In an official Surface blog post, Microsoft has revealed that one of the top retailers in Scandinavia has begin to test-drive the Surface Pro 2 in stores to offer a broader shopping experience to customers. MQ Retail AB, or just MQ, has reported that early tests of using Microsoft’s tablet device has resulted in a positive impact in sales per store along with other benefits to the supply chain and inventory management.
“We chose the Surface Pro because it fits perfectly into our IT environment. Using Microsoft System Center, we just plug it in and start the deployment. Windows 8.1 lets us have a controlled environment using the Assigned Access function,” MQ’s head of IT, Fredrick Rubne stated.
By integrating the online shopping experience within the physical store, MQ was able to grow sales with an “endless aisle.” This allows for customers to gain access to the store’s complete inventory, regardless if it was in the store, online, or in the warehouse.
MQ plans on deploying the Surface Pro 2 in more stores later this year.
Microsoft also revealed in a blog post today that the Surface will have special retail-oriented accessories thanks to a partnership with AmorActive, Anthro and Incipio to create charging carts, fixed and mobile POS casings and cases. Microsoft also announced new partners who will offer hardware, software and gateway solutions for secure online and mobile transactions for retail.
Thanks to AnywhereCommerce, store owners can use a Surface device to provide secure and efficient electronic payment and identification transactions. These accessories include secure card readers, check scanners, payment terminals and distributed credential issuing systems.
It is quite nice to see the Surface tablet make an impact in the retail sector, not only making it easy for customers to find what they want but also making it easy for IT and shop owners to manage and sell products.
