Not everyone knows about how well the Microsoft Dynamics 365 collection of applications perform with regards to organising and optimising retail business operations.

We therefore felt that a simple guide to Dynamics 365 and Business Central for the Retail Industry would be a useful resource for users who’ve perhaps heard of this leading software from Microsoft but aren’t quite sure of how it might benefit their business. Don’t be put off by complex sounding terms. Dynamics 365 Business Central can absolutely be one of the most useful tools in your arsenal.
So, without further delay, here is the Dynavics guide to how retail businesses can get the most out of Microsoft Dynamics 365 applications!

What is Microsoft Dynamics 365?

Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a collection of applications which provide streamlined solutions for your business operations – everything from inventory management, marketing, reporting, sales analysis and more is covered!

If you are fed up of chasing data around different programs, then Dynamics 365 can help you integrate, assimilate, and easily retrieve said data. It is a versatile, flexible ERP solution for your business that can be tailored to suit exactly what you need.

Dynamics 365 is made up of lots of different software components, each in charge of a different process but ultimately controllable from one central location. Microsoft Dynamics 365 lets you do several things within your retail company.

Business Central is the Enterprise Resource Management (ERM) side of Dynamics. It provides a set of tools to help the effective running of your firm. Some of these include stock control monitoring and re-ordering, spread sheet management, risk management, security performance monitoring, user accessibility, and numerous other tools all aimed at making the management of your retail business easier.

How Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Benefits your Retail Business

There are several benefits to retail businesses utilising Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. We’ve listed the main ones here:

• Accurate, identifiable and actionable insights and feedback into what your consumers are spending, where, why – and other useful analytics.
• Easy integration of new POS systems, financial software and more.
• Ease of information retrieval from cloud based sources – allowing each member of staff to effectively retrieve answers to consumer queries at the touch of a button.
• Simplify identification of trends based on consumer feedback or analytics produced by the application(s).
• Stock automation – replenishment and inventory management become much easier tasks with the help of properly configured and appropriately deployed Dynamics 365 business applications.
• Complete control over all pricing, across all devices and platforms, from one single source.
  Management of accounts from one single source.

Obviously, this simplification of accessibility for the various software tools needed in the day-to-day running of a firm will save time. Saved time means saved money. Investing in the useful tools offered as part of the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Applications will pay for itself in a matter of months – if deployed in the correct manner.

Microsoft Business Central for New Retail Businesses

We would advise new retail businesses and start-ups to contact us before they choose either a CRM or an ERP system to support the new venture. Since Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central performs the functions of both (CRM & ERP) to a high degree of proficiency, there is, in our opinion, little need to separate the two and complicate matters. Consolidating business management and analysis into one system with centralised control has can shave administration time off your day, freeing you up for bigger, better things.

The tools provided by Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Business Central can help with every aspect of managing your retail business. It is easy to integrate, reliable, well-supported, constantly being updated and improved – and it will save both time and money for your organisation in the long run. The best thing about Microsoft Dynamics 365 applications for retail businesses is the modular approach you can take to adoption. It is possible to pick and choose the apps and functionality you need, scaling up or down as your business requires. Furthermore, thanks to the Microsoft PowerApps marketplace, if the functionality you require isn’t available ‘off the shelf’ then an experienced Microsoft Dynamics developer can build, test and deploy it for you!

If you’re still sitting on the fence, we invite you to contact us today and learn more about how this powerful collection of business applications is changing the retail space you’re currently operating in. We’re confident you won’t regret stepping into the world of Microsoft Dynamics 365 – and your retail business will never be the same again!