The Internet of Things
in Retail
The “Things” that make the Internet of Your Things relevant in retail:
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“Things” their customers have: |
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“Things” in the retailer’s headquarters and stores: |
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“Things” in the retailer’s supply chain: |
Previous
Trends in retail that make the Internet of Things with Microsoft
a natural next step include:
- Ubiquitous devices that customers use to engage with the online or physical storefront.
- Workstations and personal devices that store employees use for assisted selling.
- The enormous amount of data flowing across all online and physical storefront interactions, as well as from marketing activities driving customers online or to the storefront, shopper behaviors, and buying behaviors—retailers and brands can gain insights in areas such as risk management, customer support, customer/product profitability, market segmentation, customer churn, customer behavior, and revenue.
How the Internet of Things can transform retail operations:
Customers are already using their devices to search for products, do product comparison, access social media for reviews, and make purchases. They expect the retailer’s systems, both in-store and online, to simply work with their devices.
Retailers don’t have to start from scratch: they can connect the devices they already have in their ecosystem, tap into the data that already exists, and leverage their existing infrastructure.
Make their store devices, machines, and shelves more intelligent so they can perform tasks such as capturing usage patterns, issuing maintenance orders, requesting inventory replenishment, and updating price labels in real time. As a result, they can transform their store operations by being more efficient, providing better customer service, and having a more productive workforce.
The Microsoft Azure Intelligent Systems Service enables enterprises to more securely connect, capture, and store machine-generated data from both intelligent devices and sensors that can then be harnessed in a multitude of ways to improve operational and business agility.
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