Microsoft have joined forces with retail research company PSFK to launch a co-branded benchmark report to target retail companies.
The campaign involves a free downloadable report called The Retail Trends Playbook 2020. The research aims to help retailers to define their strategic roadmaps and technology investments going forward.
Piers Fawkes, founder and president at PSFK said retailers now have the opportunity to leverage data driven and digital technology to improve customer experience rather than just for transactions.
“From creating new products to delivering specialised campaigns, machine learning, analytics and other technologies are empowering brands and retailers to understand their shoppers better and deliver differentiated, one-to-one experiences. As customer’s expectations for best-in-class shopping increase thanks to the immediacy and personalised relationships crafted by retail upstarts and e-commerce giants, data-led intelligence are essential to thrive in this competitive landscape.
Shelley Bransten, corporate VP of global retail and consumer goods at Microsoft agreed with Fawkes saying retailers can optimise four key pillars for customer experience – as outlined in the report. These pillars are: the ability to understand the customer, the deliverance of an intelligent supply chain, empowerment of employees, and the creation of a new retail model centred around products and services.
