally are poised to embrace this groundbreaking technology more holistically and, by doing so, will redefine the future in retail.
How is Artificial Intelligence shaping the Future of Ecommerce?archana cks
Few industries are as competitive as ecommerce. Not only are online retailers competing with other online stores and brick-and-mortar locations, but also the overall noise that is the Internet.
source <> http://www.ecbilla.com/blogs/how-is-artificial-intelligence-shaping-the-future-of-ecommerce.html
It’s time to start developing a robust e-commerce marketing strategy to sustain in this rapidly growing e-commerce landscape. As a matter of fact, this huge market attracts different kind of brands which will make the competition tougher.
This presentation provides a comprehensive overview of the current retail industry. It begins with a look into the four primary types of retailers: department stores, specialty retailers, big box retailers and discount retailers. From there, the deck explores the topic of overall channel expansion, which leads into a discussion on two omni-channel trends for 2013. The presentation wraps up with a discussion on technology companies that are partnering with retailers and a summary of opportunities for retail companies.
Your cognitive future in retail industryTero Angeria
Cognitive + retail = the future
Welcome to the age of cognitive computing, where intelligent machines simulate human brain capabilities to help solve society’s most vexing problems. For retail,cognitive computing has already arrived, and its potential to transform the industry is enormous. Cognitive systems are driving more personalized
shopping experiences and helping unearth customer trends. Our research reveals that retail leaders globally are poised to embrace this groundbreaking technology more holistically and, by doing so, will redefine the future in retail.
How is Artificial Intelligence shaping the Future of Ecommerce?archana cks
Few industries are as competitive as ecommerce. Not only are online retailers competing with other online stores and brick-and-mortar locations, but also the overall noise that is the Internet.
source <> http://www.ecbilla.com/blogs/how-is-artificial-intelligence-shaping-the-future-of-ecommerce.html
Achieving Customer Experience Excellence in RetailBrent Biddulph
A prospective view on how big data analytics and connected data is enabling customer experience (CX) innovation in a digital economy that is reshaping an age-old industry.
2016 IBM Retail Industry Solutions GuideTero Angeria
IBM offers everything retailers need to transform—roadmap
development, solutions, infrastructure, research sciences,
consulting and interactive user experience design—based on
what consumers are demanding. We help retailers deepen
customer relationships and offer differentiated assortment
while driving operational excellence enterprisewide to spur
profitable growth.
This guide showcases IBM solutions for retail. It provides a quick overview of what retailers need to do within each of these areas and of the IBM solutions that can support those efforts.
What's next after omnichannel? A customer centric approach to retail. Mark Th...StrongPoint
Retailers around the world have faced more change in the last 5 years than in the previous 25, mainly due to a shift in power from the retailer to the consumer. Most of this is as a result of consumer technology allowing shoppers to access information about products and to buy on line from a far wider choice of retailers. In itself, this technology has also undergone change, from desktop PCs to mobiles. So, is it all about managing channels to create an Omnichannel offering, or are retailers now facing a new reality where retail needs a re-design. In this session, we explore what some retailers are doing to create a single approach to the customer across all channels and platforms.
IBM Retail solutions offer long-standing commitment and investment
in leading-edge mobile partnerships, cognitive computing solution
development, acquisitions and research that provide disruptive
creativity and take a new approach (new business models) to solve
business problems.
La trasformazione digitale è una questione di customer experience e d’innovaz...InSide Training
Lo speech di Annasara Bonandrini (Marketing Manager Italy & Iberica) e Nicola Bugini (Territory account executive Italy) a Creativity Day 2016, tappa di Napoli.
Mobility in Time and Expense Management allows employees to record their time and expenses and obtain approvals - anywhere and anytime. This greatly reduces the time to bill the clients and realize revenues in a timely manner. In addition the management gains better visibility into the cost and time aspects of the projects.
Achieving Customer Experience Excellence in RetailBrent Biddulph
A prospective view on how big data analytics and connected data is enabling customer experience (CX) innovation in a digital economy that is reshaping an age-old industry.
2016 IBM Retail Industry Solutions GuideTero Angeria
IBM offers everything retailers need to transform—roadmap
development, solutions, infrastructure, research sciences,
consulting and interactive user experience design—based on
what consumers are demanding. We help retailers deepen
customer relationships and offer differentiated assortment
while driving operational excellence enterprisewide to spur
profitable growth.
This guide showcases IBM solutions for retail. It provides a quick overview of what retailers need to do within each of these areas and of the IBM solutions that can support those efforts.
What's next after omnichannel? A customer centric approach to retail. Mark Th...StrongPoint
Retailers around the world have faced more change in the last 5 years than in the previous 25, mainly due to a shift in power from the retailer to the consumer. Most of this is as a result of consumer technology allowing shoppers to access information about products and to buy on line from a far wider choice of retailers. In itself, this technology has also undergone change, from desktop PCs to mobiles. So, is it all about managing channels to create an Omnichannel offering, or are retailers now facing a new reality where retail needs a re-design. In this session, we explore what some retailers are doing to create a single approach to the customer across all channels and platforms.
