Dublin, IE, December 05, 2019 — Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Intouch.com today announced a partnership to help retailers deliver targeted advertising and recommendations in-store. Through this partnership, Intouch.com will enable tier-1 retailers in verticals such as Grocery & Convenience, Forecourt and Department Stores to accelerate their digital transformation and drive new levels of personalization in-store. For the first time, Intouch.com will house its full in-store experience on Microsoft Azure.

Intouch.com allows brick-and-mortar stores to utilise relevant real time in-store and environmental data, using artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize customer interactions and operations. The tool helps retailers with physical stores personalize the shopping experience and better connect their customers to appropriate products, unlocking new revenue streams and providing an uplift in sales.

The partnership allows Intouch.com to leverage Microsoft’s Edge Computing, Cognitive services and Machine Learning applications to power their AI-driven customer engagement platform. The Intouch.com intelligent decision-making algorithm uses real-time behavioural data and factors such as; demographics, weather, store location, time of day, day of the week, etc. to show the right products to the right customer at the right time. This will improve the relevancy for the customer and lead to increased basket spend.

Sameh Abdalla, Intouch.com’s CEO, stated, “Partnering with Microsoft will allow Intouch.com to grow quickly in the physical retail space. Data-driven decision making will become the norm in physical retail. With the ever looming threat of the online giants coming offline there is no better time than now to collect and utilise the data from physical stores”

“According to a recent report, the region’s retail sector is predicted to be $308 billion by 2023 and retailers need to keep pace with new technological advances adapting the way people utilise products and services.” said Sayed Hashish, General Manager, Microsoft U.A.E. “Microsoft is empowering technology companies like Intouch.com to help retailers create seamless, personalized, cross-channel shopping experiences with the use of intelligent technology, and reinvent customer engagement to achieve more.”

Microsoft’s global presence will enable Intouch.com to boost their traction and client base in key markets in the Middle East such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

About Intouch.com
Intouch.com has developed an AI-driven personalisation platform for retailers to engage in real-time with their consumers in-store. Their award winning platform enables retailers to influence shoppers buying decisions through automated recommendations that increase sales and drive loyalty. They deploy AI, Machine Learning and IoT to bring in-store personalisation to the centre of the connected store.

About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Microsoft opened its Dubai-based headquarters in 1991, which, today, oversees operations across the region.

For more information (Press only):
Hassan Al Shouli , Microsoft MEA
E : alshouli@microsoft.com
M: +971 50 934 0133

Husain Gandhi, ProGlobal Media
E: h.gandhi@proglobal.ae
T: +971 56 534 8764

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