2019 Retail Trends Report - Microsoft Dynamics 365 - Engagis

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2019 Retail Trends Report - Microsoft Dynamics 365 - Engagis
Microsoft Dynamics 365

2019 Retail
Trends Report

            Page 1
2019 Retail Trends Report - Microsoft Dynamics 365 - Engagis
Introduction
Over the last 15 years, retail has undergone a significant
transformation. The internet has provided customers with
access to seemingly endless options while mobile technol-
ogies have put information at their fingertips, anytime and
anywhere.

While these changes continue to reshape the retail land-
scape, we are beginning the transition into the second
phase of this transformation. As the dust of disruption be-
gins to settle, retailers are reinventing their operations to
make them faster, smarter, and more nimble.

From fulfillment flexibility to the new x-economies to in-
telligent automation, retailers are embracing the next gen-
eration of retail, one that represents not only a new set of
tools and systems but also a new definition and philosophy
of retail.

The following will explore six emerging trends in retail that
we believe will help empower retailers to create exceptional,
insightful shopping experiences for their customers.

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2019 Retail Trends Report - Microsoft Dynamics 365 - Engagis
Trends
                           4
     Customer experience is everything
   Empowered customers expect amazing experiences

                           12
          The changing face of retail
          The retail business model is evolving

                           21
             The everywhere store
         Customer can purchase from anywhere

                           26
         Operations drive excellence
Meeting customer demands requires optimized operations

                           32
Next-gen technology makes an appearance
       New technologies are revolutionizing retail

                           38
       Living in the age of uncertainty
         Uncertainty puts strain on businesses

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2019 Retail Trends Report - Microsoft Dynamics 365 - Engagis
Customer experience
is everything
•   Innovation raises customer expectations
•   Millennials evolve
•   Gen Z gains influence
•   Personalization as the rule
•   Retail becomes a service
•   Retailers bridge the digital divide

                                              Page 4
2019 Retail Trends Report - Microsoft Dynamics 365 - Engagis
Customer experience
   is everything

Innovation raises customer expectations                                              Executive summary
Stating that technology is changing customer demands feels like stating the          Customers don’t just want seamless
obvious. Innovation—from the printing press and combustion engine to com-            experiences across their devices; they
puters and wireless internet —has always been a driver of demand, unlocking          expect personalized, experiential and
new possibilities and raising expectations. Today, we find ourselves at the in-      mobile-first shopping interactions.
tersection of rapid innovation and a new generation of consumers who have
grown up empowered by technology.
                                                                                     Highlights
Millennials evolve                                                                   • Millennials make up roughly a
                                                                                       quarter of the U.S. population
The number and influence of Millennials continue to grow. Today, Millennials           and will overtake Baby Boomers
make up roughly a quarter of the U.S. population,1 and according to the Pew            as America’s largest population in
Research Center, they will overtake Baby Boomers as America’s largest popu-            2019 (73 million vs. 72 million).
lation in 2019 (73 million vs. 72 million).2 On the surface, Millennials look very
                                                                                     • $0.56 of every dollar is influenced
different from their predecessors: they are more diverse,3 better educated, and
                                                                                       by a digital interaction.
more likely to be never married than any other adult generation was at the
same age.4

They are also a generation who entered adulthood facing a strong headwind.
They have been crippled by student loans, with over 60% of students taking
out loans to pay for college.5 The average student loan debt for Millennials
graduating in 2017 was nearly $40,000.6 To compound this, many graduated in
the midst of the 2008 recession. As a result, they have been pressured to take
lower paying jobs and have lower employment rates compared to workers of
the same age in past generations.7
                                                                                       The average student
However, despite these challenges, Millennials are smart and savvy. They have          loan debt for
become a generation that is fiscally responsible, with 63% of Millennials set-
ting savings goals and 59% reporting feeling financially secure, higher rates          Millennials graduating
than Boomers or Gen X.8 Seventy-three percent of Millennials stick to their            in 2017 was nearly
budgets every month, and 16% have saved over $100,000.9                                $40,000.

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2019 Retail Trends Report - Microsoft Dynamics 365 - Engagis
While their financial burdens have led     predict Gen Z’s purchasing behav-
to lower rates of home and auto own-       iors precisely, but what’s clear is that
ership,10 Millennials do spend in oth-     they already wield great spending
er areas; however, they remain thrifty     influence. There was $829.5 billion
when they do. Case in point: Ama-          spent on Gen Z in 2015, accounting
zon accounts for the largest volume        for 6.8% of total consumer spending
of online apparel sales for Millenni-      that year.12 Furthermore, over 70%
als, nearly 17%, more than double          of parents said their Gen Z children
that of the next largest seller, Nord-     influenced their buying decisions on        By 2020, Gen Z will
strom.11 This shift to thrift has also     clothes and food.13                         be the third largest
played a role in the growth of on-de-                                                  generation in the U.S.
mand services, sharing marketplac-         Gen Z is even more diverse than their
es, and online consignment stores.         Millennial predecessors and will be-
                                           come the nation’s first majority non-
                                           white generation. With this diversity
Gen Z gains influence                      comes a much more tolerant and

                                                                                      12+24+16H
As the size and influence of the Mil-      inclusive generation.14 Additionally,
lennial cohort grow, they are prov-        growing up with the internet gave
ing themselves to be a generation          them much greater visibility into          Population by generation
of tech-savvy individuals. But where       global issues. As a result, they are
Millennials were digital pioneers,         a very globally and socially mind-
                                                                                                             12 %
helping make technology main-              ed population. Twenty-six percent
stream, Gen Z is the first generation      of 16-to-19-year-olds currently vol-               4%

                                                                                          2
of digital nativists, never having ex-     unteer, and 60% reported that they                      Greatest/Silent
perienced life before computers and        want their jobs to impact the world.15                  Boomers
pervasive internet.

                                                                                                                     24 %
                                                                                                   Gen X

    70+30+J
                                           Like Millennials, Gen Z is made up                      Millennials
                                           of savvy shoppers. According to a                       Gen Z
                                           recent report by Interactions, 89%

                                                                                          4%
                                           of Gen Z considers themselves
                                                                                              2
                                                                                                             16%
                                           price-conscious shoppers and listed
                                           price as the top factor in making a

            70%
                                           purchase.16 According to the report,
                                           72% said they would switch from
                                           their favorite brand if they found
                                           a similar product at a lower price.
                                           Members of Gen Z also value com-
                                           munity, with 59% preferring local
                                           stores over large retailers and 72%
    Parents who said their Gen             saying they would be more willing
     Z children influence their            to shop at national chains if they
         buying decisions.                 had more of a local presence in their
                                           community.

By 2020, Gen Z will be the third-larg-     The profile of Gen Z is lengthy, and
est generation in the U.S., just behind    we have much to discover about
Gen X, and they are already accumu-        them as they mature. But for now,
lating significant purchasing power.       one thing is sure: Gen Z will have a
With their oldest members only in          significant impact on both business
their early twenties, it is difficult to   and the world.