IBM Retail solutions offer long-standing commitment and investment
in leading-edge mobile partnerships, cognitive computing solution
development, acquisitions and research that provide disruptive
creativity and take a new approach (new business models) to solve
business problems.
La trasformazione digitale è una questione di customer experience e d’innovaz...InSide Training
Lo speech di Annasara Bonandrini (Marketing Manager Italy & Iberica) e Nicola Bugini (Territory account executive Italy) a Creativity Day 2016, tappa di Napoli.
Mobility in Time and Expense Management allows employees to record their time and expenses and obtain approvals - anywhere and anytime. This greatly reduces the time to bill the clients and realize revenues in a timely manner. In addition the management gains better visibility into the cost and time aspects of the projects.
The inventory reservation in Microsoft Dynamics AX , is a complex task.
This process shows the best process we were able to implement when it comes to the inventory reservation
Dynamics AX 2009 CRM Implementation : The fit gap analysis Julien Lecadou,MSc.
In this paper, we focused our attentions into the fit gap analysis and solutions related to the CRM implementation. This fit gap analysis is part of a broad range of activities that are needed to be processed in order to design, develop and deploy a CRM application.
We attended several meetings with the stakeholders in order to implement the solutions. And during those meetings, we understood that every CRM solution is unique and it should be tailored to the company overall business process and culture.
WMS Update: Create Pallet Id in item Transaction Journal Julien Lecadou,MSc.
Usage:
- Transfer pallet quantity from one pallet to another
- Add item inventory to the warehouse
- Transfer item from a cancelled sales order to an opened sales order.
Customizing job shop scheduling using microsoft dynamics ax part2 3Julien Lecadou,MSc.
The Part II and III of this discussion will be focused on:
The presentation of the blown film manufacturing process
The description of the Manufacturing Planning and Control System
What : The diagram describes the business Process Model for the best machine selection in Production Scheduling Who: Business Analyst , Business Leaders, Application Architect
To stay competitive, process manufacturers must continually strive to reduce production and supply chain costs, achieve almost perfect delivery performance, and satisfy an avalanche of customer demands and regulatory requirements. In this webinar, understand how Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 can help companies to fuel efficiency, reduce risk across the enterprise, meet complex inventory requirements, and respond quickly to changing market conditions.
11 Trends in the Future of Retail According to Brian SolisBrian Solis
Brian Solis Keynotes Acosta Leadership Symposium 2015: The concept of future retail is constantly evolving. But what isn't evolving as quickly is the understanding and widespread experimentation to bring the future to life today by mainstream retailers. Leading digital analyst, futurist and author Brian Solis shares his most important trends for retailers to embrace now. And, the good news is that no matter the date on this video, his words are as true today as they were then. Video Here: https://youtu.be/62OogreQpZA
The Impact of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Disruption on the Supply ChainJason Prescott
Global industry veteran Jeff Streader discusses a critical component for success in today’s digital world and how this effects the modern supply chain. He shares his view on successful strategies and tactics that brands and retailers along with their supplier/ partners, need to understand and collaborate together. Jeff emphasizes the magnitude of understanding today’s digital consumer and how the Design Chain and Supply Chain, will work on the near future in a data-driven end-to-end value chain.
Technology will transform retail resulting in the growth of brick and mortar retail. Check Retail Technologies trends that will help retailers survive.
'Extreme Apps’ Approach to Analysis Makes On-Site Retail Experience King AgainDana Gardner
Transcript of a sponsored discussion on how technology providers have teamed as an ecosystem to develop new dynamic and rapid analysis capabilities for the retail industry.
Findings from a recent PwC Consumer Intelligence Series (CIS) survey of 15,000 global consumers confirm that technology will remain central to retailers' ability to understand and predict customer behavior. But none of these high-tech capabilities would be possible without people.
Data-Driven Insight, Edge Computing, and Revamped User Experience Give Retai...Dana Gardner
Transcript of a discussion on how data-driven intelligence, edge computing, and rethinking of the user experience come together to give retailers a clear path to digital transformation.
Technology will transform retail resulting in the growth of brick and mortar retail. Check Retail Technologies trends that will help retailers survive.
The ultimate guide to the new buyers journeyMarketBridge
At MarketBridge we have the privilege of working with hundreds of marketing and sales leaders every month. In those discussions one thing is abundantly clear: the customer buying journey is rapidly changing and organizations are struggling to keep up.
These dramatic shifts in buying behavior are well documented; independent research by Gartner and Forrester suggests that by 2020,
Unlocking the Economic Impact of Digital Transformation in Asia PacificMicrosoft India
“Unlocking the Economic Impact of Digital Transformation in Asia Pacific” was conducted with 1,560 respondents in 15 economies by Microsoft Asia in partnership with IDC.
