Every day, retail stores are providing enhanced customer experiences and streamlining operations with the in-store solution from Dynamics 365 Commerce. That technology is getting an update that will improve IT operations and usability.

The Store Commerce for Windows application (preview) allows more deployment choices, better performance, easier updates, and better long-term framework support in Windows and Azure DevOps. Store Commerce is a shell app for Windows that uses the Microsoft Edge WebView2 control to render the existing point-of-sale (POS) UI, either from the Cloud POS or embedded (with offline mode). It continues to provide all existing functionality, including offline support, native hardware integration, and the UI experience.

In addition, the new Commerce SDK supports sealed core product installers and independent packaging for customizations for the existing Modern POS app and the Store Commerce app. The installers for the core application and extension packages are separate, so customers and partners can install and update them independently. Customer extensions will require a one-time migration from the existing Retail SDK to the new Commerce SDK.

Next steps

Make plans now to adopt the technology upgrade coming to the in-store solution. Key capabilities will be available for preview in 2022 release wave 1 (Dynamics 365 Commerce 10.0.26 release). For full details, including the motivation and release timeline, download the technical paper, Modernizing the Dynamics 365 Commerce in-store technology stack.

Migration from the legacy Retail SDK to the Commerce SDK will require a number of code changes to existing customizations, as called out in the Commerce SDK migration guide. Review the list of required changes carefully to effectively plan the migration for your organization.

Our team is eager to work alongside your team to support and help you plan your migration. You can reach us through our regular support channels, your FastTrack Solution Architect, or the Dynamics 365 Commerce Community, in the Store Operations and POS app category.

Other resources to help you get started:

• Release plans for Dynamics 365 Commerce
• GitHub repository with code samples
• TechTalk on the Commerce SDK migration

The post Plan for updates to the in-store solution in Dynamics 365 Commerce appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

The pandemic has sped up the adoption of digital technologies to obtain data insights. The multi-year collaboration between FedEx and Microsoft, announced in May 2020, aims to reinvent commerce and provides businesses with actionable insights to win in an increasingly competitive landscape. And on January 24th, we announced a new cross-platform “logistics as a service” as the next phase of this collaboration to help transform commerce by combining the global digital and logistics network of FedEx with the power of Microsoft’s cloud, including Microsoft Dynamics 365. This blog explores how this next step brings a unique integration between FedEx and Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management. We are making this pre-built connector available for preview for all applicable markets during the second half of 2022.

Faster and more cost-effective delivery

According to McKinsey & Company, a positive customer experience is hugely meaningful to a retailers’ success: it yields 20 percent higher customer-satisfaction rates, a 10 to 15 percent boost in sales conversation rates, and an increase in employee engagement of 20 to 30 percent.¹ The combination of consumers’ expectations for fast delivery with the business requirements to maintain profitability margins makes it even more challenging for organizations to offer faster, cost-effective delivery options.

The FedEx integration with Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management tackles this challenge by pairing orders with near real-time transportation network data and inventory insights so that brands can optimize fulfillment and deliver on their order promise with increased precision. And retailers can predict shipment delays and proactively overcome them by selecting alternative ways to fulfill the order on time and in full while staying profitable.

Near real-time delivery status communications

Manufacturers, distributors, consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies, and retailers understand that success depends on their ability to consistently deliver a delightful customer experience, which is increasingly a function of a retail supply chain. A recent Gartner survey found that 83 percent of companies demand that supply chains improve customer experience (CX) as part of the digital business strategy.² Retail supply chains can improve the customer experience by offering near real-time delivery status communications for customer orders. And this is one of the enhancements that customers can look forward to as part of our collaboration with FedEx.

Through Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management’s integration with FedEx, it will be possible for brands to ensure a delightful customer experience by providing near real-time communications on the delivery status that consumers desire and expect.

Convenient and frictionless returns

Providing easy returns is no longer optional for retailers. In fact, according to Statista, 86 percent of global consumers look for easy returns when deciding where to buy, and 81 percent are likely to switch to a competitor if they had a bad return experience.³ With so much at stake, it is not surprising that retailers are looking for ways to leverage technology to offer convenient, frictionless returns. By partnering with FedEx, Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management further enables brands to reliably provide free two-day shipping options to reduce shopping cart abandonment and effectively compete in the increasingly digital commerce landscape.

Through the partnership, organizations can also offer a better returns experience for their customers. End-customers will enjoy hassle-free returns options with the 60,000+ FedEx drop-off locations, convenient at-home pickups, and eco-friendly alternatives supporting sustainability initiatives such as printer-less QR code returns labels and no-box returns.