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2019 Retail Trends Report - Microsoft Dynamics 365 - Engagis
a+00+3836252920111358524233322624142165
                          0+
                                                Build greater customer loyalty

                Target new customers with more effective digital campaigns

                                                Increase customer satisfaction

                              Increase order values (e.g., cross-sell/up-sell)

                    Reduce customer churn with more effective experiences

                                                    Increase conversation rates

                                     Reduce marketer effort in personalization

    Increase relevancy of the brand experience; increase brand relevancy

Primary goals of
personalization
 Primary goal       Secondary goal       Tertiary goal

Personalization as                                                   These engines utilize previously
                                                                     collected user information (such as
the rule                                                             past purchases and items clicked on
From ecommerce to mobile check-                                      but not purchased) to provide tai-
out, technology is infusing the retail                               lored recommendations and offers.
experience. Greater connectivity to                                  According to a Boston Consulting
devices has created better-informed                                  Group research study, brands that
consumers who have the ability to                                    create personalized experiences by
not only research products and shop                                  integrating advanced digital tech-
online, but also to compare compet-                                  nologies and proprietary data for
itors’ product prices and availability                               customers are seeing revenue in-
while in store. It is changing the way                               crease by 6% to 10%—two to three
customers research products and                                      times faster than those that do not.17
make a purchase, and increasing-                                                                              Brands that create
ly, it is changing the way customers                                 As customers become more com-            personalized experiences by
interact and build relationships with                                fortable sharing personal informa-       integrating advanced digital
brands.                                                                                                       technologies and proprietary
                                                                     tion and preferences in exchange for
                                                                                                              data for customers are seeing
                                                                     personalized rewards—nearly half of
As ecommerce leads to greater                                                                                 revenue increase by 6% to
                                                                     consumers surveyed in 2016 no lon-
commoditization, many of today’s                                                                              10%—two to three times
                                                                     ger had concerns about online pri-
customers are seeking a greater                                                                               faster than those that do not.
                                                                     vacy18—retailers are putting data to
connection to their brands, a more                                   work by tying their customers’ digi-
curated shopping experience that                                     tal-channel behavior to the in-store
feels genuine and unique to them.                                    experience, welcoming shoppers by
This type of personalization requires                                name and making suggestions based
capitalizing on available technology                                 on purchase history.
to understand customers’ preferenc-
es, providing them with exactly what                                 Another way to gain customer loyal-
they want, when they want it, in the                                 ty in a highly competitive market is
way they want to receive it.                                         using data to inform your rewards
                                                                     programs and send targeted of-
Leveraging new technologies—like                                     fers based on previous purchases, a
recommendation engines powered                                       model Walgreens has leveraged for
by artificial intelligence and machine                               their Balance Rewards program.19
learning—retailers can make more
individualized product suggestions                                   Beyond personalized messaging and
that ultimately translate into sales.                                recommendations, innovations in

                                                                                    Page 7
2019 Retail Trends Report - Microsoft Dynamics 365 - Engagis
manufacturing have led retailers to      ers with the assistance of a 3D-knit-
experiment with a new way to dif-        ting machine.22 At the Adidas pop-up
ferentiate their products: allowing      shop in Berlin, customers can com-
customers to develop personalized        plete a 3D-body scan and choose the
products. Nike’s NIKEiD program          color and design of a merino sweater,
has led the product-personalization      which will be knitted, washed, dried,
charge, allowing customers to create     and ready to take home in under
a completely custom shoe or athletic     four hours.                               Innovations in
bag that arrives in four to six weeks.                                             manufacturing have led
To achieve this, Nike partnered with     A personalized shopping experience
manufacturers to automate factory
                                                                                   retailers to experiment
                                         increasingly includes the checkout
processes and develop laser technol-     experience as well. Customers want
                                                                                   with a new way to
ogy that streamlines the production      more control over their delivery and      differentiate their
process.20                               pick-up options. The expansion of         products
                                         shipping programs that offer free
Other retailers take advantage of on-    delivery have decreased customers’
line buying to offer customization
                                         willingness to pay for shipping; 70%
options for products that previously
                                         of consumers will choose the cheap-
required in-store measurements or
                                         est delivery option. More retailers
tailoring. On the websites of mens-
                                         are now offering customers greater
wear companies Indochino, Black
                                         flexibility in how they order and pick
Lapel, and Knot Standard, men can
                                         up their item, whether in a store or at
select their desired fit and cut and
                                         an alternate pick-up location, such as
then upload their measurements for
a “bespoke” suit.                        an Amazon Locker or a UPS Access
                                         Point.
Taking it one step farther, some
brick-and-mortar stores have begun       Companies are even pioneering oth-
testing 3D-printing and 3D-knitting      er creative delivery-channel solu-
stations, essentially offering on-de-    tions to provide customers with
mand personalization. Lowe’s has         greater flexibility. For example, DHL
piloted a six-month project, dubbed      has partnered with Audi to deliver
Bespoke Designs, that allowed cus-       packages to customers’ trunks via
tomers to repair broken parts, repli-    Audi’s keyless entry system.23 By op-
cate a beloved object, or create cus-    timizing digital inventory supply and
tom hardware at in-store 3D-printing     the location of distribution centers,
stations.21 Adidas and business-wear     retailers will be better prepared to
company Ministry of Supply both          personalize delivery-channel meth-
offer customers the opportunity to       ods, including fulfilling same-day
craft their own cardigans and sweat-     shipments.

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2019 Retail Trends Report - Microsoft Dynamics 365 - Engagis
86+14+J
Retail becomes a                          ness models. According to CEI Re-
                                          search, 86% of customers will pay
service                                   more for a better customer expe-
Online sales continue to outpace in-      rience, and customers who are en-
dustry growth by 300%24 making it         gaged with an experience are less

                                                                                            86%
essential that retailers seek out op-     likely to think about product cost.28
portunities to generate excitement
in brick-and-mortar locations. Online     Apple has been at the forefront of
shopping has changed the tradition-       experiential retail with its in-store
al paths to purchase: 43% of cus-         tech support, the Genius Bar, and
tomers who browsed for a product          hands-on product displays. But even
online also bought that product on-       the pioneer has recognized the need
line.25 Two practices, “showrooming”      to constantly evolve its in-store of-     Percent of customers who said
(viewing/trying products in-store         ferings, launching Today at Apple:          they would pay more for a
before buying the same product on-        free, interactive programming on a              better experience.
line at a lower price) and its inverse,   variety of topics, such as music, pho-
“webrooming” (browsing products           tography, and coding.29 Cosmetics
online before buying in-store), do        companies Sephora and Ulta draw
impact the way customers make pur-        customers to their locations by pro-
chase decisions.26 However, custom-       viding beauty services and hosting
ers ultimately are browsing and buy-      mini-makeover events. The Home
ing in stores at the same rate they       Depot offers free DIY and education-
are showrooming and webrooming            al workshops for adults and children.
combined.                                 Sportswear retailers Nike, Brooks,
                                          and Oiselle offer store-sponsored
Fully engaged customers—those             training sessions and runs to build
who are emotionally invested in a         community and increase store traf-
brand and loyal to it—visit retailers     fic. In addition to providing services,
more frequently and spend more            some retailers, like Urban Outfitters,
money per visit. For example, Gal-        feature in-store bars and restaurants,
lup data shows that, on a given visit,    encouraging customers to eat and
fully engaged consumer-electronics        drink while browsing.30 Eyewear re-
customers spend nearly $100 more          tailer Warby Parker appeals to its
than actively disengaged custom-          social media–savvy customers with
ers (those who will readily switch        in-store photo booths and a “green
brands).27                                room” in its West Hollywood store,
                                          where customers can record 15-sec-
In order to engage customers, retail-     ond videos.31 Providing a unique
ers across all industries are building    customer experience is integral to a
services and events into their busi-      store’s ability to stay relevant.