• 15 Asia Pacific economies involved: Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan,Thailand and Vietnam.
Get heavyweight performance and efficiency at your workplace with the ultra-light and power-packed Microsoft Surface, which is transforming enterprises around the world.
Cloud computing worldwide has been talked about as the biggest transformation in the IT industry in the last 10 years. This whitepaper explores how hybrid cloud is the next frontier for cloud adoption and offers an optimal solution towards the concerns on both public & private cloud deployments.
Banking in the Digital Era - Microsoft India PerspectiveMicrosoft India
Authored by Basudev Banerjee, Industry Marketing Lead, Microsoft & Vishnu Bhavaraju, Enterprise Strategy Architect, Microsoft, this document outlines Microsoft’s understanding of the digital and service delivery framework, target operating models and suggested business solution architecture and footprint within the BFSI vertical.
A part of the first edition of Future Unleashed, Microsoft's future-centric, business and technology symposium, this digital-first exclusive study explores the evolving role of leaders in the age of digital transformation. It throws light on the importance of technologies like Internet of Things, predictive data analysis, and machine learning, in the current framework of conducting business in India.
It draws on an online survey of more than 200 CXOs/leaders from a range of a functions like marketing, sales, human resources and finance belonging to varied industries like IT, manufacturing, banking, healthcare and retail.
Office 365 Tip: Store, sync & share your content using SharePointMicrosoft India
Store your content in SharePoint so you can easily share it with people and access it from virtually anywhere. Sync it between laptop and OneDrive so that it's available even when you are offline. Have a query? Tweet us using #Guruvaarta and our experts will be happy to help. Follow us on Twitter @ModernBizIn to stay updated on modern tools for your small business.
Create and connect with all different data sources. Learn how to examine all the data connections your model uses from both internal and external sources. Have a query? Tweet us using #Guruvaarta and our experts will be happy to help. Follow us on Twitter @ModernBizIn to stay updated on modern tools for your small business.
Office 365 Tip: Create a team site on SharePointMicrosoft India
Work with your teams from where ever you are. Get started with your own Team site on SharePoint. Build your site in a few clicks. Just click new site and give your site a name, try different looks, customize it and get going. Have a query? Tweet us using #Guruvaarta and our experts will be happy to help. Follow us on Twitter @ModernBizIn to stay updated on modern tools for your small business.
Get to know how you can get things done better together with Office 365 from anywhere and almost any device. Have a query? Tweet us using #Guruvaarta and our experts will be happy to help. Follow us on Twitter @ModernBizIn to stay updated on modern tools for your small business.
Office 365 Tip: How to find things you need within your organisationFind what...Microsoft India
Discover information across your organisation: Content, spreadsheets, multimedia, case studies,etc using Office 365. Refine your search to people, conversations, videos or see everything in one go. Have a query? Tweet us using #Guruvaarta and our experts will be happy to help. Follow us on Twitter @ModernBizIn to stay updated on modern tools for your small business.
Office 365 Tip: Find the right people in your organisationMicrosoft India
Identify people, share your knowledge and jump into discussions that interest you with the help of Office 365. Have a query? Tweet us using #Guruvaarta and our experts will be happy to help. Follow us on Twitter @ModernBizIn to stay updated on modern tools for your small business.
Microsoft Cloudscape 2015 surveyed the CIOs of 100 Indian enterprises to gain insights into cloud adoption trends and challenges faced by them. This survey highlights that as most business experimenting with different approaches to the cloud, availability of cloud skills and training seems to be the top concerns for enterprises, edging out security and privacy related concerns.
This paper discusses the challenges and opportunities in creating scalable voice forums. We also present a new open-source system, IVR Junction, that leverages existing free services and commercial tools to simplify the process of creating a voice forum.
Low cost audience polling using computer visionMicrosoft India
Microsoft has researched a new, low-cost technique that utilizes computer vision for real-time polling of a classroom. The approach allows teachers to ask a multiple-choice question. Students respond by holding up a qCard: a sheet of paper that contains a printed code, similar to a QR code, encoding their student answers (A, B, C or D) by holding the card. Using a laptop and an off-the-shelf webcam, our software automatically recognizes and aggregates the students’ responses and displays them to the teacher. This system was built and performed initially in secondary schools in Bangalore, India.
This article explores the role of a biometric attendance terminal in persuading patients to complete follow-up health visits in slum communities of New Delhi, India. almost three years of deployment in India, CGNet Swara has logged more than 137,000 phone calls and released 2,100 messages.
With the increase of tuberculosis patients in India that constantly need visits to medical centers almost 40 times in the course of 6 months. Microsoft explores the role of a biometric attendance terminal in persuading patients to complete follow-up health visits in slum communities of New Delhi, India.
