SINGAPORE - MediaOutReach - 4 November 2019 - Microsoftannounced the global debut of a retail solution, available first in HarveyNorman, that empowers consumers to make informed purchase decisions amidst themyriad of options available online and offline.

Thesolution, called Microsoft Synchronized Shopping, is one expression ofMicrosoft's broader retailreimagined strategy aimedat simplifying the consumer journey by leveraging intelligent cloudtechnology. 

"Enabling great customer experiences is at the heartof our retail reimagined initiative, and this new intelligent edge solution isdesigned to break customer choice paralysis by providing a seamless online andin store experience," said Ami Silverman, corporate vice president, worldwidesales, consumer & device sales division, Microsoft. "Microsoft SynchronizedShopping marks the first of many innovative solutions that we and our partnerswill bring to market to transform the retail journey, and we are honored thatour longstanding partner Harvey Norman is piloting this experience with us."  

"Customersmust be able to make decisions holistically, especially in a digitally connectedworld. This has always guided how we curate our assortment of offerings, and itnow shapes how we look at connecting online and offline channels seamlessly forour customers. Synchronized Shopping is a major step in the right direction tohelp all of us live this 'connected life'. I am excited to see the results ofthis pilot run and we will continue to improve on and expand this experience."said Katie Page, chief executive officer of Harvey Norman.

Withthe online proliferation of options and the anywhere/anytime nature of shoppingvia mobile devices, two issues plague the customer journey for consumerelectronic purchasers today. First, shoppers (80% of whom start their journeyonline[1]) end up delaying or evenpostponing a purchase because they are overwhelmed by the number of choices.Second, they find it difficult to choose the product that best meets theirneeds, without conducting extensive research, and often end up buying aless-than-satisfactory device. This "choice paralysis" inspired the design ofMicrosoft Synchronized Shopping.

Withthe Microsoft Synchronized Shopping solution, shoppers use a customizedconversational A.I. driven product advisor, on the Harvey Norman website, thatasks a series of questions to identify their needs, then recommends devicesthat best meet those specific needs such as long battery life or storagecapacity. Product advisor results reflect devices that are on display in HarveyNorman, where customers can go to try them out. The immersive and engaging experiencestarts when the shortlisted device(s) on the website creates a shopper pass onthe mobile device with embedded geo-location services. When shoppers are inproximity of the store where the specific PCs are available, they get a phonenotification, and once they enter the store are guided to the exact PCs thatwere recommended by the online advisor. This simplifies the in-storeexperience, eliminating the need for shoppers to spend time navigating throughall the choices in the PC aisle. In addition, it provides a seamlessonline-offline purchase journey tailored to their needs which is highly secure(and with no footprint of the user on any of the interacting devices).

MicrosoftSynchronized Shopping was developed in partnership with Microsoft Gold partner Popcornapps,and is built on highly scalable Azure cloud services, progressive web-apps(PWA) and geo-location based services. The PWA is designed to work withmultiple form factors across iOS and Android devices and interacts with thedevices in-store using a UWP (Universal Windows Platform) application. Today'slaunch is celebrated in tandem with Harvey Norman Singapore's 18^thanniversary, another milestone in their track record of retail innovation.

Microsoft Synchronized Shopping is currently exclusivelypiloted at the Harvey Norman Millenia Walk Flagship Store. Consumers inSingapore can begin their online journey here: https://www.harveynorman.com.sg/microsoft-synchronized-shopping/

About Microsoft

Microsoft(Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft) is the leading platform and productivity company forthe mobile-first, cloud-first world, and its mission is to empower every personand every organization on the planet to achieve more.

About Harvey Norman

Harvey Norman from Australia is a leadinghousehold name in Singapore. A retail chain offering wide range of Electrical,Computers, Furniture and Bedding products. Harvey Norman has a prominentinternational presence with stores in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland,Slovenia, Croatia and Malaysia.