Microsoft has opened the doors of its Retail Experience Center on January 12, 2009, a facility designed to explore innovations tailored to the new breed of connected consumers, but also to test how customers are experiencing the Windows brand. Essentially, the company has built an experimental retail environment where it will test a range of emerging technologies and solutions designed to offer consumers connected experiences when shopping.

“With changing consumer demands and slowed spending, increasing shopper loyalty and frequency while managing costs is critical for retailers’ success,” Bill Gonzalez, general manager, Worldwide Distribution and Services Sector at Microsoft, said.

Thus, in the end, the new retail experience center is dedicated to explore innovations that are capable of cutting costs, drive efficiency, streamline the operating associated with a retail shop, and even advertise and sell products.

Located in Redmond and occupying no less than 20,000-square-feet, the facility is packed with Microsoft technology, from Surface to Windows 7, to Microsoft Commerce Server 2009, Microsoft Advertising solutions, Microsoft radio frequency identification infrastructure, but also Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009, unified communications offerings, BI solutions, Windows Mobile and Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007, along with System Center Operations Manager 2007 and Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V.

“Through the immersive setting of the Retail Experience Center, our retail customers can emerge with an in-depth sense of how software and innovations can help them rise above competitive pressures and industry regulations to create a consumer-driven operation — one that consistently delivers a differentiated customer experience across multiple channels while empowering employees to make every square foot of retail space as profitable and productive as possible,” Gonzalez added.

At the same time, Microsoft indicated that it would use the store in order to research how consumers experienced the Windows brand, an integral part of an initiative debuted at the end of 2008 with the new Windows re-branding campaign. “Customers have told us they want Microsoft to play a more active role in their technology experiences, by helping direct them to the specific products, services and technologies that will most benefit their unique needs,” Brad Brooks, corporate vice president for Windows Consumer Product Marketing at Microsoft, stated.