Top 3 highlights from Microsoft’s booth tour at NRF
Each year, Retail’s big show draws a crowd of attendees whose goals are to generate innovative ideas, find solutions to areas of tension in their business, network and make connections, and stay on the cutting edge of technology for the retail industry. This year, NRF goers visiting the Microsoft booth are getting this — and much more. Here are the top three highlights (so far) from touring the booth this year.
Custom Experience
The Microsoft tour is a hands-on experience tailored to the specific needs of the companies we host. Microsoft Canada had the pleasure of walking Shoppers Drug Mart through the booth during day one of the NRF conference. Introducing them to many new end-to-end customer solutions offered the team a new perspective for delivering business impact after the conference. The tour is set up to accommodate not only the specific needs of each company; but to speak the language of those touring the solutions. Whether from Operations or IT, attendees are empowered to use the technology as it is most relevant to their role in the company.
Disruptive Technology
Staying on the cutting-edge of technology is essential in the retail industry. Retailers must navigate the competitive landscape with proactive and innovative technology solutions to meet rising consumer demands. During the tour, Chris Gardner, Vice President of National Operations at Shoppers Drug Mart commented on the experience. “It was very informative and great to see disruptive technology with Microsoft being at the forefront of that. It was basically the utopia of every retailers dream,” he said. The vision of a seamless shopper experience in brick and mortar stores where the digital and physical experience intercept seamlessly is far from a reality for many retailers. But, it doesn’t have to be. Here’s how you can prepare for the next generation of shoppers.
Partner Integration
Touring the Microsoft booth gives NRF goers the opportunity to meet with our leadership teams — and introduces them to apps and disruptive technology carried out by many of our partners. During the tour with Shoppers Drug Mart, Face Cake introduced their game-changing augmented reality app. This technology allows shoppers to view products in an augmented reality environment directly from the product detail page without leaving the e-commerce site they are on. NRF attendees were thrilled with the opportunity to network with partners and learn about their solutions. “I never realized the extent of Microsoft’s retail footprint and extent of their partner reach,” commented Chris Gardner.
As consumer expectations rise, retailers are under increasing pressure to modernize. The good news? Even small changes can help businesses stay ahead of the competition. Here are some solutions that can help transform your business. If you have questions about the Microsoft booth or our customer solutions, tweet us – we would love to hear from you.
