Windows devices, including tablets, are being used more and more in retail to help manage employees on the floor, handle customer sales on the spot and even use augmented reality to check store displays for a variety of issues, from safety compliance to stack quality.
Microsoft is talking with retailers this week at the National Retail Federation convention in New York City and showing them how Windows devices are delivering the future of retail now, writes Erwin Visser on the Windows for your Business blog.
In the video above, examples show Windows tablets giving customers tailored recommendations about the products they want, based on loyalty profiles, and helping floor managers get answers about staffing right on the spot. Merchants can also make sure their store displays and promotions are accurate in real time by using Windows’ visual analytics.
Another exciting example of what Microsoft is doing in retail is the “Connected Fitting Room” developed with Accenture and Avanade, and being shown for the first time at the National Retail Federation conference.
“When a customer enters a Connected Fitting Room carrying RFID-tagged garments, the solution automatically recognizes the items and displays them graphically on a Windows-based touchscreen,” Visser writes. “From there, the user can select a different size, style, or color as well as browse and even request related recommendations, all of which will be sent to a store associate’s smartphone on the shop floor for immediate fulfillment.
To read more about the future of retail that’s here now, head over to the Windows for your Business blog.
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Suzanne Choney
Microsoft News Center Staff