Canadian Retailer - The Technology & e-Commerce Issue - 19

BY DAVE RODGERSON, Retail Industry Lead, Microsoft Canada

YOU probably don't expect to be reading

science fiction or stories about time travel
when you pick up Canadian Retailer. I
wouldn't have expected it, either. But that
was before I started working for Microsoft
and travelling through time. I should explain, it's not time travel in the sense of Marty McFly. There is no DeLorean equipped
with a Space Flux Capacitor. But, it seems
as though I take a trip into the future each
time I visit the Retail Experience Centre
(the REC) at Microsoft in Redmond. The
REC is a very low-profile building. From
the outside there's nothing to suggest that
what's inside is a 22,000 square-foot mall
complete with a bank, variety store, café
and mass merchant.
Retail is exciting, fun and when it's at
its best, interactive. That's what makes the
REC so special. When you visit our game
store, we have a collection of xBox games
on a shelf with a display monitor hanging
above that plays video clips from each title.
What makes this technology different is
that when you reach out to touch a box, the
display changes to show a video relating
to that game. It's not coincidence, a simple
Kinect device is mounted overhead, and
it recognizes the gesture associated with
reaching for a specific game which prompts
the display to change. It also serves to collect data pertaining to customer dwell time
and analyzes the information to provide
insights that will be valuable to a merchandiser or marketing professional.
Then, as you continue to peruse the
product in the store, your smartphone receives a message with a promotional offer. The source of the content? It's a bank
of LED lights in the ceiling that transmit a
signal invisible to the human eye, but captured by the camera on your phone. These
lights aren't just "smart" in the sense that

www.retailcouncil.org/cdnretailer

they consume less energy. They have the
capacity to send personal offers to a customer based on their membership in a
loyalty program, their past shopping habits and their current location in the store.
It's personalized, contextual content.
Even something as common as a pointof-sale terminal holds a surprise at the
REC. Our guide demonstrates how the cash
drawer is "self balancing", with the ability to
recognize that the wrong denomination of
bill was removed to make change (I guess
there's still some cash left in the future).
As I leave the REC and return to the
present, I'm particularly impressed with
one thought: technology doesn't always
default to an online e-commerce experience. It's also a powerful enabler of an engaging and interactive in-store experience.
It helps blur the line between the physical
and digital experience-something that
can help any retailer create a compelling
shopping experience for their customer.
And, achieving that is an effective way
to win the loyalty of customers today and
into the future.
For more information about Microsoft Canada
and what it can do to help your business, visit
https://aka.ms/RCCTransformingRetail.

THE TECHNOLOGY & E-COMMERCE ISSUE

| CANADIAN RETAILER | 1 9

https://www.aka.ms/RCCTransformingRetail http://www.retailcouncil.org/cdnretailer

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Retailer - The Technology & e-Commerce Issue