This week, 1000’s of execs will collect on the Nationwide Retail Federation (NRF) 2025: Retail’s Large Present, for insights into the altering retail panorama. High of thoughts for a lot of attendees is how AI will influence the retail business. What retail-specific AI innovation is on the horizon, and may these options resolve the myriad of challenges retailers face, from bettering buyer experiences to assembly buyer demand on time?
To assist reply these questions, Microsoft leaders and business companions shall be available to showcase the very newest AI innovation for retailers—together with how brokers can open doorways to unprecedented buyer experiences, assist meet buyer demand on time, and drive moral sourcing and sustainability.
Microsoft Dynamics 365
Study extra concerning the Dynamics 365 AI-powered ERP options.
AI and brokers will rework retail in 2025
In 2025, the retail business shall be formed by three transformative traits that can set the tempo of development and success within the evolving retail panorama:
- delivering hyper-personalized buyer experiences throughout bodily and digital channels.
- redefining comfort via modern achievement and versatile procuring choices.
- embedding sustainability and moral sourcing on the coronary heart of enterprise methods.
On the Microsoft expo sales space and our featured session, NRF attendees will learn the way organizations can obtain these priorities by infusing AI throughout each enterprise course of and workflow—inside each customer-facing and backend operations.
By integrating AI options like Microsoft Copilot and brokers inside ERP techniques—the normal basis for managing essential enterprise processes—retailers can scale the supply of customized buyer experiences and versatile procuring choices.
As well as, Microsoft will exhibit at NRF how brokers in Dynamics 365 ERP system options autonomously handle workflows and orchestrate processes throughout numerous domains, together with buyer journey, procurement, service and operations. These brokers make data-driven selections, optimize operations in real-time, and improve productiveness by automating routine duties. This permits workers to focus on strategic priorities, thereby bettering effectivity, price financial savings, and relationships with prospects and suppliers.
Delivering higher buyer expertise
Dynamics 365 delivers AI capabilities that allow retailers to hyper-personalize buyer experiences throughout bodily and digital channels.
Remodeling the patron’s journey
With Dynamics 365, retailers can analyze huge quantities of buyer knowledge to higher perceive buyer preferences and behaviors. This can allow them to ship customized procuring expertise. Based mostly on a 2025 CIO and Expertise Government survey by Gartner®, there shall be a rise of retail respondents by 67% in 2025 to put money into in-store generative AI expertise for associates and a rise of 60% to put money into in-store generative AI expertise for patrons.1
Retailers like Venchi are piloting the Customized Purchasing Agent in Dynamics 365 to allow their in-store associates to shortly floor product suggestions primarily based on the client’s preferences at checkout. With on the spot, tailor-made solutions, it couldn’t solely improve the general procuring expertise but in addition improve the basket worth whereas bettering model loyalty.
Seamless omnichannel expertise
Immediately’s prospects count on a seamless procuring expertise throughout all channels. Dynamics 365 AI-powered ERP techniques combine stock and buyer knowledge from bodily shops, on-line platforms, and cell apps right into a unified system. This integration ensures that prospects obtain constant service and correct data, no matter how they select to buy.
Lighting retailer Visible Consolation & Co. created a unified platform throughout 53 showrooms, a sturdy on-line retailer, manufacturing, and delivery with Dynamics 365 ERP system options; serving to them to streamline operations and enhance visibility throughout the complicated provide chain. With real-time stock visibility, their showroom associates can promise order availability and supply precisely.
Turning fulfilment right into a aggressive benefit
With brokers and Dynamics 365, retailers can redefine comfort via modern achievement and versatile procuring choices.
Proactively mitigate provide chain disruptions
It’s paramount for retailers to forestall inventory out and guarantee on-time supply to their prospects to enhance retention and loyalty. With frequent provide chain disruptions globally, retailers must continually keep in contact with their suppliers or contract producers to proactively establish delays. The Provider Communications Agent in Dynamics 365 autonomously processes provider confirmations, flags potential delays, and suggests corrective actions to assist make sure that buyer orders are delivered on time.
