The Smarter Retailing Initiative

The Smarter Retailing Initiative, unveiled at a National Retail Federation conference in Jan. 2004, describes Microsoft’s view of a modern retail enterprise.

In Microsoft’s vision, the retail organization interacts with customers (top) through a variety of inputs, some in-store and some remote, including mobile devices, the Web, and kiosks. In-store systems (center) correspond closely to the functions provided by Microsoft’s Retail Management System. They aid customers in shopping, aid store staff in selling and administration, and provide operational support such as inventory control and performance metrics.

These in-store systems can be integrated with back-end systems that provide a deeper level of customer support, from promoting upsell opportunities to locating products. Microsoft products that can be used for back-end retail functions include Microsoft Customer Relationship Management (MSCRM), Systems Management Server (SMS), SQL Server Analysis Services, Live Communications Server (LCS), MapPoint .NET, and SQL Reporting Services.