Microsoft Updates Dynamics 365 with IoT and E-Commerce Capabilities

It’s been announced that Microsoft is adding IoT and e-commerce tools to the Dynamics 365 line-up.

Dynamics 365 for Retail will receive a new e-commerce engine and it’ll be rebranded as Dynamics 365 Commerce. This solution will include digital asset management and built-in content management capabilities.

Microsoft has said that the Commerce offering will extend what the Retail offering already aimed to deliver. This includes customer-centric and operational data and management tools that will serve retailers across channels. As Dynamics 365 Commerce, the product will deliver operational capabilities in areas such as store management and inventory and a unified customer experience.

The e-commerce engine was build by Microsoft in-house and it’s based on the platform used by Microsoft digital storefronts, according to a spokesperson. Lorraine Bardeen, the general manager of Dynamics 365 Mixed Reality at Work said: “We’ve listened to our customers and decided it is time to bring a new category to our modern business applications from Microsoft: Commerce”. She added, “Commerce is a category that is joining the others in how we serve our customers around the world.”

Microsoft has also revealed its Dynamics 365 Connected Store, a brand new application for retail organisations that allows for the collection of data from IoT sensors placed in stores and camera to provide new analysis and reporting on customer interactions and operations.

In a new blog post, Microsoft explains that Connected Store offers pre-built connectivity to Azure IoT Central. This what they’ve said:

Dynamics 365 Connected Store uses observational data generated as customers move through the store, as well as the status of store equipment and product, to create employee alerts and actionable insights that can improve store efficiency. For instance, Connected Store can improve the checkout experience by triaging extra cashiers via instant notifications, based on sensor or camera data. Fluctuations in the condition of store equipment such as freezers and refrigerators can put product quality at risk. Connected Store, supported by Azure IoT Central, utilizes IoT sensors to monitor temperature and humidity, which can quickly highlight any anomalies to protect inventory.

The Connected Store application will have the capability to analyse data at the immediate in-store level for store managers and associates, providing aggregate and long-term data for upper management to analyse trends and patterns across stores.

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