Nielsen and Microsoft Form Retail Data Partnership

Nielsen and Microsoft have entered into a partnership to develop an enterprise data solution for FMCG manufacturers and retailers, designed to help household brands understand individual consumer preferences.

Nielsen's Connect service, which combines data from multiple sources including CPG industry sales, point-of-sale transactions, consumer panels and other third-party data, will now be available on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform. Azure adds advanced analytics and artificial intelligence services, which the partners say will help user companies integrate data assets to spot emerging trends, diagnose performance gaps, and act faster on opportunities. Data sets can be accessed via APIs and connectors, allowing clients to extract the data they need to fit their own technology strategy.

John Tavolieri, President, US FMCG and Retail and Chief Technology and Operations Officer at Nielsen, says the two firms will help the retail industry reimagine its approach to data by creating an open and global environment of collaboration, encouraging companies to evolve beyond mere data management.

Judson Althoff, EVP of Microsoft's Worldwide Commercial Business, adds: 'The first critical step toward digital transformation, especially among retailers, is breaking down the barriers between customer and operational data to fuel insights for the business. Microsoft is a natural partner for Nielsen, trusted by global enterprises to protect their data and power their critical business solutions'.

Web sites: www.nielsen.com and www.microsoft.com .