VidWiki, an online platform that enables students to iteratively improve the presentation quality and content of educational videos. Through the platform, users can improve the legibility of handwriting, correct errors, or translate text in videos by overlaying typeset content such as text, shapes, equations, or images.
GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using Deplo...James Anderson
Effective Application Security in Software Delivery lifecycle using Deployment Firewall and DBOM
The modern software delivery process (or the CI/CD process) includes many tools, distributed teams, open-source code, and cloud platforms. Constant focus on speed to release software to market, along with the traditional slow and manual security checks has caused gaps in continuous security as an important piece in the software supply chain. Today organizations feel more susceptible to external and internal cyber threats due to the vast attack surface in their applications supply chain and the lack of end-to-end governance and risk management.
The software team must secure its software delivery process to avoid vulnerability and security breaches. This needs to be achieved with existing tool chains and without extensive rework of the delivery processes. This talk will present strategies and techniques for providing visibility into the true risk of the existing vulnerabilities, preventing the introduction of security issues in the software, resolving vulnerabilities in production environments quickly, and capturing the deployment bill of materials (DBOM).
Speakers:
Bob Boule
Robert Boule is a technology enthusiast with PASSION for technology and making things work along with a knack for helping others understand how things work. He comes with around 20 years of solution engineering experience in application security, software continuous delivery, and SaaS platforms. He is known for his dynamic presentations in CI/CD and application security integrated in software delivery lifecycle.
Gopinath Rebala
Gopinath Rebala is the CTO of OpsMx, where he has overall responsibility for the machine learning and data processing architectures for Secure Software Delivery. Gopi also has a strong connection with our customers, leading design and architecture for strategic implementations. Gopi is a frequent speaker and well-known leader in continuous delivery and integrating security into software delivery.
Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey 2024 by 91mobiles.pdf91mobiles
91mobiles recently conducted a Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey in which we asked over 3,000 respondents about the TV they own, aspects they look at on a new TV, and their TV buying preferences.
Epistemic Interaction - tuning interfaces to provide information for AI supportAlan Dix
Paper presented at SYNERGY workshop at AVI 2024, Genoa, Italy. 3rd June 2024
https://alandix.com/academic/papers/synergy2024-epistemic/
As machine learning integrates deeper into human-computer interactions, the concept of epistemic interaction emerges, aiming to refine these interactions to enhance system adaptability. This approach encourages minor, intentional adjustments in user behaviour to enrich the data available for system learning. This paper introduces epistemic interaction within the context of human-system communication, illustrating how deliberate interaction design can improve system understanding and adaptation. Through concrete examples, we demonstrate the potential of epistemic interaction to significantly advance human-computer interaction by leveraging intuitive human communication strategies to inform system design and functionality, offering a novel pathway for enriching user-system engagements.
Let's dive deeper into the world of ODC! Ricardo Alves (OutSystems) will join us to tell all about the new Data Fabric. After that, Sezen de Bruijn (OutSystems) will get into the details on how to best design a sturdy architecture within ODC.
PHP Frameworks: I want to break free (IPC Berlin 2024)Ralf Eggert
In this presentation, we examine the challenges and limitations of relying too heavily on PHP frameworks in web development. We discuss the history of PHP and its frameworks to understand how this dependence has evolved. The focus will be on providing concrete tips and strategies to reduce reliance on these frameworks, based on real-world examples and practical considerations. The goal is to equip developers with the skills and knowledge to create more flexible and future-proof web applications. We'll explore the importance of maintaining autonomy in a rapidly changing tech landscape and how to make informed decisions in PHP development.
This talk is aimed at encouraging a more independent approach to using PHP frameworks, moving towards a more flexible and future-proof approach to PHP development.
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 3DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 3. In this session, we will cover desktop automation along with UI automation.
Topics covered:
UI automation Introduction,
UI automation Sample
Desktop automation flow
Pradeep Chinnala, Senior Consultant Automation Developer @WonderBotz and UiPath MVP
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
Transcript: Selling digital books in 2024: Insights from industry leaders - T...BookNet Canada
The publishing industry has been selling digital audiobooks and ebooks for over a decade and has found its groove. What’s changed? What has stayed the same? Where do we go from here? Join a group of leading sales peers from across the industry for a conversation about the lessons learned since the popularization of digital books, best practices, digital book supply chain management, and more.
Link to video recording: https://bnctechforum.ca/sessions/selling-digital-books-in-2024-insights-from-industry-leaders/
Presented by BookNet Canada on May 28, 2024, with support from the Department of Canadian Heritage.
Neuro-symbolic is not enough, we need neuro-*semantic*Frank van Harmelen
Neuro-symbolic (NeSy) AI is on the rise. However, simply machine learning on just any symbolic structure is not sufficient to really harvest the gains of NeSy. These will only be gained when the symbolic structures have an actual semantics. I give an operational definition of semantics as “predictable inference”.
