I had the pleasure of hosting members of the team back in January at the National Retail Federation convention to demonstrate how they’ve embraced Windows 10 to create an innovative store environment at their flagship Discovery Stores in Melbourne and Sydney. These new stores blend online and offline worlds so customers can interact with Telstra when, where, and how they choose.

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As many of us have experienced in traditional telecommunications retail, some processes seem cumbersome and overly time-consuming. Having worked at two major telecommunications companies in the past, I am particularly aware of this challenge. So Telstra set out with two basic goals in mind: make it simple and make it fast. The solutions had to be easy for staff to learn to use and help both associates and customers complete tasks quickly. As with many modern retailers, Telstra also wanted to solve for the fact that an increasing number of shoppers love to browse in-store, compare devices, check out specs and prices, but then go online later to continue their research before ultimately making a purchase.

“Last year we saw more than half our service transactions were digital, which has given us the opportunity to think big and redefine the role of our physical stores” – Andrew Smith, Director of Retail Operations, Telstra

In addition to meeting their basic goals for simplicity and speed, Telstra has introduced a highly interactive and engaging experience throughout the store. A key part of this solution was implementing Windows 10 and the Universal Windows App Platform, which allowed Telstra to develop and deploy engaging and adaptable content and applications across a broad range of devices and displays throughout the store, where customers browse, test, learn and compare products and services to help them in the decision-making process.

By using the new solution, Telstra has seen 40% of customers who interact digitally in store continue their interaction online.

Built with Telstra’s partner Engagis, the Windows 10 solution enables customers to use innovative “tap and take” cards, which use near field communications (NFC) to help customers build a personalized digital brochure by simply tapping the card on their selected product or service on digital kiosks in store. Each card has a unique code which enables the customer to access the personalized information online, review, consider and complete the transaction at their leisure. Telstra also uses Microsoft Power BI to analyze customer traffic and offer a better mix of products.

“With this new customer experience and system improvements, our aim is to reduce the average wait times for customers to around three minutes. This will enable us to drive more sales, serve more customers and importantly, improve their in store experience with us. Windows 10 is a great platform for helping our people use small and large devices to be faster, more efficient and provide that seamless customer experience we’re aiming for,” said Smith.

“Telstra store staff plan to also use Surface devices to replace desktop PCs, so that they can more efficiently allow payments to be processed from anywhere in the store without having to return to dedicated point of sale area. Over the next few years, Telstra intends to roll out more than 5,000 Surface devices across its store network.

With its Sydney and Melbourne Discovery stores, Telstra has transformed its retail environment and created a solution so that customers can have a seamless and personalized shopping experience. I love to see all the fascinating ways that our retail partners are leveraging the power of Windows 10 to transform the way we shop in-store and online. Learn more about Windows industry solutions for Retail.

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Retailers are trying to tackle outdated and inflexible point of sale systems, coupled with the need to better understand consumer preferences and trends. These challenges create a need for retailers to provide customers with interactive and highly personalized experiences that make shopping fun, while also helping them make informed purchasing decisions. Microsoft has recently partnered with several customers and partners to provide retail businesses with modern shopping solutions built on the Windows platform.

Innovating the In-Store Customer Experience

An innovative approach towards redefining the customer experience, while also providing a positive impact on employee engagement, is the way that Hardee’s restaurants are making ordering a meal faster and more fun. Hardee’s is currently deploying self-ordering kiosks powered by Windows 8.1 devices. These in-store kiosks are currently being tested in 30 restaurants with more rolling out in other Hardee’s soon.

Aware of the importance of running lean in retail without losing focus on the customer, Hardee’s is using the kiosks to allow customers to place the orders, employees to clock in and out, and managers to run reports and change the menu. Meanwhile, Hardee’s has seen an increase in sales and efficiency in stores where the kiosks are installed. Read more here.

The pilot with Hardee’s isn’t the only example of Windows reinventing the customer experience in the food and beverage sector of the retail industry. TGI Fridays plans to transform the way people order food by equipping servers with 8-inch Windows 8.1 tablets armed with payment sleeves. With the Friday’s Service Style technology the customer’s order is processed right at the table while the device also helps manage the waiting list and customer queue. The solution helps ensure orders are correct, reduces training time for staff and streamlines waitlist and seating constraints. TGI Fridays has completed a six-city pilot in Texas and Minnesota, and it will deploy the tablets in 80 additional restaurants, with more than 2,000 tablets by March. Read more here.

Protecting and Personalizing the Check Out

In almost every way, retail is about sales. This year’s NRF show is filled with great examples of how technology is playing a direct role in improving the closing of the sale.

What better way to improve the closing portion of the selling process than with the Point of Sale. Panasonic will introduce their first tablet based mobile point-of-sale (POS) system at NRF. A fully integrated EMV solution, built on Windows 8.1, the tablet has the ability to accept digital payments. It’s also a mobile POS device with an optional dock for standard counter service, and can house apps and services to meet many essential customer needs. Employees can do inventory management, while an associate on the store floor can access the customer’s information and do cross selling opportunities.

HP is also releasing a new EMV capable ElitePad Retail Case, a flexible and versatile piece of hardware that enables retailers the ability to switch from a fixed to mobile POS whenever needed, including FreedomPay’s Commerce Platform. This allows store associates to walk around the store with their tablet to help customers, then easily switch it back to a conventional counter check-out service in no time. Retailers can simply dock the mobile unit into the HP Retail Expansion Dock and connect to all of their peripheral systems.

Further improving the modern POS experience, NCR is announcing the NCR Sales Advisor app for Windows 8.1, which will enable retailers to maximize customer data, including past purchases and wish lists, allowing them to give their shoppers personalized offers, recommendations, and delivery options. The app combines CRM, inventory lookup, and mobile POS to give sales associates many different ways to engage with their customers.

Improving the Supply Chain

Managing sales is a big part of improving the sales pipeline. Accenture CAS, a leading integrated sales solution for the consumer goods industry, has made its Retail Execution software available on Windows 8.1 devices. This gives mobile users within consumer products companies one platform to manage all sales and operation processes in one place. The app has even more power running with Windows 8.1, as it allows full integration with Microsoft Office while maintaining a native interface for tablet and mobile phones.

It’s great to see these major brands using Windows to drive their business forward. Don’t forget to stay up to speed with Microsoft happenings at NRF this week on the Business Matters blog and Business Newsroom.

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