Microsoft seeks to deliver “Intellegent Retail,” introducing new Teams features at NRF Big Show this week

Microsoft continues to bolster its retail partnerships as the company headed to the National Retail Federation (NRF) Big Show to showcase its intelligent cloud services at the largest retail conference anywhere.

With an arsenal of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, IoT support, and hybrid server solutions, Microsoft CVP of Retail and Consumer Goods Industries Shelly Bransten have never been better equipped to deliver the company’s promise of ‘Intelligent Retail,” to businesses and customers.

“From using AI to create transformative customer and employee experiences, to embracing IoT to leverage their supply chains for maximum customer impact, to using cloud-based business applications to manage everything from the customer journey to operations. In an industry experiencing accelerating change, Microsoft and its partners are creating the solutions to help our customers keep up.”

Announced just ahead of the conference were some new capabilities of Microsoft’s holistic intelligent retail package that included a newly customizable mobile Teams experience, Teams API connects supporting workforce management systems, and a new Praise Tool to help encourage a positive work culture and teamwork. Microsoft held a significant presence with its 20 solution demos, as well as Bransten’s Big Ideas session and company colleagues Alysa Taylor, CVP for Business Applications and Industry Marketing and CMO Chris Capossela leading other sessions.

The new Teams additions along with the Praise Tool should be rolling out to the general public over the next few weeks with big-name retail partners such as Kroger, Starbucks, craft store chain Michaels, Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona (GCNA), Stefano Ricci, BevMo!, and Polarn O Pyret undoubtedly testing some if not all of the features now.