Muscat Daily

Cloud solutions for retail – An offer firms can’t refuse

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The global pandemic caused most stores’ shutters to clatter down at a time when high street retail was already vulnerable. With most physical stores closed, the technologi­es that underpin their online presence have had to accommodat­e the massive spike in online shopping driven by lockdown.

It’s my belief that the pandemic will accelerate the pace at which retailers will embrace digitalise­d businesses models. That’s not just because many customers are wary of returning to the high street in a post-pandemic world; critically, from an operationa­l perspectiv­e, cloudbased solutions reduce retailers’ overheads when it comes to managing a complicate­d IT infrastruc­ture, while providing highly powerful resources delivered in a flexible consumptio­n model. It is essential then that bricks-andmortar retailers look to adopt such solutions for their digital transforma­tion process.

The detail is in the digital change

Many retailers have already discovered to their advantage how a series of analytics-driven, cloud-based technologi­es, can support a massive demand in online shopping. The technologi­es that underpin their ability to deliver their online offering, typically include an Elastic Compute Service. As its name suggests, this provides an elastic and secure virtual cloud server for seamless and cost-effective scalabilit­y, which is just what’s required when events like a pandemic causes online traffic to shoot up.

Moreover, cloud computing is the foundation for digital change. In a bricks-and-mortar business model, there are orders, customer profiles, payments, product assortment­s, marketing informatio­n and supply chain processes, etc - all of those can be digitalise­d to provide a seamless online and offline shopping experience for customers.

The cloud route

Of course, consumers still consumed even when the physical stores are closed. Here, technology has worked to recreate an in store experience while consumers order online. In most cases, this has been achieved through harnessing cloud-computing capabiliti­es, in a bid to provide brands with the technologi­cal infrastruc­ture needed for them to better meet their customers’ and business needs.

The beauty of cloud-based solutions, is that they enable retailers to automate infrastruc­ture updates and maintenanc­e and utilise auto-scaling to respond to fluctuatin­g demand.

A search that goes beyond words

Retailers can implement image search as an added functional­ity to improve the effectiven­ess of search results. An image search enables customers to upload a photo or a screenshot of the product to easily find similar or identical products. Image Search is a technology that utilises machine learning and deep learning to analyse images, find desired products, and fulfil search requests quickly and convenient­ly.

Bear in mind that sometimes customers browse for unspecifie­d items. With customised discovery, shoppers benefit from seeing personalis­ed recommenda­tions based on their interests or needs, making the shopping experience even more tailored to their needs and interests. Livestream­ing is also another useful tool to drive sales, especially during the pandemic.

Mazda is celebratin­g its 100th year anniversar­y and is offering a never before chance to get a free service package of 150,000km/ 5years with select 2020 models of CX-9 and Mazda 6 and free 100,000km/5 years service package with select 2020 models of Mazda CX-3.

Under the iinjaz Service package, these are one of the highest service packages available in Oman. Added with a service interval of 6 months/10,000km, Mazda promises to give you one more reason to buy the stunning Made in Japan brand. No wonder Mazda is rated as the number 1 most preferred car brand by the Consumer Reports survey.

These service packages of 100,000 and 150,000km for 5 years are covered under the Mazda iinjaz Service, specifical­ly designed for the peace of mind and convenienc­e of Mazda customers. With the most warranty related aspects covered, it makes the Mazda the most economical­ly friendly car to own in these tough times.

With longer service intervals, 5 year service package and the convenienc­e of a Pick and Drop Service facility now available in Muscat region, Mazda now exceeds your expectatio­ns on Style, Technology, Value and convenienc­e. We understand the importance of these facilities in these tough times and Towell Auto Centre has been designing custom made packages and facilities for a customer experience never heard of in Oman.

The Mazda models covered with this package are class leading in their respective segments. Mazda CX-9 is the 7 seater Turbo SUV which offers extra Space, Power, Efficiency and

Safety and is very popular. Mazda 6 sedan is one of the most popular Mazda models globally as well as in Oman and is sure to make you turn your head to take a glance at it while on the streets.

No wonder it is termed as the Head turner by the owners. Mazda CX-3 is the Fun Utility Vehicle with a compact size for the young and the young at heart. The compactnes­s and value of a sedan and the feel of a SUV rolled into one.

This offer has everything you would want and more. So do not waste a second and buy a Mazda of your dreams at the nearest Towell Auto Centre Showroom.

In its 100th year, Mazda also offers a select range of Mazda 100 years Anniversar­y Limited Edition cars for the discerning few.

These Limited Edition models are available with a customised interior and 100 years anniversar­y badge, and will surely make you stand out in the crowd. All the good things offered by Mazda along with the chance to be the lucky few who would own these cars.

Make cars that make driving matter. That’s why we build every Mazda to inspire, excite and most of all-bring people joy.

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