With the agent automating these essential duties, provide chain groups can deal with bettering provider relationships and contract negotiations leading to decreased prices and extra environment friendly procurement processes.
Versatile and quick fulfilment
Retailers like Construct-A-Bear use Dynamics 365 to optimize achievement and provide a seamless procuring expertise. They use shops as mini warehouses to fulfil orders quicker, and with enhanced stock visibility they can assist make sure that their merchandise can be found when and the place prospects want them. They can provide versatile procuring choices like Purchase On-line, Decide Up In Retailer (BOPIS) and Purchase On-line, Ship From Retailer (BOSFS) to their prospects for extra comfort. Moreover, the implementation of Dynamics 365 has led to a 28% discount in processing days, considerably boosting warehouse productiveness and enabling quicker order achievement. These improvements enable Construct-A-Bear to fulfill the evolving wants of as we speak’s customers, offering a extra environment friendly, dependable, and versatile procuring expertise.
Moral sourcing and sustainability
In 2025, retailers are more and more dedicated to embedding sustainability and moral sourcing on the coronary heart of enterprise methods. Sustainability options in Dynamics 365 options can assist retailers adjust to the most recent requirements and greatest practices, in addition to drive constructive modifications for the enterprise and the setting.
Allow recommerce and drive sustainable practices
AI-powered Dynamics 365 ERP techniques assist retailers to watch and implement sustainable practices akin to circularity. This permits them to run take-back packages for reselling, reusing, or recycling merchandise to increase their lifecycle and scale back waste. Moreover, the order orchestration engine in Dynamics 365 helps retailers like ONLY, considered one of BESTSELLER’s largest trend manufacturers, to assist sustainability targets by selecting achievement choices that reduce carbon emissions whereas additionally serving to to make sure orders are delivered on time and profitably. Together with the power to purchase on-line and return in-store, ONLY prospects have essentially the most environmentally pleasant delivery choices accessible.
Moral provider administration
AI capabilities in Dynamics 365 ERP techniques can assist improve moral sourcing by managing vendor compliance, imposing procurement insurance policies, and supporting multisource methods. One in all our companions, Columbus, applied Dynamics 365 ERP options at their buyer Devold of Norway to assist them ship premium high quality woolen merchandise to their customers. They now have a modernized cloud platform and are searching for methods to additional enhance traceability of their merchandise in order that their customers know the place the merchandise come from. These options provide transparency and traceability for product origins and offers sustainability reporting to watch and enhance practices—making certain your procurement aligns with moral requirements.
Future-proof your retail operations in 2025
AI-powered options for ERP and repair techniques are greater than a technological improve. They’re a strategic crucial for retailers aiming to ship distinctive buyer experiences, construct lasting model loyalty, and obtain sustainable profitability. In as we speak’s enterprise panorama, you want autonomous techniques that may anticipate market modifications, buyer wants, or operational dangers. The chance of clinging to legacy techniques extends past inefficiency. It results in missed alternatives, slower time-to-market, and the shortcoming to stay aggressive. Firms utilizing AI-first processes via AI-powered options for ERP techniques acquire the foresight and agility essential to not simply react to modifications however to steer via them.
Be a part of us at NRF ‘25
In case you are registered for NRF, we invite you to go to the Microsoft sales space (#4503) and be part of Kathleen Mitford, Microsoft’s Company Vice President, International Business Advertising, in addition to leaders at Bathtub & Physique Works, Venchi and Sitecore as they share their views on reworking the patron journey with AI. The session will happen on Monday, January 13, 2025 at 11AM EST.
Additionally, proceed to go to the Dynamics 365 weblog to be taught extra about how Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Energy Platform are serving to retailers reimagine the street forward; and be happy to contact us to be taught extra concerning the Dynamics 365 AI-powered ERP system options.
Supply
1Gartner, 2025 CIO Agenda: High Priorities and Expertise Plans for Retail, 16 September 2024 By Kelsie Marian, Sandeep Unni. GARTNER is a registered trademark and repair mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its associates within the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.