In addition to the enhancements that our partnership with FedEx will bring to Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management, customers also benefit from the ability to get up and running quickly without the need for costly rip and replace processes of existing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. And because Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management is built on a modern and open platform with out-of-the-box, pre-built connectors to a large ecosystem of order intake, shipping, and tax calculation partners, organizations can scale business. It also allows companies to accept orders from any order source, such as online e-commerce, marketplaces, mobile apps, or traditional sources such as electronic data interchange (EDI). And users can fulfill those orders from a mix of internal warehouses, third-party logistics providers, retail stores, or drop-ship partners locations.

What’s next

We have seen that Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management is driving improvements in retail supply chains through its FedEx collaboration. We have also shown how the upcoming integration with FedEx will help brands deliver modern, more delightful experiences directly to customers, including faster, more cost-effective delivery, near real-time communications on status delivery, and convenient and frictionless returns. If you are ready to apply an intelligent order management solution to drive improvement in these areas, we invite you to take our guided tour or get started today with the Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management free trial.

Sources:

1. McKinsey & Company, Personalizing the customer experience: Driving differentiation in retail, April 28, 2020.
2. Gartner, Four Steps to Become a Customer-Centric Supply Chain, 2021. GARTNER is the registered trademark and service mark of Gartner Inc., and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and has been used herein with permission. All rights reserved.
3. Statista, Consumer attitudes towards return policy of retailers and its influence on their purchasing decision worldwide 2020.

The post FedEx and Dynamics 365 reimagine commerce experiences appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

The new era of digital has ushered in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, as well as make-or-break challenges. Fast-moving organizations are seizing the moment to capture a sizable audience. But keeping customers is more difficult than ever. Organizations, facing mounting privacy regulations coupled with wary customers, are moving beyond third-party data to zero-party data for powering customer experiences. They are taking a hands-on approach and amassing customer data directly, according to a front-page article in the Wall Street Journal.¹ In the wake of disruptive changes, organizations are turning to trusted solutions like Microsoft Customer Experience Platform.

Savvy organizations see privacy as a challenge that can become a strategic opportunity to build trust with customers and differentiate themselves against competitors. They’re embracing transparent and ethical data practices built around zero-party data, which in combination with existing data, makes it easy to deliver highly-personalized experiences that customers actually wantand avoid privacy mishaps. Respecting customer privacy requires a holistic approach encompassing data collection, utilization, and governance. For example, organizations need to ensure that analytics and artificial intelligence initiatives utilize only permissible customer data, which may be highly-sensitive in nature.

Fuel personalization with zero-party data

The majority of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions. However, this expectation is met with wariness about sharing personal information and fear that data will be misused, or that they will be inundated with a barrage of advertisements, emails, and intrusive outreach. Zero-party data is key to achieving privacy-aware personalization.

Zero-party data is a form of self-reported data a consumer willingly and actively provides a brand. Customers knowingly and intentionally share this data with an organization in order to get a more personalized experiencesuch as a tailored recommendation, pricing, or access to additional resources. Organizations have opportunities to collect this data across the entire customer journeywhile the customer is on the website, social channels, email, inside a mobile app, or even in personthrough loyalty programs and creative approaches like sweepstakes, newsletters, quizzes, polls, and QR codes. Unlike first-party data which is based on historical events and requires interpretation, zero-party data is explicit data that reflects customer motivations, desires, interests, and preferences. Just as important, zero-party data has moved from buzzword to data hero, becoming an essential part of an organization’s digital strategy and countering the eminent demise of the much relied upon third-party cookies.

Don’t count out other sources of data

Nothing beats zero-party data for quality and consent, but there’s still a role for other types of data in your marketing mix.

First-party data, for example, remains an essential source of customer insight. Like zero-party data, first-party data is data about a company’s customers collected and owned directly by the company. Types of first-party data include web and app behavior, purchase history, loyalty status, or call center interactions. And although the methods used to obtain first-party data aren’t always as straightforward or transparent as those used to obtain zero-party data, it’s nonetheless valuable data that will help accelerate the pivot from third-party data.

Third-party data, like those that come from external sources like third-party cookies that track web browsing or advertising, has a place at the table (along with second-party data, which is someone else’s first-party data). The goal is not to banish third-party data entirely; instead, it’s to decrease reliance on third-party data while simultaneously increasing the collection of zero-party and first-party data.

Approach privacy as a fundamental human right

As organizations across every industry face the imminent deprecation of third-party cookies and mounting regulations, the right partner and technology are key. With the right solutions, organizations can respect consumer privacy without compromising the personalized experiences that customers value. For organizations that approach privacy as a fundamental human right, the return on investment will encompass an entirely new relationship with customersone that is built on trust and mutual engagement.

