Breaking Data Silos to Build Better Customer Experiences
How leading brands are using Microsoft Fabric and AI to break data silos and deliver smarter operations.
In today’s rapidly evolving marketplace, the Retail and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industries are confronting a shared dilemma: how to make sense of fragmented data while embracing the promise of artificial intelligence (AI). Amid economic uncertainty, shifting customer expectations, and supply chain volatility, these industries are finding competitive advantage not by collecting more data, but by connecting it.
Why Unified Data is Now a Business Imperative
Retail and CPG businesses sit on mountains of data: point-of-sale transactions, loyalty programs, ecommerce behaviors, supply chain logistics, product telemetry, marketing interactions, and more. But much of this data is siloed — locked in disconnected platforms across departments, partners, and systems.
This fragmentation impairs visibility and agility, making it nearly impossible to deliver personalized customer experiences, accurate forecasts, or adaptive logistics. According to Microsoft’s FY25 Consumer Goods Industry Strategy, 91% of organizations agree that democratizing access to data and analytics is key to success.
Unifying the data estate is the prerequisite to any meaningful AI strategy — and this is where tools like Microsoft Fabric come in.
Microsoft Fabric: Built for Retail and CPG Complexity
Microsoft Fabric is an end-to-end, AI-powered data platform that integrates data engineering, data science, real-time analytics, and business intelligence — all on a single SaaS foundation. Designed with interoperability in mind, Fabric allows retail and CPG organizations to ingest data from virtually any source, eliminating the need to rip and replace existing systems.
By stitching together datasets from ecommerce platforms, ERP systems, IoT devices, marketing platforms, and CRM tools, Microsoft Fabric creates a governed, unified data estate ready for AI workloads.
Key capabilities include:
- Lakehouse architecture for structured and unstructured data
- Copilot in Fabric for natural language querying and AI model generation
- Seamless integration with Azure, Power BI, and Microsoft 365
Download the Full Guide: Unlock the Full Potential of AI in Retail and CPG
Discover how leading retail and consumer goods companies are unifying their data and accelerating innovation with Microsoft Fabric. This exclusive guide explores how to prepare your data for AI, streamline operations, personalize customer experiences, and build more agile supply chains.
Packed with real-world case studies, strategic insights, and a clear roadmap for getting started — this eBook is a must-read for data, operations, and IT leaders ready to drive smarter, faster decisions.
AI in Action: Use Cases Across the Value Chain
Let’s explore how unified data fuels intelligent operations across the retail and CPG ecosystem
Building the AI-Ready Foundation
Most organizations fall somewhere along the five-phase AI maturity curve — from ad hoc experimentation to full strategic transformation. For retail and CPG companies looking to harness the true potential of AI, the first step is not deploying a model — it’s preparing the data.
That begins with a thorough assessment of the current data estate to identify fragmentation and bottlenecks. From there, organizations must focus on integrating both IT and OT data, aligning everything from ecommerce and CRM systems to manufacturing machinery and sensor data. Governance is critical during this phase — ensuring data privacy, regulatory compliance, and access controls are in place across the entire ecosystem.
Cloud migration is often a necessary step, not just to modernize infrastructure, but to take advantage of scalable AI services that can operate efficiently and cost-effectively. Microsoft Fabric provides a unified foundation to support this journey, while trusted partners like Oakwood bring the expertise to accelerate results — from discovery workshops to full-scale implementations.
Together, the right technology and the right partner lay the groundwork for AI to not only function but thrive — delivering value across marketing, operations, supply chain, and beyond.
A Strategic Opportunity for Retail & CPG Innovators
The economic potential of generative AI in retail and CPG is projected to exceed $660 billion annually by unlocking productivity in marketing, supply chain, and customer experience functions. None of this, however, is possible without trusted, unified, and AI-ready data.
Whether you’re optimizing warehouse operations, personalizing promotions, or simulating carbon reduction scenarios — the competitive edge belongs to the companies that treat data as a strategic asset.
Let’s Get Started
If your organization is exploring how to unify its data and operationalize AI, Oakwood can help. From Microsoft Fabric implementations to AI-driven use case development, our team specializes in building solutions that scale. Contact our team today.
