AI to be more productive; they’re using it to boost their competitive advantage, and they are set up to use their KPIs to learn quickly and experiment. Experimentation is critical to using generative AI. “I’d argue that 12 to 18 months ago, retailers were starting to experiment from scratch. Now, they are building on what they’ve learned and refining use cases. Each experiment strengthens the next. It is never about technology, it’s about what you can do with it to create value. The real benchmark for AI progress is whether it makes a difference in people’s lives.” Microsoft and its partner ecosystem are working to help retailers accelerate AI adoption. “We have account teams working closely with customers to create a strategy for exploration, sometimes starting with a workshop where customers identify the AI agents they need to create and onboard,” says Minbiole. “One example is American multinational food and beverage company Kraft Heinz, which partnered with Microsoft to create a real-time factory platform. In less than two years, the platform has reduced supply chain waste by 40 per cent, increased forecast accuracy by 20 per cent and saved over $1 billion in efficiencies. Direct-to-consumer retailer brands could deploy AI in a similar way.” Meanwhile, Microsoft partner EPAM is collaborating with Albert Heijn, the largest supermarket chain in the Netherlands, to improve the store employee experience. It has done this by creating a conversational assistant that answers questions related to their tasks or customer requests, as well as a customerfacing app offering personalised recipe suggestions and shopping lists. “This app even knows what’s in your refrigerator via photos,” says Minbiole. Accenture/Avanade worked with MediaMkt, a German chain of electronic stores, to help associates stay engaged with customers by asking an AI assistant called MyBuddy about everything from the price of a warranty on a dishwasher to a comparison of several TVs. Another Microsoft partner, Neudesic, has a Control Tower solution that provides retailers with a real-time digital twin view of their stores. Control Tower is an AI-powered store operations platform that connects people, processes and data to run a store, such as RETAIL & CONSUMER GOODS 133
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzQ1NTk=