#Singapore #Microsoft #Hanshow #xPilot

Elevating Retail Operations with AI

At the NRF 2026 APAC event, Hanshow, a global leader in digital retail solutions, unveiled xPilot, an innovative AI-powered real-time assistant aimed at enhancing retail execution. This groundbreaking assistant is built on Hanshow's digital twin technology, a significant stride in the collaboration between Hanshow and Microsoft, focusing on creating open and scalable frameworks for physical retail.

xPilot leverages Microsoft Azure and integrates Microsoft Fabric to merge sensor data from retail environments with business data, creating a connected data foundation for real-time retail intelligence. This integration empowers AI agents, based on Microsoft Foundry, to convert live signals into swift decisions and consistent execution in store operations.

Despite the significant investment in data and analytics by retailers worldwide, many continue to face challenges in translating insights into scalable actions in physical stores. xPilot is designed as a native AI agent and intelligent execution assistant that combines real-time sensing, AI-driven decision-making, and automated workflows. It continuously ingests data from smart shelves, shopping carts, in-store robotics, and other IoT touchpoints into the store digital twin.

The practical benefits of xPilot are immediate. Store teams gain real-time visibility into shelf availability, adherence to planograms, and operational alerts, enabling them to trigger prioritized staff tasks or automated actions instantly. Retailers can also utilize live heatmaps that depict sales, customer traffic, conversion rates, labor, and energy consumption, helping to standardize execution, reduce sales losses, and enhance operational efficiency across their store networks.

Rainbow Department Store, a Shanghai-based retailer, is among the first to implement xPilot in a real-world store setting. They are utilizing the assistant to test how digital twin technology can transfer real-time information into consistent operational execution across a vast store network. By integrating xPilot with Hanshow’s in-store IoT solutions, Rainbow is transitioning from manual inspections to intelligent workflows, enabling quicker responses to placement and presentation directives, accurate pricing, and inventory management.

The introduction of xPilot signifies Hanshow's foray into a new phase of intelligent retail innovation, expanding their digital twin ecosystem from store infrastructure to smart operational execution. According to Relvin Sun, Dean of the Hanshow Retail Research Institute, “Our collaboration with Microsoft and various partners has laid the groundwork for the Store Digital Twin. With xPilot, this vision becomes a reality, allowing insights to be transformed into actions in real-time, enabling retailers and suppliers to shift from reactive processes to proactive, data-driven execution.”

Christian O'Donohue, Microsoft’s Senior Industry Advisor for Retail and Consumer Goods, remarked, “Retailers don't need more tools in-store; they need more intelligence. A real-time digital twin of the store, combined with unified data and AI agents, assists teams in not only seeing what’s happening but also taking immediate action—boosting store IQ and accelerating the evolution towards a frontier store.”

By embracing innovations like xPilot, retailers are set to redefine their operational frameworks, optimize in-store experiences, and foster a data-driven culture that’s well-equipped to navigate the complexities of modern retail.