After Dynamics RMS, 'Project R' gives Microsoft partners another option for the single store retailers

Some Microsoft retail partners and vendors may be concerned  over the fate of their smallest retail customers once Dynamics RMS goes away, but Microsoft wants partners and customers to know that multiple new options should become available to address the needs of the SMB retail sector.

"Project R" could be part of that solution. Developed in partnership with payment solutions provider Vantiv, During the Roadmap session at Retail Realm, Seth Patton, senior director of Worldwide Industry Solutions for Microsoft Dynamics discussed the Project R offering, explaining it will provide simplified, lower-end mobile commerce with integrated payments' solution. The partnership offers customers Vantiv's secure, reliable payments, sales, on-boarding and support combined with Microsoft Dynamic's new mobile POS. The offering will enable a range of cloud-based mobile scenarios - hosted by Vantiv - to help organizations or individuals address a broad range of retail scenarios, from simple sign-and-collect to direct sales organizations, to store operations and more, Patton added

The new product, which is hosted by Vantiv, could help to fill some of the needs of the lower end of the SMB sector. Many of those single-store clients are now using Dynamics RMS - the retail management system that will be sold through mid-2016. Existing customers, will have Microsoft support options for RMS through 2021.

In contrast to Retail Essentials, which Microsoft will offer as a stripped down version of Dynamics for Retail, Project R could become a new option for the single store retailers who would still find the early releases of Retail Essentials too complex or expensive.

Patton was careful to caution that Project R is not likely to be the solution to replace RMS ...