That’s where Microsoft Customer Experience Platform comes in. Microsoft has worked with customers around the world, and their marketing leaders consistently emphasize that to meet today’s expectations of privacy and personalization, they need to deliver consent-aware engagement along the entire customer journey, powered by insights based on zero through third-party datasomething they struggle with because of the proliferation of data sources scattered across multiple systems, making it impossible to gain a complete view of the customer that’s essential for connected experiences. With privacy and consent built into the platform, organizations can be rest assured that data is responsibly collected, utilized, and governedthe foundation for meaningful engagement, raving fans, and lasting customer relationships. To learn more, read the related Microsoft Customer Experience Platform blog post and visit Microsoft Customer Experience Platform.

Sources:

1- “Big Tech Privacy Moves Spur Companies to Amass Customer Data”, Suzanne Vranica, Wall Street Journal, December 2, 2021.

The post Zero-party data is more valuable than ever for customer experiences appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

For SOLEVO Grouplike many other businesseshaving a finance system that meets their needs for agility, flexibility, and scale was incredibly important, so in 2019, they implemented Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance. Paired with interconnected tools such as Microsoft Power Platform, Dynamics 365 gave them a high degree of visibility into the past and present state of their business, but SOLEVO wanted more insights into where the business was headed.

SOLEVO was one of our first customers to implement finance insights, gaining access to more accurate payment predictions and cash flow forecasts, as well as prescriptive tools that would streamline the budgeting process. We recently sat down with Martin Sengel, the CIO of SOLEVO Group, and Vacaba Diaby, SOLEVO’s Global Credit Risk Officer, to learn about their experience working with finance insights and hear how it was transforming their business.

Interview with SOLEVO

What business goals and challenges are you trying to solve for? What are you hoping finance insights can unlock to help achieve this?

“Our Global Risk Officer at SOLEVO wanted to have more insights on Customer Payments, especially to take automatic actions based on the historical analysis for each customer. We hope that finance insights can help us setup a process more proactive and help him get a better overview. We wanted to have a Cashflow forecast directly in Finance Operations in combination with an optimization our budget for each department.”

Why was Microsoft the right solution? What were the key benefits that lead you to choose Microsoft for your business solutions? Were AI and machine learning (ML)-powered capabilities a key differentiator in your vendor selection process?

“Microsoft was the right solution for us to replace our old ERP systems back in 2019. We wanted a global solution that support not only ERP Processes but also a publisher who has a perfect fit and understanding of our business, offering regular updates and evolutions and a range of interconnected tools such as Power Platform, Cloud Azure and all Dynamics 365 applications. Dynagile Consulting was the right partner to help us integrate Dynamics 365 Finance Operations in all our countries and help us right now to leverage the ERP with the Power Platform, Azure Data and now AI and ML including of course finance insights. AI and ML-powered capabilities was indeed a key selection for us when we had taken this selection.”

How will finance insights help you re-imagine the way you operate your ERP business and respond to customers and trends? What is the impact of being able to operate in this new way?

“Finance insights will help us to have intelligence/insights on our data in the system. Top management of SOLEVO have already Power BI Reporting to investigate the past, but what about the future/predictions? Finance insights will provide for us directly in the ERP some key elements for our key users to take action. It will save time, and therefore money, with an end-to-end automated solution process. Budgeting processes will be reduced every year now, a more accurate and intelligent company cash flow and when we will receive payments. At the end, it will provide a rich and intelligent financial system that drives decision making and helps us take actions to respond effectively to current and anticipated business challenges.”

What kinds of insights do you hope to gain from the solution, especially with regards to revenue, growth, and planning? How will you be able to make more intelligent decisions and drive operational efficiency through these insights and business automations?

“With COVID-19 challenge, it was very important for us to have a better accuracy on the Customer Payment Predictions and an intelligent Cash Flow forecast. All the way of the three solutions provided by finance insights, this will speed up all our finance processes facilitating the planning of our teams. Of course, that will lead to drive operational efficiency and therefore to revenue.”

Do you have any details on specific scenarios being enabled or problems that will be solved by the deployment of these technologies?

“For example, thanks to finance insights, one of our use cases will be automating credit collection letters and notifications to our Global Risk Officer with the Customer Payment Prediction based on each customer for each legal entity. Based on the confidence score and on the estimated average number of days late which is refreshed every day with our latest data from Dynamics 365 Finance and scored for new or updated rows we will send a notification via Power Automate to the end customer and the regional CFO, if we found this customer as high-risk.”

Learn more

In a short time, finance insights have already had a significant impact on SOLEVO’s business, bringing a layer of intelligence to their operations. Not only has it provided more accurate forecastscritical for strategic planningit has saved them time and money by allowing them to automate processes, such as automating credit collection letters and notifications. With a rich and intelligent financial system in place, SOLEVO is now better positioned to make strategic decisions and respond more effectively to current and future business challenges.

To learn more about how finance insights can transform your financial operations, read our finance insights announcement blog, check out our support documentation, or watch our webinar on reshaping the future of financials through AI with Ray Wang from Constellation Research Inc.

The post SOLEVO Group transforms their financial operations with finance insights appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.