Join Us to Unlock the Intelligence Layer for Your Business atCommunity Summit North America
Booth #1919
Retail has changed faster in the last five years than in the previous twenty. Customers move between channels without thinking about it: they browse on their phone, compare prices in store, order online, and expect returns at any location. Behind the scenes, retailers are managing more SKUs, more suppliers, more locations, and tighter margins than ever. The ones growing through this complexity have one thing in common: their operations run on a connected system, not a patchwork of disconnected tools. Here is why that matters:
When your POS, inventory, eCommerce, and accounting live in separate tools, stock levels are always wrong somewhere. You oversell online, understock your best-performing store, and spend hours reconciling data that should flow automatically. Every manual handoff is a chance for error and delay.
Buy online and pick up in store. Check inventory at a nearby location from a mobile phone. Return an online purchase at the counter. These are not premium features anymore. They are baseline expectations. Retailers without connected systems cannot deliver them without duct-taping workarounds.
With thin retail margins, profitability comes from operational precision: knowing your true cost of goods, optimizing replenishment, pricing dynamically, and eliminating waste. You need real-time data flowing between sales, inventory, and finance to make that happen.
Dynamics 365 Business Central is a cloud-native, AI-ready ERP designed for small and mid-size businesses. For retailers, it connects inventory, purchasing, finance, and sales into a single platform. When paired with LS Central for POS and omnichannel commerce, it becomes a unified retail operating system that covers everything from the checkout counter to the general ledger.
For growing retailers, the real challenge is not any single function. It is connecting them. Business Central unifies the customer journey across stores and online, the product journey from supplier to shelf to checkout, and the financial picture across every channel and location into one platform. The result: one customer view, one inventory truth, one set of financials. Hover a card to see how each capability works:
Build a single view of every customer regardless of where they shop. Track purchase history, preferences, and interactions across stores and online. Segment customers by behavior, value, or geography to drive targeted pricing, personalized promotions, and loyalty-driven repeat purchases.
Manage your entire product catalog from one place. Define item variants for size, color, and style. Organize products with categories, attributes, and barcodes. Set up item substitutions and cross-references so store staff can suggest alternatives when a product is out of stock. Maintain product images and descriptions that flow across channels.
Control pricing strategy with dedicated price lists, customer price groups, line discounts, invoice discounts, and campaign-based pricing. Set seasonal pricing rules, volume breaks, and customer-specific rates. Every pricing change applies across all channels from one configuration, eliminating manual updates that lead to pricing errors.
Process sales orders, quotes, and transactions from any channel through one system. Configurable pricing rules, discount tiers, and payment terms ensure consistency whether the transaction happens at the counter, on the website, or through a sales rep.
Handle returns from any channel through one system. A customer who buys online and returns in store gets the same smooth experience. Business Central automatically updates inventory levels, posts credit memos, and adjusts financial records without manual intervention.
See exactly what is in stock, where, and when it needs reordering across every store, warehouse, and online channel in real time. Automated replenishment keeps shelves stocked without overstocking. Lot tracking and expiry management protect margins on perishables.
Manage pick, pack, and ship workflows from warehouse to customer or store. Organize storage with bin codes, zones, and directed put-away logic. Process warehouse receipts and shipments with barcode scanning. Business Central supports structured warehouse operations alongside store-level inventory management.
Manage the full purchasing cycle from vendor negotiation to goods receipt. Track supplier pricing agreements, compare vendors, and automate reorder suggestions based on real demand. Route shipments directly from vendor to store or customer when warehousing adds unnecessary time and cost.
Track cost of goods, gross margins, and profitability by product, category, store, or channel in real time. Cash flow forecasting accounts for seasonal swings and payment cycles. Multi-store and multi-entity consolidation gives leadership one financial picture across the business.
Power BI dashboards surface sales trends, product performance, inventory turnover, shrinkage, and basket analysis in real time. Copilot lets managers ask questions in plain English and get instant answers without waiting for reports or pulling data manually.