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2019 Retail Trends Report - Microsoft Dynamics 365 - Engagis
Mobile payment growth is expected
to increase at a compound annual
growth rate of 80%, exceeding $500
billion and 500 million users by 2019.

                                                   Retailers bridge the
                                                   digital divide
                                                   Retailers have identified the need to
                                                   create a frictionless omnichannel ex-
                                                   perience by providing real-time on-
                                                   line and in-store inventory informa-
                                                   tion, more fulfillment options, and
                                                   cross-device compatibility. While
                                                   seamless integration across all com-
                                                   merce platforms remains important
                                                   to the customer experience, custom-
                                                   ers now rely more heavily on digital
                                                   interactions at every stage of the
                                                   shopping process. A Deloitte study
                                                   found that $0.56 of every dollar is
                                                   influenced by a digital interaction.32
                                                   Furthermore, customers expect re-
                                                   tailers not only to be mobile friendly
                                                   but mobile first.

                                                   Customers consult their smart-
                                                   phones, computers, and tablets for
                                                   everything from finding inspiration,
                                                   to browsing and researching, to pur-
                                                   chasing a product. In order to cap-
                                                   italize on this usage, retailers must

                                                          56¢
                                                       of every dollar is influenced
                                                         by a digital interaction.

                                         Page 10
embrace digital platforms at every      Mobile technology is transforming        By definition, mobile payments in-
touchpoint. For example, Crate and      every step of the shopping expe-         clude mobile wallet POS payments,
Barrel launched the store-branded       rience—including checkout. Com-          contactless, app-based payments,
tablet program “MobileTote,” which      pleting a shopping trip quickly is       and near-field communication or
allows customers to browse store        one of the most important factors        Bluetooth-based payments. Mobile
and online inventory, add products      in customer satisfaction. A Harris       payment growth is expected to in-
to a wish list or shopping cart, and    Poll and Digimarc study found that       crease at a compound annual growth
check out via a dedicated associate,    88% of American adults would like to     rate of 80%,38 exceeding $500 billion
who then collects the purchased         check out faster, with “slow checkout    and 500 million users by 2019.39 En-
items. Early results have shown a       speeds” and “long lines” topping the     abling traditional POS and mPOS de-
greater average order value from        list of complaints.36 A quick and easy   vices to accept mobile wallets—such
Mobile Tote users compared to           checkout process is two times more       as Apple Pay, Android Pay, and Sam-
shoppers not using the technology.33    important than any other retail ex-      sung Pay—will help retailers address
                                        perience.33 In order to decrease the     customer desires for both checkout
To create a smoother shopping ex-       time required to complete transac-       convenience and speed. Some re-
perience, some retailers have turned    tions, retailers can implement one or    tailers have developed payment-en-
to store-focused apps. The IKEA         multiple payment solutions. Equip-       abled merchant apps to streamline
Store app notifies customers about      ping sales associates with mobile        the transaction process. Starbucks,
special events and allows them to       point of sale (mPOS) devices—tab-        which rolled out payment through
browse the product catalog, check       lets or smartphones that are able to     their mobile app in 2011, last report-
store inventory, navigate a store,      process payments—allows the trans-       ed that 29% of all transactions were
and manage a shopping list.34 Target    action process to occur anywhere in      mobile, and the number of mobile
has combined its Cartwheel savings      the store, eliminating the need for a    orders increases each quarter.40 By
app with its main store app to sup-     large number of traditional POS sta-     incorporating intuitive digital inter-
port in-store navigation, Cartwheel     tions and freeing up valuable real       actions into their in-store experience
deal alerts, and mobile payment.35      estate. Rebecca Minkoff’s SoHo store     and offering multiple payment op-
Because today’s customers have so       utilizes mPOS devices as self-check-     tions, retailers can increase customer
many choices to make before pur-        out stations; customers who wish         satisfaction—and ultimately, sales.
chasing, implementing a digital         to own their shopping journey from
strategy that simplifies the customer   start to finish can complete their         88% of American adults would
journey will help ensure customers      transactions without the assistance        like to check out faster.
remain loyal to that retailer.          of store personnel.37

   Deliver amazing experiences
   Driven by new technologies and changing demographics, customer expectations for retailers are higher than ever
   before. At Microsoft, we’re helping modern retailers meet changing customer demands with the tools and technol-
   ogy to better understand customer needs and create more personalized experiences for their customers.

   Gain customer insights                Deliver personalization                 Exceed expectations
   As customer behaviors and de-         Modern customers want a relation-       As the baseline for retail experi-
   mand evolve, retailers must lever-    ship with their brands, and accord-     ences continues to climb, retailers
   age technology to better under-       ingly, they expect personalized in-     must rely on technology to deliv-
   stand their customers. With tools     teractions with these brands. From      er the amazing experiences that
   such as Dynamics 365 and Power        AI-powered product recommenda-          customers expect, at scale. Micro-
   BI, Microsoft enables retailers to    tions to fulfillment flexibility, Dy-   soft is empowering retailers with
   gain valuable insights into their     namics 365 for Retail gives retailers   the tools and technology to cre-
   customers’ needs so they can          the intelligence and tools they need    ate innovative, frictionless experi-
   provide better service and exceed     to deliver a more personalized ex-      ences that delight customers and
   expectations at every touchpoint.     perience to their customers.            exceed expectations every time.

