Customers remain at heart of our new digital transformation, says Microsoft

With the pandemic introducing an e-commerce renaissance as well as omni channel receiving a lot of attention, Ola Williams, Country Manager, Microsoft Nigeria, has stated that it is the customer that lies at the heart of these new trends and will ensure their staying power.

The Country Manager re­vealed that in the Middle East and Africa (MEA), Microsoft retail customers reported that online sales brought in between two and five per cent of reve­nues before the pandemic.

With an increase of 30 per cent, she disclosed that the Nigerian eCommerce market contributed to the worldwide growth rate of 29 per cent in 2021.

According to her, the place of e-commerce in the Nigerian economy is being boosted by gradual transition of informal retailers into the online shop­ping community.

Williams noted that in a world where consumers have more choices than ever before, the retailer will need to work harder to maintain customer loyalty.

Tools that help to automate loyalty programmes and pro­vide insight into customer be­haviour, she remarked, would help brands spend more time innovating products and ser­vices for their customers.

She explained further that though loyalty programmes are valuable assets for retailers looking to personalise custom­ers’ experience, building loyalty and trust can be completely de­railed by a single cyberattack, which is why any sort of data management should always be paired with a security solution.

“Another growing trend is the conscious consumer. Sustainability has become a major priority for customers, with many choosing to spend more money with brands that demonstrate their commitment to ethical, environmentally-con­scious products and services. The right tech solutions can provide retailers with more transparency within their sup­ply chains so as to ensure they meet these consumers’ demand.

“It is through technology that retailers can gain visibil­ity from their supply chains and demonstrate transparent practices to their customers.”

Williams disclosed that to help their retail customers on their digital transformation journey, that Microsoft has de­veloped Cloud for Retail tech­nology, a tailored set of indus­try-specific cloud solutions.

According to her, by working closely with retailers and their partners, Cloud for Retail helps maximise data, enhances the customer experience, optimiz­es supply chains and empower employees.

“COVID-19 may have been the unexpected push into a new way of doing retail busi­ness, but it’s consumers that give these trends the staying power. To take advantage of the business benefits, retailers will need to continue with their digital transformation journeys in earnest.

“Microsoft is working with Interswitch, an impres­sive payments and fintech in­novator in Africa. Interswitch is working with banks like GT, UBA and Zenith to bridge the supply chain financing gap be­tween an existing corporate-fo­cused infrastructure and a small entrepreneurial economy emerging in the region using AI-enabled solutions.”