Coles delivers hyper-personalized retail experiences and boosts efficiency with AI and Copilot

Coles Group, an Australian retail leader, has partnered with Microsoft on a strategic five-year digital transformation journey. The initiative seeks to modernize Coles' IT estate, increase operational efficiency, and enhance customer experience through Microsoft Fabric, Azure OpenAI, Azure ML, and Copilot agents. A core component is an AI-as-a-Service platform enabling rapid, secure rollout of AI use cases—including 'Tell Coles', a generative AI tool for analyzing customer feedback and sharing insights with store managers. Coles also employs Microsoft Fabric at the center of its digital data platform to deliver real-time, personalized recommendations for customers on all channels. Intelligent Edge Backbone (IEB) technology supports IoT-enabled supply chain advances and in-store machine learning, reducing stock loss and advancing sustainability goals. Additional tools, such as Power Apps and Copilot, boost productivity for staff and help modernize business processes. The co-innovation has enabled Coles to handle massive data volumes, democratize analytics, and use Power BI for targeted reporting—helping management make smarter, faster decisions. Coles measures success in improved customer sentiment, efficiency gains, reduced losses, and deeper customer engagement—all while advancing sustainability.