                                                       Page 11
The changing face
of retail
•   Rise of the monobrand, fall of the monolith
•   Online retailers open physical stores
•   The new X-economies
•   Brands go direct to consumer
•   The gig and sharing economies grow
•   Brands engage online influencers

                                                  Page 12
The changing
   face of retail

Rise of the monobrand, fall of the monolith                                         Executive summary
According to the latest U.S. Census Bureau Annual Retail Trends report, re-         Ecommerce leaders are opening
tail sales have climbed 23% since 2010,41 and year-over-year sales growth           physical stores, while large retailers
since 2012 has averaged just under 4%.42 However, a significant portion of          are closing hundreds of physical lo-
this growth has occurred in the ecommerce sector. Amazon’s growth alone             cations or shifting toward small-for-
has quintupled from $16 to $80 billion over the past six years.43 To compete,       mat stores. Subscription services and
physical retailers have shifted focus to their online stores, often cannibalizing   online influencers can help retailers
their own customer base. Additionally, online retailers’ flexible and free return   reach their target audience.
policies are forcing physical retailers to offer similar deals, further slimming
profit margins. The rapid change of pace has been fatal for many businesses.
                                                                                    Highlights
Nine major retailers—including Gymboree, Payless Shoe Source, and H.                • More than 5,000 retail stores
H. Gregg—filed for bankruptcy in 2017.44 Department stores that have an-              announced closures in 2017.
chored American malls for years (such as Macy’s, JCPenney, and Sears) have          • Direct-to-consumer models allow
announced they will close 100 or more locations, bringing the number of retail        for more personalized customer
store closures to more than 5,000.45 An NPR article suggests one reason malls         experiences, which is preferred by
are struggling is that social media is now the “gathering place” of choice.46         75% of consumers.
Large, multi-brand retailers have attempted to rely more heavily on their pri-
vate labels but have found themselves in a dangerous middle ground: incapa-         • The average influencer marketing
ble of competing with the comprehensive variety offered by online retailers,          campaign generates a return of
and unable to provide the curated experience of small stores.                         $6.50 for every $1 invested.

Other big-box retailers like IKEA and Target are moving to a smaller store for-
mat. Target has opened four small-format stores on or near college campuses.
This is the start of their plan to open more than 150 of these stores, mostly in
densely populated urban and suburban areas.47 In 2016, IKEA opened more
“click and collect” small stores than traditional stores,48 and Bed Bath & Beyond
launched a “pack and hold” product that allows college students to purchase           Retail sales have climbed 23%
all the items they need and pick them up at the location nearest their school.49      since 2010, and year-over-year
PwC’s Strategy& report suggests that retailers should consider transitioning to       sales growth since 2012 has
a showroom model, in which small locations serve as a showcase for products;          averaged just under 4%.
orders are then processed and shipped directly to the customer. This model al-

                                                          Page 13
10090+ 7459+ 0+ 0
lows for more personalized customer      Online retailers open                                      Latest Three-Year

                                                                                  15.9%
interaction and can cut down on in-
ventory costs.50                         physical stores                                            CAGR in Revenue
                                                                                                                  (Select Monobrand and
                                         Acknowledging that the majority of

                                                                                            14.3%
                                                                                                                    Multibrand Retailers)
Monobrand retailers, such as H&M,        consumer goods are still purchased
UNIQLO, and Zara are now outper-         in stores, online pure plays are look-
forming multi-brand institutions like    ing to give their customers a way to

                                                                                                    11.7%
JCPenney and Macy’s.51 In 2016, H&M      interact with the brand and close
saw a three-year compound annual         deals. Ecommerce companies like
growth rate of 15.9%, while Macy’s       Amazon, Rent the Runway, and War-
and JCPenney saw decreases of 0.7%       by Parker all opened physical stores

                                                                                                              9.4%
and 0.9% over the same time peri-        in 2016 and have plans to open more
od.35 Carrying a single brand affords    locations. Warby Parker opened 25
retailers the ability to differentiate   brick-and-mortar stores in 2017,
their product, combat direct prod-       maximizing its online success by
uct/price comparisons, and maintain      providing physical locations to try
greater credit as a fashion brand. Of    on eyewear, talk to associates, and
course, being a monobrand retailer       repair damaged products.53 Accord-
does not guarantee success; in 2017,     ing to Listrak, the rate of cart aban-
                                         donment (when a customer adds
Gap announced the closure of 200
Gap and Banana Republic stores.52        items to an online shopping cart but
                                         exits the site without purchasing the
                                         items) in 2016 was 79%.54 Online-on-
                                         ly retailers can reach customers who
                                         are not completing transactions by
                                         allowing them to test products in
                                         physical stores.

                                                        Page 14
                                                                                  64+ 10+ 0+
                                                                                  UNIQULO

                                                                                            H&M

                                                                                                    Primark

                                                                                                              Inditex

                                                                                                                        0.1% Kohl’s

                                                                                                                                      Macy’s
                                                                                                                                      0.7%

                                                                                                                                               JCPenney
                                                                                                                                               0.9%
The new
X-economies
Millennials, burdened by high unem-
ployment, low wages, and high debt,
have rapidly embraced new business
models that offer them the latest
products with greater flexibility and
lower costs. In today’s market, start-
ups have led the way with these new
offerings, but large businesses—ei-
ther through acquisitions or inter-
nal development—are beginning
                                         Sharing economy
to evolve their business models to
                                         The sharing economy—where con-
the needs of the modern consumer.
                                         sumers “share” products and services
These models fall into one of a few
                                         directly instead of purchasing via a
categories:
                                         retailer or distributor—is another
                                         business model that has grown in
On-demand services
                                         popularity over the last several years.
Projected to grow to nearly $57 bil-
                                         Perhaps the most commonly known
lion in 2018, on-demand services rep-                                                The sharing economy
                                         example of a sharing economy busi-
resent perhaps the largest of these
categories.55 A model popularized
                                         ness is Airbnb, where travelers can         is projected to grow to
                                         rent rooms and homes directly from
greatly by Uber, on-demand busi-                                                     86.5 million U.S. users
                                         other individuals. The sharing econ-
nesses are launching for just about
                                         omy is projected to grow to 86.5 mil-       by 2021, up from 44.8
every category imaginable, from
printing and dog walkers to babysit-
                                         lion U.S. users by 2021, up from 44.8       in 2016.
                                         million in 2016.56 While the sharing
ters and massages. While many of
                                         economy helps reduce waste, it also
these businesses are service-based,
                                         poses a threat to retailers, as con-      Online consignment
the growth in on-demand services
                                         sumers may opt to “borrow” goods          When eBay and Craigslist launched
has also driven growth in on-de-
                                         opposed to buying new products.           in the mid-1990s, they provided in-
mand and micro-manufacturing.
                                         As such, retailers are being forced to    dividuals with the opportunity to
                                         re-evaluate their business models to      use the internet to sell used goods.

       $57
                                         participate in this new economy.          Nearly two decades later, a new set
                                                                                   of online consignment stores has
                                         Subscription box services                 emerged to help streamline this pro-
                                         Subscription box services have be-        cess. Sites like thredUP, Swap, and
                                         come incredibly popular due to their      TheRealReal allow shoppers to sell
                                         highly targeted nature and ease of        and purchase used clothes, jewelry,

       billion
                                         use. Companies like Birchbox, Winc,       toys, and luxury fashion accessories
                                         Stitch Fix, and NatureBox are just the    online. Similar to the sharing econo-
                                         tip of the iceberg when it comes to       my, online consignment stores pose
                                         the subscription box market, which        a unique threat to retailers, as well as
     Projected size of the on-
                                         now provides services for dog own-        a unique opportunity for those will-
    demand economy in 2018.
                                         ers, coffee lovers, mountain climbers,    ing to think differently about their
                                         gold miners, and sock enthusiasts.        business models.

