Fall 2016 Release of Microsoft Dynamics AX Retail To Offer In-Store Tools, Analytics, E-Commerce Improvements

Microsoft have plans to make the new Dynamics AX (AX 7) more appealing to the retail industry with improvements coming in its autumn 2016 update. Company officials reviewed several of the coming changes at last week's Retail Realm 2016 event in Las Vegas

Microsoft Principal Group Program Manager for Dynamics Retail & Commerce Balaji Balasubramanian explained at the event that there was a desire among many retail users to have the safety net of an in-store (not the same as "on-premise") option with AX 7.

"We are giving them a number of deployment options so they can be fully in the cloud, or [on] an in-store system," Balasubramanian said of Microsoft's future plans. "This gives them unprecedented flexibility."

The update to the new AX later this year will include an updated modern point-of-sale (POS), which will be shipped as a Windows universal application. It can run on different platforms, such as PCs, tablets and phones.

"Our clients are cross platform," Balaji explained. "They give you a choice to run as either an app or in a browser. They are online or offline. They can be hybrid or in a store."

The modern POS will be able to be used by both employees and consumers, and can be used as part of an e-commerce deployment, he added.

Based on roadmap information shared at last week's event, the fall release is expected (but not promised) to include, among other things:

• AX 2009 upgrade tools,
• Advanced warehouse support for retail.
• Improvements to extensibility and development experience;
• More payment integration;
• Hardware station and peripheral improvements;
• And e-commerce improvements.

The roadmap ...