All of this illustrated with link prediction over knowledge graphs, but the argument is general.
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 4DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 4. In this session, we will cover Test Manager overview along with SAP heatmap.
The UiPath Test Manager overview with SAP heatmap webinar offers a concise yet comprehensive exploration of the role of a Test Manager within SAP environments, coupled with the utilization of heatmaps for effective testing strategies.
Participants will gain insights into the responsibilities, challenges, and best practices associated with test management in SAP projects. Additionally, the webinar delves into the significance of heatmaps as a visual aid for identifying testing priorities, areas of risk, and resource allocation within SAP landscapes. Through this session, attendees can expect to enhance their understanding of test management principles while learning practical approaches to optimize testing processes in SAP environments using heatmap visualization techniques
What will you get from this session?
1. Insights into SAP testing best practices
2. Heatmap utilization for testing
3. Optimization of testing processes
4. Demo
Topics covered:
Execution from the test manager
Orchestrator execution result
Defect reporting
SAP heatmap example with demo
Speaker:
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
2. I Customers: How Customer-Centricity Drives Bottom Line Benefits2
Contents
For Love or Money .............................................................................. 3
Omni-ChannelRetailing:HowdoILoveThee? .......................................... 4
The Internet of Things: New Ways to Love Customers ........................... 5-6
Retailing and Big Data: Getting to Know You ....................................... 7-8
Digital Merchandising: Show Them How Much You Care ........................ 9-10
SocialMedia:AreYouListeningtoMe? ...................................................... 11
Retailing and Customer Loyalty: The Perfect Date ................................. 12
How MSFT Can Help ......................................................................... 13
BACK
3. I Customers: How Customer-Centricity Drives Bottom Line Benefits3
For Love or Money
Perhaps no other industry has been as impacted by rapid advancements in
technology as the retail industry. The Internet has opened up new markets to
you – and your competitors. A proliferation of devices has changed the way
consumers shop, in-store and online. Retailers now have access to data about
consumers and markets that they couldn’t even dream of ten years ago.
In retail, an all-out battle is being waged for the heart of the customer. Some
retailers are approaching it piecemeal, making improvements here and there.
Other retailers, like Eason, a 125-year-old book retailer in Ireland, are using
technology to completely redesign the customer’s shopping experience.
But is it worth it? Already plagued by thin margins, that’s the question many
retailers are asking themselves.
Throughout this eBook, we’ll take a closer look at the trends impacting the
retail industry. We’ll also look at strategies for leveraging these trends to drive
profitability by putting customers at the heart of your business.
Hang on tight. The industry is changing quickly, and this promises to be
a rollercoaster ride. But we believe the rapid advancement in technology
can help retailers become more than just transactional businesses. With the
right technologies combined with a solid plan, retailers can build long-term,
satisfying relationships with customers, connecting to them on a personal
level and making them feel like part of the brand.
For some shopping is about the destination, for others the journey, yet for
some customers – it’s simply about the experience! And when that experience
is golden – people want to come back for more.
BACK
4. I Customers: How Customer-Centricity Drives Bottom Line Benefits4
Omni-Channel Retailing:
How Do I Love Thee?
When it comes to reaching your customers, location is everything. That’s
as true in the digital age today, as it was thirty years ago. Customers want
to be able to shop where they want, when they want, and how they want -
whether that’s in a physical store or online. However, omni-channel retailing
is about more than putting up a website and slapping a shopping cart on it.
Your customer doesn’t care about omni-channel, they care about having one
consistent and seamless experience with your brand, regardless of channel.
Let Me Count the Ways
How do you create an omni-channel shopping experience that puts customers
at the heart of your business?
#1 Be consistently excellent…
According to Paula Rosenblum, Managing Partner at Retail Systems Research,
“Customers are hyper sensitive these days. To support your brand’s promise, their
experience needs to be excellent and consistent whether they’re shopping online
or in-store.”
#2 across multiple devices…
PC, smartphone, tablet, television, even wearable technology…there’s no telling
what sort of device future consumers will use to access information about you. Your
retail infrastructure must be open to these future devices, serving up information in
a way that leverages the unique strengths of the device without requiring extensive
development and the associated cost.
#3 and mixed channels…
“Today’s consumers want to use their devices in-store, too,” says Karen Garrette, Global
Retail Director, Microsoft. “If they see something interesting, they want to scan it with
their smartphone and bring up the specs. In fact this is sometimes much easier than
trying to track down a sales associate.”
#4 but don’t forget the social sites!
Almost half of all consumers research
purchases and engage with retailers on
social media. Some social platforms like
Facebook are becoming virtual storefronts.
These tools are as easy to use as a website
for most consumers, and they encourage
deeper engagement. Customers look for
peer reviews and recommendations on
products just as much as they look to see
how you respond to complaints or kudos
from customers. Social lets you have a
conversation and further build your brand!