                                                        Page 15
XaaS
          As cloud computing becomes more
          ubiquitous, Anything as a Service
          (XaaS) business models are also be-
          coming more popular. The principle
          behind XaaS is that businesses can
          provide better, more cost-effective
          solutions to customers via subscrip-
          tions or pay-as-you-go models than
          via traditional software licensing
          models. The most commonly known
          XaaS model is Software as a Service
          (SaaS), which provides individual
          software applications and services
          through the cloud; however, Plat-
          form as a Service (PaaS) and Infra-
          structure as a Service (IaaS) models
          have also gained traction as a way
          for technology companies to expand
          their footprint.

          While XaaS has historically referred
          to cloud computing, it is increas-
          ingly being used to define all ser-
          vice-based business models, from
          Transportation as a Service (Uber
          and Lyft) to Shopping as a Service
          (Trunk Club and Stitch Fix). Regard-
          less of what you call it, it’s clear that
          customers’ needs are evolving, and
          businesses must adapt accordingly.

Page 16
Brands go direct-to-
consumer
In order to pursue bigger prof-
it margins and retain control of the                                                                               Having achieved a valuation of $1.2
customer experience, some manu-                                                                                    billion, eyewear manufacturer War-
facturers are bypassing traditional                                                                                by Parker has succeeded with di-
retail channels and going straight to                                                                              rect-to-consumer (D2C) sales, initial-
the consumer. Cutting out the mid-                                                                                 ly via ecommerce platforms and now                                                                                          one year after their first subscription,
dleman allows brands to build rela-                                                                                with physical locations as well.58 Ma-                                                                                      and was purchased for $1 billion by
tionships with customers and collect                                                                               jor multi-channel brands Nike and                                                                                           Unilever in 2016.62 To compete with
more accurate data. This shift, in                                                                                 Adidas have doubled down on their                                                                                           Dollar Shave Club and online market
turn, enables manufacturers to de-                                                                                 D2C efforts. Nike announced a new                                                                                           competitor Harry’s, Gillette recently
velop more personalized experienc-                                                                                 company alignment, the Consumer                                                                                             initiated its own shaving subscription
es, something that 75% of customers                                                                                Direct Offense, that includes the cre-                                                                                      club, Gillette On Demand. The new
prefer.57                                                                                                          ation of a Nike Direct organization,                                                                                        service allows customers to order re-

      75+25+J
                                                                                                                   which will strategize ways to deepen                                                                                        fills via text.63
                                                                                                                   one-to-one relationships with cus-
                                                                                                                   tomers.59 In 2016, Adidas launched                                                                                          Since the cost of entry is minimal,
                                                                                                                   Avenue A, limited-edition boxes that                                                                                        the marketplace is already saturat-
                                                                                                                   ship curated selections of women’s                                                                                          ed with subscription services; as of
                                                                                                                   apparel and footwear to subscrib-                                                                                           early 2018, subscription box aggre-

                      75%                                                                                          ers.60

                                                                                                                   Direct-to-consumer          subscription
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               gator My Subscription Addition in-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               dexed roughly 3,000 boxes.64 And
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               now, even major retailers—including
                                                                                                                   services have grown significantly in                                                                                        Starbucks, Amazon, Macy’s, Walmart,
                                                                                                                   popularity; visits to subscription-box                                                                                      and Nordstrom—are joining in with
                                                                                                                   websites increased 890% between                                                                                             their own subscription box services.
                                                                                                                   2014 to 2018.61 Arguably one of the                                                                                         To succeed in this sector, subscrip-
          Percent of customers                                                                                     most successful D2C practitioners is                                                                                        tion services must feature an offer-
         who prefer personalized                                                                                   Dollar Shave Club. The men’s groom-                                                                                         ing that has the ability to surprise
              experiences.                                                                                         ing company disrupted its sector, re-                                                                                       and satisfy customers on a recurring
                                                                                                                   taining nearly half of its customers for                                                                                    basis.

50,000,000

40,000,000

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               U.S.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Subscription
30,000,000

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Box Industry
20,000,000

10,000,000
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Total Monthly
0                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Visitors
             Apr-14

                                                          Feb-15

                                                                   Apr-15

                                                                                                                         Apr-16
                      Jun-14

                               Aug-14

                                        Oct-14

                                                 Dec-14

                                                                            Jun-15

                                                                                     Aug-15

                                                                                              Oct-15

                                                                                                       Dec-15

                                                                                                                Feb-16

                                                                                                                                  Jun-16

                                                                                                                                           Aug-16

                                                                                                                                                    Oct-16

                                                                                                                                                             Dec-16

                                                                                                                                                                       Feb-17

                                                                                                                                                                                Apr-17

                                                                                                                                                                                         Jun-17

                                                                                                                                                                                                  Aug-17

                                                                                                                                                                                                           Oct-17

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Dec-17

                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Feb-18

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Apr-18

                                                                                                                                                                      Page 17
The gig and sharing                                             None of this would be possible
                                                                                                           projects. This resulted in 60% cost
                                                                                                           savings and reduced administrative
economies grow                                                  without rapid advances in technol-         time by 64%.71 Despite this, most
The proliferation of digital platforms                          ogy. Cloud-based platforms make            companies still are not fully embrac-
and technology has made the gig                                 it possible for remote workers to          ing freelance workers, with a recent
economy more feasible and appeal-                               connect with employers from any-           EY study finding that only 17% of
ing to an increasing number of peo-                             where in the world, and companies          global corporations’ workforce was
ple. Thirty-six percent of the Amer-                            like Airbnb and Uber used mo-              contingent.72
ican workforce is now freelancing;65                            bile applications to radically dis-
workers are choosing the flexibility                            rupt their respective industries.69
of freelance work over the traditional                                                                       3.9 million people regularly
perks of a nine-to-five job (such as                            The gig economy poses a unique               worked in the gig economy
paid time off, healthcare benefits,                             challenge for traditional businesses.        in 2017, and by 2021, they
and retirement packages).                                       Corporations need to figure out how          project that number will reach
                                                                to effectively engage and manage a           9.2 million.
Intuit estimated that 3.9 million                               remote portion of the workforce, as
people regularly worked in the gig                              well as determine how to securely
economy in 2017, and by 2021, they                              grant access to internal systems.70        In its Global Corporate Sustainabil-
project that number will reach 9.2                              There are also concerns that a com-        ity Report, Nielsen found that 66%
million.66 Forty-one percent of peo-                            pany’s culture will suffer if there are    of consumers are willing to spend
ple participating in the gig economy                            too many freelance workers in the          more for a product if it comes from
also have a part-time or full-time                              environment. However, there are            a sustainable brand.73 It is perhaps
job, with the extra hours they gain                             substantial benefits for businesses        no surprise, then, to see the rise of
being used to supplement income.67                              who utilize the gig economy.               the so-called sharing economy, with
One common misconception is that                                                                           companies such as Zipcar, WeWork,
the gig economy is solely powered                               Freelancing offers corporations a          Rent the Runway, and more facilitat-
by Millennials. While they currently                            more flexible and affordable means         ing the reselling, renting, or sharing
make up the largest share of the gig                            of hiring talent, especially if the com-   of items and spaces. This is not nec-
economy workforce, a recent survey                              pany is only looking to fill a tempo-      essarily a rejection of consumerism
by Payoneer reported that one in                                rary need. In 2017, Samsung decided        but rather a trend toward minimalism
three U.S. gig workers was over the                             to experiment with using Upwork to         supported by the digital revolution.
age of 50.68                                                    satisfy needs for quick turnaround         Mobile technology, big data, and ad-

