Microsoft has added new features and functions to its Dynamics 365 platform that allow retailers to create product pages with reviews and ratings, based on its Azure cloud services platform that goes head-to-head with Amazon’s dominant AWS offering.
Major retailers including giant Walmart, grocer Kroger and pharmacy chain Walgreens have been hitching their cloud server wagons to Microsoft and Azure instead of competitor Amazon, CNBC reported.
The addition of Dynamics 365 Commerce makes Microsoft a more attractive option for retailers and ecommerce companies, as it competes with Shopify and Adobe, among others, in the commerce platform space. Like them, it takes the omnichannel route, tying together back office, store, customer service and online experiences. It has added content management and digital asset management capabilities as it’s rebranded from the legacy Dynamics 365 for Retail.
Dynamics 365 includes new Internet of Things (IoT) analytics tools, providing insights from connected devices and products and visibility into product performance and customer interactions. There are also new IoT tools for supply chain management, connecting signals from business assets and enabling manufacturers and distributors to proactively manage production and stock in real time. Another toolset gives customer service teams the ability to create chatbots and monitor their performance.