GameStop going Azure with omnichannel strategy

Retailers loking to take retail innovation to the next level may want to look at GameStop and its new omnichannel partnership with Microsoft.

The video game retailer announced Monday at NRF’s Big Show that it will use Microsoft's Azure cloud-powered network "enhance the in-store engagement of its customers in interactive, informative, and entertaining ways."

GameStop will be one of the first retailers to use Azure to stream video game and promotional content direct to customer and store associate mobile devices.

With Microsoft Azure’s technology, GameStop shoppers will be able to view content such as trailers and promotional materials for games on their smartphones and tablets while in a store. In addition, GameStop will use Microsoft Azure to stream game trailers to TVs within its stores, and to offer faster checkouts through a new in-store mobile shopping cart.

“Microsoft has always been a fantastic and innovative company for GameStop to collaborate with, both in the technology space as well as with their video game consoles and titles,” said Jeff Donaldson, senior vice president of GameStop’s Technology Institute. “We are continuing to work closely with them to discover and aggressively elevate ways to enhance the retail experience for our customers today and in the future.”

“Our collaboration with GameStop shows the types of things that are possible when Azure is used to enhance consumer engagement,” said Tracy Issel, general manager of Worldwide Retail, Consumer Goods, Hospitality and Travel at Microsoft Corp. “GameStop is utilizing our cloud computing technology in their brick-and-mortar stores in new exciting ways, and demonstrating the type of retail technology applications we can build on Azure moving forward."

GameStop says the new partnership with Microsoft will allow GameStop's employees provide a more personalized shopping experience to customers who have opted in to receive and share information -- such as previous buying history -- through the Game Stop Technology Institute app.

GameStop operates more than 6,600 stores across 14 countries.