Sharing Economy Users and
Penetration, 2016-2020

52+6577+ 85+ 94+ 100+
    Adult sharing economy users   % of adult internet users   (millions and % of adult internet users)
                                                                                                                                    86.5
80
                                                                                                                81.2
                                                                                              73.7
70
                                                                        66.3
60
                                                 56.5
50
                 44.8
40

                                                                                                                 36%                  38%
30
                                                                                               33%
                                                                         30%
20                                                26%
                  21%
10

0
                  2016                             2017                  2018                 2019               2020                2021

                                                                                Page 18
vanced algorithms make it possible
to facilitate the sharing economy in a
                                         2016 in Seattle, Portland, and Brook-
                                         lyn. Consumers can choose between
                                                                                  The gig economy’s
simple, user-friendly manner.            the BMW 3 Series or Mini Coopers—a       size of employed
                                         competitive advantage over Car2Go’s      (in the U.S.)
As the gig and sharing economies         Smart Car fleet.76 In an additional                                15.8%
continue to grow, customers are          twist on the usual business model,
purchasing fewer new goods. In re-       the entire ReachNow fleet can switch
sponse, many businesses are choos-       between car-sharing and ridesharing
ing to adopt service-based business      depending on current demands.77
models. Almost all vehicle manufac-      This approach allows BMW to partic-
                                         ipate in the sharing economy and to                       10.1%
turers saw decreased sales in Decem-                                                    9.3%
ber 2017, and some were down year-       be responsive to consumers’ chang-
over-year as well. Ford posted a 0.9%    ing needs. In March 2018, BMW and
full-year decline,74 and General Mo-     Car2Go’s parent company, Daimler,
tors decreased 1.3% year-over-year.75    reached an agreement to merge
As more and more people move to          their services, indicating the success
dense urban centers, the need—and        of this strategy.78
desire—to own a car dissipates. In
light of these trends, and the success
of such services as Uber and Car-
2Go, BMW introduced ReachNow, a
car-sharing service that launched in                                                1995          2005     2015

                                                        Page 19
Brands engage online                        (also known by her YouTube person-
                                            ality, Missglamorazzi) to promote two
influencers                                 of their foundation lines. For approx-
Storefronts are not the only facet of re-   imately $500,000, BareMinerals will
tail undergoing a transformation. Over      have the attention of Nilsen’s 4 million
the past five years, influence has shift-   YouTube subscribers and 1.7 million
ed away from traditional celebrities        Instagram followers.81
like actors and athletes to “cewebri-
ties,” online/web influencers who have      Ultimately, influencers’ power is in
a significant and engaged following         their perceived authenticity and actual
on topic-specific blogs or social me-       engagement with customers. Markerly
dia sites like Facebook, YouTube, and       data shows that micro-influencers, or
Instagram. In fact, MuseFind’s data         influencers with between 1,000 and
shows that 92% of consumers trust           10,000 followers, have a much high-
an online influencer over a celebrity       er activity level than those with more
endorsement or advertisement—and            than 100,000 followers.82 The cost of
with nearly half of all customers using     micro-influencers is also much lower;
ad-blocking technology, the reach of        for the same price as one or two celeb-
those channels is limited.79                rity endorsements, brands can reach
                                            a more engaged, targeted audience
Followers view these influencers as         with 30 to 40 micro-influencers. These
credible, unbiased experts in their         partnerships lead to measurable con-
niche areas, such as fitness, beauty, and   versions. Based on a Tomoson study,
fashion. A Twitter and Annalect study       the average influencer marketing
found that nearly 40% of respondents        campaign generates a return of $6.50
have purchased an item online after         for every $1 invested and is tied with
seeing it used or reviewed by an influ-     email marketing for the most cost-ef-
encer on social media.80 Some brands        fective customer acquisition method.83
pursue influencers with a large reach;      Retailers can directly reach their cus-
so-called “macro-influencers” have an       tomers by employing online influenc-
audience of millions. BareMinerals has      ers whose followers match their target
partnered with influencer Ingrid Nilsen     audience.

   Transform for the future
   As today’s customers evolve, so does the retail landscape. Modern retailers must remain agile, exploring new op-
   portunities and business models to build relationships with their customers and drive growth. At Microsoft, we’re
   empowering retailers with flexible, scalable solutions that enable them to transform their business.

   Evolve your business                     Meet changing needs                        Transform culture
   To meet the needs of today’s cus-        Modern retailers require technology        As our world faces new challeng-
   tomers, modern retailers must            that provides the power, scalability,      es, retailers must transform their
   evolve beyond their existing             and flexibility they need to grow at       cultures to posture their work-
   business and operating models.           their own pace. Microsoft’s flexible       force to solve today’s most press-
   From analytics solutions to col-         deployment options and adaptive            ing problems. From tools that im-
   laboration tools to development          solutions make it easy for retailers       prove communication across an
   platforms, Microsoft provides re-        to expand their operations, wheth-         organization to the platform on
   sources with the technology and          er entering new global markets,            which a retailer will build the app
   support they need to redefine re-        launching new brands, or spinning          that will disrupt an industry, Mic-
   tail and their business.                 off a new company.                         rosoft is empowering businesses
                                                                                       to redefine their culture.

                                                            Page 20
The everywhere store
•   A-commerce (anywhere) becomes the new reality
•   Social-media selling grows
•   Voice-first conversational commerce makes some noise
•   Enterprise chatbots are here to help
•   Mobile payments go mainstream

                                                Page 21
The everywhere
   store

A-commerce (anywhere) becomes the new                                               Executive summary
reality                                                                             An overcrowded marketplace is push-
Technology has granted customers access to a dizzying array of products, and        ing retailers to diversify their points of
customers expect to be able to purchase on their terms, whenever and wher-          sale by using social media platforms,
                                                                                    chatbots, and virtual personal assis-
ever they want. From social buying on Instagram to v-commerce with Alexa,
                                                                                    tants, connecting with customers wher-
businesses are no longer forcing customers to their websites to make a pur-
                                                                                    ever they are at any given moment.
chase; instead, they are turning every platform into a purchase platform.

