122 VIEWPOINT Managing the sales transformation surge BRENDA CONNELL: AVALARA Avalara for Dynamics 365 Commerce provides key capabilities for retailers as they look to reshape their strategies in a changing retail landscape Sales models have undergone considerable change in recent times, with the increasing customer demands being addressed by the adoption of digital transformation tools. That’s especially true in the retail sector, which, according to National Retail Federation research, is the USA’s largest private sector employer, contributing more than $5 trillion to annual GDP and supporting more than one in four US jobs. The changing retail landscape, spurred by these customer demands, is pushing businesses to reshape their strategies to respond. Generative AI and machine learning technologies are helping retailers discover and cater to consumer preferences. According to NielsenIQ’s Guide to 2025 report, 40 per cent of consumers would accept a product recommendation from an AI assistant. Figuring out how to rise above the competition and meet these customer demands with digital transformation is a top priority for retailers in 2025. As always, navigating complex sales and use tax requirements will be another. The right tools can help retailers succeed in both areas – and help keep consumers happy. Improving the customer experience is as important as the challenge of getting sales and use tax right. Tax compliance is one of the biggest challenges facing retailers, as keeping up with the multitude of rate, rule and policy changes presents a monumental task. In addition, changing economic nexus and marketplace laws, the explosion of sales tax holidays, and new measures like retail delivery fees are all complicating the compliance landscape in the retail industry. Solutions like Avalara for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Commerce connect with existing business systems and help to offload the complexity of end-to-end tax compliance for global retailers. As businesses embrace Dynamics 365 Commerce to help streamline digital commerce and amplify omnichannel retail engagement, the Avalara connector ensures businesses can calculate rates, prepare returns, manage exemption certificates and more, right from their Dynamics 365 Commerce account. Businesses can find Avalara AvaTax on AppSource to learn more about its full suite of Microsoft integrations. Brenda Connell is strategic partner director for Microsoft at Avalara
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