Watch: The Impact of Omni-Channel on
Retail Operations
Are Your Customers Worth It?
Research shows that cross-channel shoppers are more profitable for retailers,
and there are ways to maximize that profitability. According to Garrette, “An
intelligent recommendation engine that shows customers additional items
based on their search or purchase history can result in as much as a 39%
increase in purchases on a single invoice .”
BACK
5. I Customers: How Customer-Centricity Drives Bottom Line Benefits5
The Internet of Things:
New Ways to Love Customers
The Internet of Things (IoT) has the potential to dramatically change the way
retailers interact with customers. However, the wide diversity of opinions
expressed about what the IoT actually is has left many retailers a little
confused about what it means to the future of retailing.
“We encourage retailers to think about the Internet of Things as an Internet
of their things,” says Karen Garrette, Global Retail Director at Microsoft. “What
can you do with the technology you have right now to improve customer
connections? And with a little technology applied in innovative ways, how can
you make the shopping experience even more remarkable for the customer
and more profitable for you?”
Endless Possibilities
Everyone has probably heard of the Internet-enabled refrigerator that
will tell the homeowner when they need to restock eggs, milk and other
consumables. Naturally, many retailers are also excited about the idea of
connected shelves that will alert store personnel when items are getting low
and either need to be restocked or reordered, with the Internet of Things and
a little imagination, the sky’s the limit.
For example, Coca-Cola Amatil’s customers were already interacting with
their vending machine. The company upgraded their machines with new
technology, an interactive multimedia experience, to create an amazing
customer experience that also drove sales.
Read more about how Coca-Cola Amatil has transformed their coolers
and boosted beverage sales by 12%.
BACK
6. I Customers: How Customer-Centricity Drives Bottom Line Benefits6
The Internet of Things:
New Ways to Love Customers
The Shopping Experience is Evolving
Another way to identify how the IoT can transform retailing is to think about
how technology can be used to make the customer’s shopping experience
smoother and easier.
One of the most frustrating shopping experiences is the dressing room.
“Customers are all alone in the dressing room,” says Brendan O’Meara,
Microsoft’s Managing Director, World-Wide Retail. “Yet, this is where most
buying decisions are made.”
To transform the shopping experience, Microsoft worked with Accenture to
create a concept they call the connected dressing room. When a customer
steps into the dressing room, their items are automatically scanned using RFID
and are displayed on a screen along with recommendations based on the
customer’s selections.
Wrong fit? Wrong color? Wrong style? No problem. From the touchscreen,
the customer can request a different color, size or item while still in the
dressing room. An alert is sent to a sales associate’s smartphone so the new
selections can be brought to the shopper.
“The more you eliminate the hassles from the shopping experience, the more
likely the customer is going to leave happy and having purchased something,”
says O’Meara.
See the Connected Fitting Room in Action
Click here to learn about FaceCake’s innovative technology
BACK
7. I Customers: How Customer-Centricity Drives Bottom Line Benefits7
Retailing and Big Data:
Getting to Know You
It used to be that retailers had to engage in expensive research in order to
study market trends. Now data comes from everywhere: websites, social
sites, mobile devices, wearable technology, appliances. It seems there is no
end to the sources of new data.
Making Big Data Work for You
Making this data work for you is really a two-step process.
First, retailers must accept that the amount of data is only going to increase as
the number and types of devices connected to the Internet increase. They need
systems that can collect the data, consolidate it and make sense of it as we enter
the era of what Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s CEO, has called ambient intelligence.
Second, the days of limiting data access to a small group of business analysts
are over. Retailers need to develop a data culture where information is
accessible and useable by everyone in the organization.
“[A data culture] isn’t just about
deploying technology alone,
it’s about changing culture so
that every organization, every
team and every individual is
empowered to do great things
because of the data at their
fingertips.”
Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO
BACK
8. I Customers: How Customer-Centricity Drives Bottom Line Benefits8
Retailing and Big Data:
Getting to Know You
New Belgium Brewing Taps Big Data
New Belgium Brewing is one company that takes their data seriously. For legal
reasons, this craft brewer must sell its products through distributors. That
makes it a little harder for the company to take the pulse of the consumer, but
that doesn’t stop New Belgium.
To better understand the market for their craft brews, New Belgium Brewing
uses social media and their website to engage consumers, and they use
Microsoft Dynamics AX and CRM to collect and analyze the data. But data
analysis at New Belgium is a two-way street. Not only do they analyze
the data at the corporate office in Fort Collins, Colorado, they also make it
accessible to their sales team. Leveraging sales, manufacturing and marketing
data, this sales team, better known as the “Beer Rangers,” can advise distributors
on what they should be stocking to maximize sales.
Watch: New Belgium Brewing Story: The Craft of Growing a Complex Business
“When a primary goal of a company is to become
an omni-channel retailer, it’s imperative that it
accesses one set of data on customers, products and
orders. Retailers continue to report lack of visibility
into orders, customers and inventory as a top-three
inhibitor to cross-channel consistency and execution.”