Social media selling grows                                                          Highlights
Social media continues to grow in popularity; globally, 482 million people be-      • Eighty-seven percent of Pinners
came new active users in 2016. Today, a total of 2.789 billion social media users     purchased something because
are spending an average of 40 minutes to four hours on social media sites             of Pinterest, and 93% of users
each day.84 While customers have consulted social media sites for purchase            say they use the site to plan their
inspiration or research for years, we are only now seeing the potential of these      purchases.
channels to translate into direct sales.                                            • Eighty percent of all smartphone
                                                                                      users are expected to use mobile
Today, idea-collection site Pinterest has 175 million users, and 93% of them          messaging apps by 2018.
use the site to plan purchases. More than half of them also use the site to shop
for products.85 Pinterest’s “Shop the Look” feature employs computer vision         • By the end of 2017, 33 million
and human curation to allow users to shop Pinned products on the web and              voice-first devices will be in
their mobile devices. Early tests showed that users visit a company’s website         circulation.
two to three times more frequently when “Shop the Look” Pins are deployed.86
Additionally, Pinterest for Business offers a “Buyable Pins” option, which allows
customers to purchase a company’s products directly on Pinterest with a credit
card or Apple Pay.                                                                    Businesses are no longer
                                                                                      forcing customers to their
Instagram continues to explore ways to turn its 700 million users into regular        websites to make a purchase;
consumers of its business partners.87 In 2016, Instagram piloted its Shopping         instead, they are turning every
Tags program, allowing companies to upload a product catalog and tag spe-             platform into a purchase
cific products on their posts. When clicked, a tagged product takes the user          platform.
directly to the product page. The program has since expanded to thousands

                                                          Page 22
of businesses, and the results have      can reach customers directly.              Microsoft’s Cortana, Amazon Alexa,
been promising.88 Industry leader                                                   and Google Assistant are working
Nike has announced that it will sell     In addition to living on mobile de-        toward developing better user expe-
certain products via Instagram in        vices and computers, VPAs now exist        riences for their voice-first merchant
what they describe as a “seamless”       on household devices like the Har-         ecosystems, adding skills and fea-
experience for customers.89              man Kardon Invoke, Apple HomePod           tures that make the checkout pro-
                                         Amazon Echo and Google Home. A             cess easier and more accessible. In
One issue brands face in expanding       VoiceLabs report estimated that by         early 2017, only 28% of U.S. residents
social media sales is that many cus-     the end of last year, 33 million voice-    indicated that they would use a VPA
tomers are not aware that they can       first devices would be in circulation,92   to buy goods and that they were
shop directly via social media sites;    and these devices are beginning to         more likely to use their VPAs to play
in a recent survey, 26.4% of respon-     drive sales: Amazon Echo owners            music, give weather information, or
dents said they had never heard of       make 6% more purchases on Am-              provide search results.95 As users
social commerce.90 However, if social    azon than they did prior to owning         increasingly rely on their VPAs, the
                                         the device.93 Shopping capability on       trend toward voice interactions will
media platforms and retailers can
                                         Google Home launched in February           continue alongside the development
generate better awareness—and re-
                                         2016 and 18 months later, predict-         of other artificially intelligent sys-
move barriers to purchasing with a
                                         ing the growth of voice shopping,          tems—based on gestures, biomet-
smoother transition from browsing
                                         Walmart partnered with Google              rics, and more—that will make these
to buying—social media users will
                                         to offer hundreds of thousands of          types of interactions easier and more
readily become in-app consumers.
                                         products for sale via Google Assis-        natural for users.
                                         tant, with a vision that customers will
Voice-first                              use Google Home devices to reorder
conversational                           frequently purchased items.94                Amazon Echo owners

                                             20+80+J
commerce makes                                                                        make 6% more
some noise                                                                            purchases on Amazon
In 2016, nearly half of U.S. smart-                                                   than they did prior to
phone users consulted virtual per-                                                    owning the device.

                                                     20%
sonal assistants (VPAs)—such as
Microsoft’s Cortana, Apple’s Siri, Am-
azon’s Alexa, and Google Assistant—
and Gartner predicts that by 2019,
20% of all smartphone interactions
will take place via VPAs.91 While the
shopping capabilities of voice-en-
abled VPAs are still nascent, as they       Smartphone interactions that
evolve, they will offer a powerful new     will take place via VPAs in 2019.
platform through which businesses

                                                         Page 23
Companies quickly recognized the
                                          potential in-messaging chatbots
                                          have to engage customers and turn
Enterprise chatbots                       content into commerce. As of June
are here to help                          2016, Apple iOS 10 supported an
                                          app extension for iMessage that
Pioneered by China’s WeChat app
                                          enables customers to send pay-
in 2013, enterprise chatbots are
                                          ments. Skype allows customers to
still in their infancy globally. Brands
                                          make payments with their Microsoft
began using chatbots—comput-
                                          payment account directly through
er programs designed to simulate
                                          bots.100 Early enterprise bot-adopt-
conversations with humans—as cus-
                                          er, 1-800-Flowers, relies on their bot
tomer-care representatives as part of
                                          to help customers select and pur-
their omnichannel strategy, with the
                                          chase flower arrangements, process
goal of reducing the number of que-
                                          orders, and send shipping updates.
ries handled by live agents. Prior to
                                          The chatbot platform offers a mul-
deploying its 24/7 virtual agent, Ana,    titude of innovative opportunities
Latin America’s Copa Airlines han-        for product marketing. Cosmetic
dled only 10% of inquiries online (via    company Sephora’s Color Match bot
search and frequently asked ques-         helps customers match the hue in an
tions). Ana now handles 50% of all        uploaded photo to a Sephora lipstick
queries, and 40% of all interactions      shade. H&M’s bot makes clothing
with “Ask Ana” require no live-agent      recommendations based on custom-
phone or chat support. Early in-app       ers’ answers to style quizzes. Users
chatbot adopters American Express         can also upload a photo of an arti-
and Intercontinental Hotel Group          cle of clothing they like, and the bot
utilized bots to notify customers of      will suggest a complete outfit from
recent transactions and to confirm        H&M’s catalog.101

                                              80+20+J
upcoming stays.96

Development rapidly accelerated fol-
lowing Microsoft’s release of the Bot
Framework in March 2016 and Face-
book’s F8 2016 conference, during

                                                      80%
which CEO Mark Zuckerberg encour-
aged developers to take advantage
of open access to API to create bots
for Facebook Messenger.97 Within a
year, developers had created 100,000
bots.98 As mobile users begin to tire
of installing and tracking numer-
ous apps, companies should look to           Percent of smartphone users
text (SMS) and messaging apps for              projected to use mobile
application-to-person (A2P) com-               messaging apps by 2018.
munication. Half of American mo-
bile users have not installed a new
app in the last year—but combined,        Chatbot technology may be relative-
messaging apps Facebook Messen-           ly new, but these pioneers demon-
ger, WhatsApp, and Kik have more          strate its vast potential. The op-
than one billion users, and 80% of        portunities to create personalized
all smartphone users are expected         customer experiences expand as bot
to use mobile messaging apps by           technology develops and becomes
2018.99                                   more advanced.

