Where:  National Retail Federation (NRF) 102nd Annual Convention & EXPO, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center

655 W. 34th St.

New York, NY 10001

When:  Jan. 14–15, 2013

What:  Microsoft Corp. will demonstrate how new technologies and its broad ecosystem of partner solutions can help retailers deliver the future of retailing today — putting customers at the center of their businesses and delivering the personalized, seamless and differentiated experiences that shoppers have come to expect. Microsoft booth No. 1005 will feature these sections:

•  Engaging Your Customers. Attendees will have a firsthand chance to experience how they can reinvent the customer experience through connected shopping scenarios across multiple digital channels in-store and online. Advances in digital marketing and location-based awareness for creating more effective and relevant digital experiences will also be on display. A Device Bar will give visitors a hands-on experience with the latest Windows 8-powered devices and apps to help retailers innovate their businesses and deliver new and enhanced shopping experiences to customers.

•  Engaging Your Employees. This section of the booth will feature the latest in sales, social and collaborative productivity tools to engage employees and provide personalized access to the information they need. Microsoft will showcase how cloud computing solutions such as Microsoft Office 365 and Microsoft SharePoint Online can cost-effectively deliver powerful productivity tools, including store employee portals to deskless workers from virtually any device or location.* By providing store employees with modern productivity tools and multipurpose devices to complete their critical sales, inventory and customer service tasks, retailers can improve their workforce’s level of productivity and service on the front line of customer service and sales.

•  Optimizing Your Operations. Demonstrations will showcase the latest in Microsoft technologies and partner solutions designed to help retailers drive greater efficiencies and run their businesses more effectively by optimizing and streamlining their operations and enabling better insight and decision-making across the retail organization, all helping increase profitability and customer satisfaction. Visitors can see the power of 3-D technology for immersive in-store planning experiences and learn how to manage shelf availability and minimize out-of-stock situations using advanced analytics, minimize “show rooming” through a more proactive approach of price and availability analysis, and enable site selection for new stores through geospatial analysis.

•  Microsoft Dynamics. The booth will also feature the latest Microsoft Dynamics for Retail innovations, providing enterprise and midmarket retailers with a unified solution for multichannel management, point-of-service (POS), store operations, supply chain, e-commerce, merchandising and financials. This enables the dynamic retailer to be connected across channels, to drive personal shopping experiences, and to be agile in meeting and exceeding customer expectations with superior time to value. Attendees will be able to preview the latest offering from the Microsoft Dynamics product line, Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail, which includes improved omnichannel retailing across all channels, powerful enhancements in POS and new e-commerce capabilities with a fully integrated Web storefront powered by Microsoft SharePoint 2013 to deliver a complete shopping experience. The booth will also feature professionals from Microsoft Services who can help customers build and optimize Microsoft Dynamics retail solutions based on extensive experience and expertise learned from retail engagements around the globe.

•  Windows Embedded. In this area of the booth, visitors can experience intelligent systems for retail through a demonstration with a large home improvement retailer. Consisting of three parts, the holistic demonstration spans the retailer’s customer engagement and channel strategy, from shopping at home and visiting a store to driving intelligence for the retailer in the back office, all through connected devices — including smartphones, digital signage, handheld devices, Microsoft Surface and POS tablets, and kiosks working seamlessly together to help the retailer and its store associates deliver a new level of interactive and personalized services.

Other News: Microsoft executives will also lead education sessions in NRF’s BIG !deas Boulevard.

•  Jan. 14, 2 p.m., 3D09: “Enabling Great Customer Experiences with Big Data,” ShiSh Shridhar, Microsoft

•  Jan. 14, 3:15 p.m., 3D09: “Become a Dynamic Retailer with Microsoft Dynamics & Deliver the Future of Retail Today,” Lynda Barr, chief financial officer, Edwin Watts Golf; Ashvin Mathew, Microsoft, and Michael Griffiths, global product industry director, Retail & Distribution, Microsoft Business Solutions

•  Jan. 15, 11 a.m., 3D09: “Modern Productivity Solutions for Stores,” Mike McNamara, chief information officer, Tesco, and Tracy Issel, general manager, Worldwide Retail Sector, Microsoft

Who:

•  Brendan O’Meara, managing director, Worldwide Retail Sector, Microsoft

•  Fred Studer, general manager, ERP Product Management Group, Microsoft Business Solutions

•  John Doyle, director of product management, Windows Embedded, Microsoft

•  Michael Griffiths, global product industry director, Retail & Distribution, Microsoft Business Solutions

•  Tracy Issel, general manager, Worldwide Retail Sector, Microsoft