Retail Systems Research,
The CIO: Emerging or Submerging
– Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO.
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9. I Customers: How Customer-Centricity Drives Bottom Line Benefits9
Digital Merchandising: Show
Them How Much You Care
The advent of new technologies and new ways to shop has shaped the way
customers buy. Many studies show that a majority of customers would still
rather shop in-store than online. However, a growing majority of customers
are researching products online before they step foot in a store.
Another growing trend is for customers to research products online, visit the
store to touch/feel/see the product, and then go back home to buy online, or
even make the purchase from another retailer right then and there through
their mobile phone. The industry has dubbed this “showrooming.”
What Can You Do?
For years, brick and mortar retailers despised showrooming. Maintaining
a physical storefront is expensive. Furthermore, how do you compensate
sales associates when they do the work, but the customer leaves to buy the
product they just looked at in the store, online? These retailers fought against
showrooming in a variety of ways such as stocking certain items in-store only,
selling others only online, or offering discounts unique to the channel.
But is that a wise thing to do?
Paula Rosenblum, Managing Partner at Retail Systems Research, advises
against it. Marketing spends a lot of money establishing a brand promise
through their advertising and marketing messages. “Any place where that
promise is broken creates a real trauma for retailers,” says Rosenblum. “Doing
a channel-specific promotion breaks that omni-channel promise, and once
that happens, it can be tough to regain a customer’s trust.”
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10. I Customers: How Customer-Centricity Drives Bottom Line Benefits10
Digital Merchandising: Show
Them How Much You Care
People Really Are Your #1 Asset
So how can you show your customers how much you love them? Gallup’s
2014 report, The State of the American Consumer, suggests an intriguing
answer: empowered, engaged employees.
Gallup research has found that… companies that engage
both their employees and their customers gain a 240%
boost in performance-related business outcomes.
Translation: when customers and employees are engaged, customers
buy stuff.
The Gallup research gives some of the strongest evidence yet for the value
of equipping employees and customers with digital technologies. “Mobile
devices give employees access to more detailed product information than
ever before,” says Karen Garrette, Global Retail Director, Microsoft. “If the store
doesn’t have what the customer is looking for, they can instantly see who
does. Access to customer shopping and browsing history can even help them
suggest alternatives or additional items the customer might like.”
The research suggest that this level of employee/customer engagement can
more than compensate for a lower price the customer might be able to find
elsewhere. “Furthermore, when a customer feels loved and feels special, they
want to return and they want to share that experience,” adds Garrette.
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11. I Customers: How Customer-Centricity Drives Bottom Line Benefits11
Social Media: Are You
Listening to Me?
Social and mobile have changed the way people communicate. Today’s
consumers are more informed and getting their information in new ways from
new sources. Look at these amazing statistics:
56% of consumers said they research a brand on Facebook before purchasing.1
71% said they go online first whenever they have a problem with a product.2
90% of consumers regularly research products online before buying.3
It has become important more than ever for you to stay on top of what
people are saying about your brand, your products, or your promotions.
Having the right social tools in place to help you analyze this social data can
help you provide better customer service and help you stay ahead of
the competition.
3 Types of Customers
For the retail industry, there are three types of customers in the social realm:
1. Brand advocates. These social-media savvy customers love your products
and your company. They are brand-loyal, frequent shoppers and are eager to
share their experiences with others. Smart retailers do not turn their backs on
these customers. They find ways to court their continued influence with special
offers, exclusive shopping events and other perks. These customers can serve as
evangelists for your brand.
2. Brand detractors. Brand detractors are the mirror opposite of your advocates.
According to the White House Office of Consumer Affairs, a dissatisfied customer
will tell between 9 and 15 people about their experience, and 13% of dissatisfied
customers will tell more than 20 people. When a detractor shares a negative
comment on social media, the impact expands exponentially. Smart retailers stay
ahead of the negative posts by monitoring social conversations as they happen.
Addressing concerns in an appropriate and thoughtful way can turn detractors
into the organization’s most vocal supporters.
3. Everyone else. These are the customers who might make a comment,
positive, negative or neutral, from time to time. Individually they don’t have a
huge impact on your reputation, but collectively they are strong indicators of
brand sentiment.
Download the eBook: WOW Service – A Social Intelligence Guide for
Customer Service.
Keeping an Ear to the Market
Listening to customers has always been crucial, and social media has made it
easier than ever. With the right social listening tools, you can easily take the pulse
of your market, court active fans and address potential trouble spots.
