Hanshow claims retail digitisation at breakthrough scale on Microsoft Azure

Deploying scalable and affordable enterprise grade IoT applications in the retail industry has traditionally been restricted by technology limitations.

Enter Hanshow which is laying claim to a SaaS solution that accelerates this digital transformation by connecting store shelves to retailers, store operators, and customers on what it describes as “an unprecedented scale” by managing more than 10 million IoT devices across a large network of Ahold Delhaize stores in Europe.

Hanshow Technology, a global leading solution provider of retail digitalization, today announced official launch of its branding and new English website.

Learn more about our rebranding at https://t.co/L2lnvt7n2Y pic.twitter.com/yHwPtiMVpQ
— Hanshow Technology (@Hanshow5) September 8, 2020

Ahold Delhaize and Hanshow began partnering in 2018 to install electronic shelf labels (ESL) and other digital solutions at select stores in Europe. This later expanded to cover hundreds of locations across Europe and over 10 million ESLs.

Hanshow’s claims that the ability to remotely manage tens of millions ESL across hundreds of stores through one cloud-based network had not been achieved before the launch of its PriSmart SaaS solution.

Its operating system was tailored to run on Microsoft Azure Database for MySQL. And with Microsoft’s Azure service already in place, these stores could now operate ESL and other in-store digital solutions instantly.

Hanshow says that its SaaS solution addresses a number of challenges for retailers, such as staffing surges during peak hours, labour costs, space constraints, and overall productivity.

Under previous scenarios, retailers had to install and operate their own system of servers and infrastructure on premise, requiring a significant investment, time to set up, and input from IT professionals.

Large retailers needed to update several million price tags across their stores on any given day. Through the Hanshow SaaS system, three million ESL can be updated in just 80 minutes, and this can be done from a system login anywhere.

“This scale and advancement in retail technology was made possible through the safety, stability, scalability and speed of Microsoft SaaS with Hanshow’s innovative management software,” says Raj Raguneethan, regional leader, Retail & Consumer Goods at Microsoft Asia.

“With this work, we’re seeing only the beginning of what’s possible with IoT and SaaS.”

“By integrating retail digitisation with SaaS, the possibilities are endless,” adds Hanshow Executive Chairman and CEO Shiguo Hou.

“Digital store solutions can now become a reality for the world’s largest retailers. This is the future.”

“We are already seeing the wide ranging benefits this technology brings to customers and retailers, and Hanshow is dedicated continuing these breakthroughs on an even grander scale.”