Get to understand RETHINK Retail’s Best Retail Influencers in the course of the “Meet the TRI” Q&A sequence! Dive in to be informed a couple of member of the concept chief group and practice their paintings and insights throughout our content material and their social channels.
Hello, I’m ShiSh Shridhar, International Retail Startups Lead at Microsoft Corp.
Hook up with me on LinkedIn!
“Let us know about your background”
ShiSh has labored with the Retail Business for twenty years and engaged with one of the most best shops and types on the planet serving to with their virtual transformation trips. ShiSh has been with Microsoft for 25 years and is deeply enthusiastic about fixing industry issues the use of Knowledge & AI as a aggressive asset. He has a mixture of a technical and industry background having labored as a developer & developer evangelist within the 90s after which shifting directly to extra of an advisory function serving to shops with their virtual transformation trips.
“Transient description of your present function and your area within the business.”
ShiSh is lately the International Lead for Retail with Microsoft for Startups and manages a portfolio of disruptive startups with leading edge inventions to boost up the virtual transformation of the Retail Business. ShiSh is helping a make a selection curated staff of Startups scale and pass to marketplace in the course of the property & sources to be had via Microsoft together with engineering, gross sales and analysis. He’s additionally actively operating with shops to lend a hand them hook up with probably the most cutting edge startups and lend a hand deal with a few of their key industry demanding situations. The function calls for him to interact with shops frequently to higher perceive the rising demanding situations, determine the important thing traits, scout startups in the ones spaces, be sure that they’re validated by way of Microsoft and lead them to to be had for pilots with shops.
“What demanding situations/alternatives are lately going through shops?”
Exertions scarcity is among the demanding situations this is impacting retail and I believe there are more than a few ingenious ways in which shops can conquer. Low pay is for sure the number 1 motive for the good attrition however for companies in reality not able to boost wages, making improvements to the worker enjoy is going a ways towards expanding retention. This contains answers for higher scheduling, empowering staff, and automating one of the most repetitive duties.
“What sizzling subjects or traits have you ever been seeing within the retail area?”
Automation has been one of the most sizzling subjects in retail, essentially to deal with the will that was once created all the way through the pandemic for contactless buying groceries mixed with the dearth of work. This has spanned throughout automation of repetitive duties in retailer, warehouse automation and supply.
“How do you enhance those sizzling subjects?”
Because the Retail Startups Lead at Microsoft, I lend a hand determine the important thing traits in retail via engagement with shops. This ends up in figuring out, curating and recruiting Startups that lend a hand resolve the demanding situations that shops are seeking to resolve with cutting edge answers. I interact with shops to spot their industry demanding situations and lend a hand fit startups which were validated for endeavor readiness.
“Do you have got any fascinating initiatives bobbing up?”
The Metaverse has been gaining important hobby amongst shops and types. Its been a space that I’ve been approached by way of firms searching for startups to paintings with. As of at this time, the metaverse does no longer exist, however it’s growing. On the other hand, it is necessary for Shops and Manufacturers to make incremental steps ahead in functions that the Metaverse can be enabling. This contains changing all in their 2D product imagery to three-D, enabling social media integration, introducing AR/VR functions, integrating NFT and extra. I’m lately operating a on phased technique that may lend a hand shops take measured steps in turning at the one of the most functions that may take the plunge to the metaverse more straightforward when it turns into a truth.
“Which sources do you employ to stay alongside of business information?”
I do practice retail hashtags on linkedin and twitter to stay alongside of what’s trending. As well as, following the TRI community has in point of fact helped since its an excessively lively staff on social media channels.
“How do you keep growing and expand as an influencer of the retail business?”
I’m actively holding up to the moment with traits within the business via information feeds but additionally paintings with a bunch of shops to periodically percentage details about the rising startups and be told from them their key ache issues. I check out to take part in idea management panels, podcasts and business occasions as a speaker along with running a blog about subjects I’m enthusiastic about.