Microsoft has made the news this week by exclaiming that it will partner with the finance technology giant MasterCard. MasterCard has announced it will collaborate with Microsoft to bring ecommerce payments to Microsoft Dynamics users. Here we explore how this new collaboration will work, and how it will impact the Microsoft Dynamics service, and the businesses that use it.

Simplifying E-Commerce

Meet Simplify Commerce. This is a cloud-based technology suite powered by MasterCard. It offers a uniquely versatile, highly secure and incredibly simple cloud payments platform, helping businesses to grow by maximising online and mobile sales. Now, as a result of Microsoft’s acquisition of this technology, users of Dynamics AX will receive the following key benefits:

1. Easy integration: online and call centre payments can now be managed through Dynamics AX, and card payment is easy to take and to manage.
2. Global footprint: Through Simplify Connect, Dynamics AX users can access the global commerce markets through a single access point, meaning that there are no more barriers to payment.
3. Updates seamlessly & safely: Simplify Connect is safe, secure and updates seamlessly.     

An ever-changing retail landscape

As we discussed in a recent post, the retail landscape is being transformed as a result of the high expectations of the customer. The emphasis of this transformation is on finding ways to ensure that the customer is always at the centre of the retail experience, and this naturally extends to the payment process. Now, with Simplify Connect, retailers using payment systems through Dynamics AX will be able to offer customers payment away from the counter, through their phones or other wireless solutions.

Microsoft’s vision

Microsoft’s vision is becoming ever more transparent: to offer an integrated, cloud-based solution that helps businesses to transform through increased productivity of the user and of the business. For the world of retail payments, that means a solution that is always online, mobile, scalable and secure. According to Daniel Brown, Microsoft general manager of Dynamics AX R&D, “Today’s retailers require modern, integrated, secure and scalable payments solutions that grow with their business.” Furthermore, “Simplify Commerce is a world-class, global offering that is highly secure and makes it easy for retailers to adopt quickly to drive seamless commerce and to develop deeper engagement with their customers.” With acquisitions like LinkedIn and MasterCard’s Simplify Commerce in its recent history there’s no doubt that Microsoft is heading towards its “integrated, anywhere, anytime” future. The question is, will Dynamics users see the benefit?