14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail is now available worldwide enabling midsized specialty retailers to take advantage of what the Redmond company calls Connected Experiences for Retail. The software giant announced the mid-2010 release if its new Dynamics ERP retail offering at the start of the year, during the National Retail Federation (NRF) Annual Convention & Expo. In this regard, Microsoft managed to deliver on the promise that customers would be able to start adopting Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail in the summer of 2010.
The company describes the new Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail as an end-to-end solution, capable of offering comprehensive integration across a variety of business aspects for retailers. An integral part of Connected Experience for Retail is the ability to seamlessly bridge point of sale, store management, supply chain, merchandising and financials.
“Connected is the ability to capture customer information at the point of sale and have it populate in real time at headquarters and across the entire chain of stores to be acted upon immediately; Connected is the store associate who can provide real time visibility to a customer about product availability and location – helping build loyalty and differentiated service; Connected is a RoleTailored user experience for each employee optimized to drive speed of service, reduce training times, and drive organizational efficiency. Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail offers all of this and more out of the box. It’s more than another retail solution – it’s a new philosophy in how to deliver a retail solution, reduce complexity, and address the pain that retailers have been feeling for a long time,” revealed Michael Griffiths, Global Director of Product Management, Microsoft Dynamics Retail.
As initially promised, the first stage of Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail’s worldwide availability involves a total of 16 markets. For the time being, only midsized specialized retailers in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, the U.K. and the U.S. will be able to purchase the new Dynamics ERP retail offering. However, over the following months, Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail will be offer to customers in an additional 22 markets around the world, with Microsoft promising that the solution will evolve with a number of new capabilities.
“While today’s retailer is facing ever-expanding opportunity, they are also facing unprecedented challenges. Retailers have more channels to reach their customers and grow globally, but they must also serve an empowered consumer with access to more information and choice than ever before. It’s become commonplace to find retail customers in the store cross-shopping the latest promotion or competitor down the street – forcing retailers to leverage IT in an entirely different way to drive visibility across the organization to react quickly, seize new opportunities, and build customer loyalty. According to a recent analyst report, as many as 84 percent of retail respondents recognized they do not have good integration and connectivity between stores, headquarters and the supply chain, preventing them from having the visibility they need. Finally, retailers must find new ways to make their most valuable asset – people – more productive,” Griffiths added.
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