Microsoft Corp. to enter grocery and retail industry in China with the help of partnership with Hanshow
The partnership comes in when the U.S. and Chinese companies are facing trade-war allegations and are operating in more tense geopolitical environment aimed at technology and trade
Microsoft Corporation in China has announced a partnership with Chinese retail and grocery tech company Hanshow in pursuit to collaborate on working to deploy cloud-based software for its store operators worldwide.
The deal marks the latest entry of the tech giant in the retail industry that has been witnessing pressure for a shift online. The integration of offline equipped with internet-based strategies better known as omni-channel retail that is inclusive of grocery delivery. The demand for such services has showcased a rising trend amid the pandemic.
Strategy Official at Microsft China stated that, the retail industry has been one of the most disrupted ones in the recent memory. The partnership is not aimed at the Chinese market only, however the partnership is expected to bring the technology overseas as well.
The Microsoft Corporation entered China back in the year 1992, and ever since it has become its largest overseas research and development center. The partnership comes in when the U.S. and Chinese companies are facing trade-war allegations and are operating in more tense geopolitical environment aimed at technology and trade.
The company says its products include electronic store shelf labels that can reflect price changes in real time, and a system that helps workers shorten the time it takes to pack produce for delivery. Hanshow says it also sells a cloud-based platform that allows a retailer to simultaneously see the temperatures of fresh produce in stores around the world.
As per the deal, Hanshow is going to leverage Microsoft’s Office 365 software such as Word, and Dynamics 365, which is a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) system. Globalization has been one of Hanshow’s core business strategies. One official at the Hanshow company stated that the company has always made their statement that the first step to enter a foreign market is to thoroughly understand their culture and local laws and the company is working on building its reputation along the same lines.