               Page 24
Mobile payments go                        er, Alipay, which boasts 520 million
                                          users.106 Globally, $590 billion was
mainstream                                spent using contactless payments in
Apple Pay launched to great fanfare       2017, and purchases via contactless
in October 2014, but the public has       payments are projected to increase
been slow to adopt this technology.       to $1.3 trillion in 2019 and over $2
In 2016, a study by Auriemma Con-         trillion globally by 2021.107
sulting Group reported that only
27% of users with an eligible device
                                          As mobile wallets become more
had used contactless payments.102 At
                                          broadly adopted, businesses are
the time, 39% said they would use
                                          looking to capture a piece of the
mobile payments more if stores ac-
                                          mobile payment market, which is
cepted it, but the study found that
                                          projected to grow to $112.29 bil-
                                                                                   Number of Apple

                                                                                    1+83211452+1740100
even when a store did accept mobile
                                          lion by 2021.108 The list of mobile
payments, less than a third (31%) of
                                          payment providers is growing and         Pay, Samsung Pay,

                                                                                                                                 150 million
users consistently used mobile pay,
                                          now includes PayPal, Intuit GoPay-
most frequently citing that they sim-
                                          ment, Barclaycard bPay, Chase Pay,
                                                                                   and Android Pay
ply forgot.103
                                          Visa Checkout, Walmart Pay, CVS          Contactless
Despite its slow start, mobile pay-
                                          Pay, Target Wallet, Starbucks, Kohl’s    Users
ments may finally be reaching a tip-      Pay, Square, Stripe, Venmo, LevelUp,
ping point. Apple Pay is now avail-       PayAnywhere, and more.
able in 20 markets around the world,
works with 4,000 card issuers, and is     Further pushing mobile payments
available at 50% of U.S. retailers.104    into the mainstream is the broad-

                                                                                   20 million
This increased availability has driven    er adoption of mobile wallets as a
growth in the market; Apple Pay, Sam-     whole. An increasing number of busi-
sung Pay, and Google Pay currently        nesses, from stadiums to airlines, are
have a user base of roughly 150 mil-      leveraging mobile wallets for paper-
lion and are expected to exceed 500       less ticket distribution. As adoption
million users by 2021.105 And these       increases around the world, it seems
numbers don’t even account for Chi-       clear that mobile wallets are the way     2015                 2016                  2017
na’s leading mobile payment provid-       of the future.                                        Android Pay   Samsung Pay   Apple Pay

   Redefine shopping
   Technology is redefining the shopping experience by making it possible for any platform—from social media to
   smart speakers—to be platforms for making purchases. At Microsoft, we’re empowering retailers with the tools
   they need to embrace these new channels and allow their customers to shop on their terms, wherever they are.

   Shop seamlessly                        Make tech accessible                      Empower employees
   Today’s customers expect a seam-       Successful retail leaders are seeking     Employees are a business’s most
   less shopping experience across        diverse perspectives and new ideas        valuable asset; today’s retailers
   channels and the flexibility to buy    to challenge their most ingrained         must empower their employees
   in-store, pick up in other loca-       assumptions. With intuitive, famil-       to do more. From tools such as
   tions, or to receive home delivery.    iar tools that are easy to learn and      Office 365 that help teams get
   Dynamics 365 enables retailers         cloud-based applications that allow       more done to role-based work-
   to provide a consistent shopping       individuals to access information         spaces in Dynamics 365 that de-
   experience across nearly every         from anywhere, Microsoft is mak-          liver the right information, Micro-
   channel and offers flexible fulfill-   ing technology more accessible to         soft is helping retailers empower
   ment options, increasing custom-       more people, opening up untapped          their employees to deliver better
   er satisfaction and brand loyalty.     markets for talent and innovation.        experiences for their customers.

                                                         Page 25
Operations drive
excellence
•   Robotics and automation streamline operations
•   Blockchain becomes more than a buzzword
•   The Internet of Things opens new doors
•   Supply chains become intelligent
•   Technology empowers frontline sales associates

                                                 Page 26
Operations drive
   excellence

Robotics and automation streamline                                                 Executive summary
operations                                                                         Driven by connected customers who
Retailers are looking to leverage robotics and automation technologies to off-     are demanding quicker delivery and
set mounting healthcare costs and rising labor costs due to minimum-wage           more transparent processes, compa-
legislation, as well as to streamline warehouse and fulfillment processes. A Re-   nies employing digital technology will
search and Market study predicts that the retail automation market will grow       see numerous benefits in inventory
at a CAGR of 10.96% between 2017 and 2023 and be valued at almost $19              management, fulfillment, data analy-
billion by 2023 as companies look to reduce operational costs and enhance          sis, and employee management.
the customer experience.109

Target’s California distribution center utilizes a robotics warehouse system, in
                                                                                   Highlights
which incoming pallets are automatically separated into product cases and          • Tracking a product via blockchain
sorted into a high-density storage container. As orders come through, robots         takes 2.2 seconds, versus seven
travel up to 25 mph and can retrieve one product per minute—approximately            days via paper.
five times faster than a human can pick products on foot. The robot then cre-      • 8.4 billion IoT devices were in use
ates “perfect pallets” according to store layout, and another robot wraps the        by the end of 2017, a number
pallet. This system has a significant overhead but ultimately can save retailers     expected to double by 2020.
as much as 80% on distribution-center labor costs, allowing them to operate
                                                                                   • Seventy-two percent of customers
warehouses that are 25% to 40% smaller than traditional buildings.110
                                                                                     who dealt with a store associate
                                                                                     using a mobile device to provide
In 2019, large stores will add more self-scan and self-checkout options. These
                                                                                     product info, credit-card checkout,
have already been successfully implemented by Rebecca Minkoff and Macy’s,
                                                                                     or inventory look-up said it
who tag their inventory with radio-frequency identification (RFID) sensors.111
                                                                                     resulted in a better shopping
Electronic shelf-label technology automates retailers’ price-changing systems,
                                                                                     experience.
eliminating the need for employees to change them by hand and allowing
companies to run and display special offers in real-time.112 Amazon has paved
the way for full automation with its staff-less, checkout-less Amazon Go lo-
cation, which utilizes multiple technologies to detect which items customers
leave the store with and to charge their accounts accordingly. These trends          Retailers are looking to
don’t only provide cost savings: by streamlining operations, retailers help pro-     leverage robotics and
vide faster checkout times and quicker delivery windows to customers, ulti-          automation technologies.
mately building brand loyalty.

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