Watch: Microsoft Social Listening Puts You in the Conversation
Watch: Microsoft Social Listening – Understanding Sentiment
1
Retail TouchPoints, 2012 and Integrated Retailer.com, 2012
2
WebPro News: Twitter, Facebook Becoming Popular Tools for Customer Service May 2012
3
Retail TouchPoints, 2012 and Integrated Retailer.com, 2012
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12. I Customers: How Customer-Centricity Drives Bottom Line Benefits12
1:1 Retailing and Customer
Loyalty: The Perfect Date
The perfect shopping experience is kind of like the perfect date. The specifics
are different for everyone, but in general, the perfect date is free of hassles
and unpleasant surprises. Whether shopping online, in-store or a combination
of the two, that’s the kind of experience retailers should be aiming to provide.
It’s one that your customers will remember long after they leave your store.
And, it’s one that will leave them eager to return.
Owning the Experience
“Retailers need to take ownership of the customer experience, but too many
retailers take a disjointed approach,” says Karen Garrett. In fact, research
conducted by Kurt Salmon, a global management consulting firm with a
focus on retail and consumer products, shows that 68% of retail organizations
surveyed had no single owner of the customer experience across channels
and functions.
The 5th P: Personalization
The 4Ps of marketing: Product, Price, Place and Promotion, were first
introduced in the 1960s. Today’s retailers would be wise to add a
5th P: Personalization.
“It’s somewhat easier to personalize the customer’s experience when they are
shopping online,” says Garrette. “Systems can track a customer’s search and
purchase history and offer suggestions. But in-store experiences need to be
personalized as well.”
According to Kurt Salmon, 30-60% of shoppers leave the store without ever
having engaged with a sales associate. They might have been just browsing,
or they might have been looking for something specific. The retailer will
never know.
With digital engagement throughout the store, retailers are able to create
a much more personalized experience with fewer hassles for the customer
and greater opportunities, such as cross-selling, for the retailer. With in-store
digital engagement, Kurt Salmon has found that in-store traffic improves by as
much as 10–30%, and conversion rates can increase by 30–50%.
Watch: The Future of In-Store Retailing
“… a customer who is fully engaged represents an
average 23% premium in terms of share of wallet,
profitability, revenue, and relationship growth
compared with the average customer.”
Gallup 2014 State of the American Consumer Report
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13. I Customers: How Customer-Centricity Drives Bottom Line Benefits13
The More Things Change…
For all we make of the massive revolution in shopping habits brought about
by technology, change has always been a constant in the retail industry. Even
if it didn’t happen as quickly, the advent of the department store at the turn
of the 19th century was as disruptive to the industry as the dot.com boom
at the turn of the 21st. But regardless of the level and speed of change, the
direction has always been the same – in favor of the consumer.
It’s Still About the Customer
More choices. More flexibility. Fewer hassles. The core tenets of fostering a
relationship between the customer and your brand have not changed. It’s
all about the experience. Whether ordering a soda at the drug store counter
in 1944 or buying a soda from an interactive vending machine in 2014, the
experience is what keeps customers coming back for more.
But the Internet has upped the ante. In our mobile society, consumers aren’t
limited to stores within walking or driving distance. Now, consumers can buy
products from a store half way around the world and have their order fulfilled
by associates who don’t even speak the same language. The competition for
share of wallet is far fiercer than it’s ever been before.
Be Ready for What’s Next
At Microsoft, we’ve made it our mission to help retailers keep up with the
pace of change and drive long-lasting, profitable relationships with customers.
We invest over $10B annually in technologies such as:
Microsoft Dynamics for Retail, an ERP end to end application for retailing
that covers retail’s unique needs such as POS, merchandising, supply
chain management, customer relationship management and social media
management.
Supporting technologies including SharePoint, Microsoft Office, Windows,
Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Tag and others, all designed to work
seamlessly together to support the connected shopping experience.
Mobile Devices, such as Windows Mobile, Surface, Kinect and Windows
Tablets, that can be put into the hands of sales associates to help them better
serve your customers in new and innovative ways.
Microsoft Services, a team of retail specialists who can help you pull
everything together to become the Dynamic Retailer you were meant to be.
But it’s not about technology for technology’s sake. It’s about the customer—
your customer. We design our retail products and services to help you create
an omni-channel shopping experience that will delight your customers and
help you be ready for whatever the future holds.
Learn more at retail.dynamics.com.
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14. I Customers: How Customer-Centricity Drives Bottom Line Benefits14
Microsoft Retail Stores have utilized Microsoft Dynamics AX and Microsoft
Dynamics CRM since their original launch. By implementing the latest release
of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online we
enhance our ability to be agile and meet the growing demands of our retail
stores. Deploying in store technologies enables us to deliver on these core priorities:
• Providing amazing, seamless, relevant customer experiences, allowing
in-store team members and corporate staff to focus on building a
relationship and loyalty with customers.
• Empowering in-store team members with a modern Point of Sale (POS)
device so they never have to leave the customers side.
Reducing deployment, IT support and management costs through retail-
specific feature improvements and seamless integration with existing
enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems…
Read the entire case study
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