Digitisation has become a top focus for retail companies all around the world. During the pandemic, trends toward online and hybrid purchasing accelerated, resulting in an industry-wide shift toward multichannel fulfilment and a reinvented consumer experience. Cloud computing has proven critical in achieving the digital transformation required to become a future retailer.
The retail industry was first sluggish to invest in the cloud, but it now plays a significant role in retail IT leaders' approach to digital transformations. According to a Frost & Sullivan analysis, multi-cloud usage in retail increased by 50% by 2020, while hybrid cloud adoption increased by 19%.
The advantages of cloud computing
While the cloud provides several benefits to businesses, one of the most important for retailers is adaptability. Cloud makes it easier to respond to sudden change and experiment with the dynamic relationship between consumers and products by enabling rapid testing of new ideas, faster innovation, and the ability to get up and running in a new environment in a short time period.
Aside from agility, the cloud's scalability and high availability support digitisation projects vital to today's retailers, such as developing collaboration tools for remote workers (desired by 61% of retailers), allowing flexible networking (55%), and becoming data-centric (50%). Security is also a major concern in these endeavours; Microsoft Azure's ability to safeguard customer, employee, and proprietary business data across cloud and on-premises systems is another big benefit.
In addition to these benefits, the cloud enables retailers to increase their sustainability, promote more creative innovation projects, and accomplish a variety of other advantages.
Migrate, modernise, or both
The key challenge for retailers trying to get started in the cloud is, "Where do we start?" The answer basically comes down to migration and modernisation, two complementary and interconnected approaches.
You can gain from an infrastructure that is flexible, scalable, secure, and cost-effective by migrating. Modernisation makes use of that infrastructure to improve legacy application speed, agility, and user experience.
As retailers embrace the cloud's benefits, it's also critical to maintain synergy with existing infrastructure, which is driving a surge in the usage of hybrid and multi-cloud services.
One of the primary benefits of Azure is that it was designed to match this demand, allowing you to execute migration and modernisation activities at your own pace. You can manage resources across on-premises and cloud infrastructure with Azure hybrid estate solutions, which provide consistent management and governance controls.
Increasing your cloud value
Once in the cloud, you'll have access to a plethora of chances to improve your capacity to analyse and meet consumer needs, boost efficiency and creativity, and respond to shifting market trends.
Cloud services are helping firms in a variety of ways across the Retail market, including:
- Improving staff productivity - 84%
- Increasing client satisfaction - 83%
- 78% improvement in business process efficiency and quality
- 78% relying more on data analytics
- 78% increase in business agility
- 76% faster delivery of products, services, and applications
- 72% becoming more innovative than competitors
- Cost-cutting measures - 68%
Cloud computing is transforming retail
Cloud-enabled digital transformation is reshaping the retail experience, from dynamic e-commerce solutions to cutting-edge delivery and curbside pickup apps. As a result, 59% of retail companies are updating their data centres, and 46% are implementing hybrid/multi-cloud environments.
Begin right away
Microsoft makes it simple for shops to launch or continue their digital transformation. Comprehensive information and assistance make it easier to design and execute migration and modernisation strategies. Join us if you want the best Microsoft solutions while remaining stress-free. Ingold Solutions is a Microsoft Solutions Partner with a long track record of achievement.
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