Build a single view of every customer regardless of where they shop. Track purchase history, preferences, and interactions across stores and online. Segment customers by behavior, value, or geography to drive targeted pricing, personalized promotions, and loyalty-driven repeat purchases.
Manage your entire product catalog from one place. Define item variants for size, color, and style. Organize products with categories, attributes, and barcodes. Set up item substitutions and cross-references so store staff can suggest alternatives when a product is out of stock. Maintain product images and descriptions that flow across channels.
Control pricing strategy with dedicated price lists, customer price groups, line discounts, invoice discounts, and campaign-based pricing. Set seasonal pricing rules, volume breaks, and customer-specific rates. Every pricing change applies across all channels from one configuration, eliminating manual updates that lead to pricing errors.
Process sales orders, quotes, and transactions from any channel through one system. Configurable pricing rules, discount tiers, and payment terms ensure consistency whether the transaction happens at the counter, on the website, or through a sales rep.
Handle returns from any channel through one system. A customer who buys online and returns in store gets the same smooth experience. Business Central automatically updates inventory levels, posts credit memos, and adjusts financial records without manual intervention.
See exactly what is in stock, where, and when it needs reordering across every store, warehouse, and online channel in real time. Automated replenishment keeps shelves stocked without overstocking. Lot tracking and expiry management protect margins on perishables.
Manage pick, pack, and ship workflows from warehouse to customer or store. Organize storage with bin codes, zones, and directed put-away logic. Process warehouse receipts and shipments with barcode scanning. Business Central supports structured warehouse operations alongside store-level inventory management.
Manage the full purchasing cycle from vendor negotiation to goods receipt. Track supplier pricing agreements, compare vendors, and automate reorder suggestions based on real demand. Route shipments directly from vendor to store or customer when warehousing adds unnecessary time and cost.
Track cost of goods, gross margins, and profitability by product, category, store, or channel in real time. Cash flow forecasting accounts for seasonal swings and payment cycles. Multi-store and multi-entity consolidation gives leadership one financial picture across the business.
Power BI dashboards surface sales trends, product performance, inventory turnover, shrinkage, and basket analysis in real time. Copilot lets managers ask questions in plain English and get instant answers without waiting for reports or pulling data manually.
For retailers, inventory accuracy is the difference between a sale and a lost customer. Business Central provides real-time inventory tracking across every location, so your team always knows what is in stock, where it is, and when it needs to be reordered.
Modern retail means selling across multiple channels simultaneously: physical stores, online storefronts, marketplaces, and mobile. Business Central connects these channels so inventory, pricing, customers, and orders stay in sync regardless of where the sale happens.
Business Central covers the retail back office. But retail operations also need a POS that handles high-volume transactions, real-time stock visibility at the register, customer loyalty programs, automated replenishment, and store operations management. LS Central fills that gap. It is a unified commerce platform that runs within Business Central, giving retailers a single system from the checkout counter to the general ledger with no integration layer in between.
Fast, reliable POS for manned checkouts, self-service kiosks, and mobile POS on tablets. Staff can look up product details, check stock across locations, view customer profiles, and process transactions from one screen. Offline capability ensures uninterrupted store operations.
Customers can scan and pay using their own mobile devices with the ScanPayGo app, or use in-store self-checkout terminals. Retailers can offer manned checkouts, self-service, or a mix, configurable by location.
Set up loyalty programs with tiers, rewards, points, and personalized promotions. Manage pricing and offers centrally, and the system automatically updates all touchpoints: POS terminals, electronic shelf labels, and the eCommerce site.
LS Central's replenishment engine reduces stockout risk while keeping inventory lean. It handles products with different lifecycles, automates reorder quantities to maximize sales, and supports replenishment on both desktop and handheld devices.
Manage store processes including receiving, stock counts, transfers, price checks, and label printing from a unified interface. Staff can handle all store tasks within the same system they use for sales.
Built-in eCommerce tools with support for online checkout, store pickup, and home delivery. Customers get a consistent, personalized experience across all channels.
Track KPIs and make data-driven decisions with real-time reports powered by the Analytics for LS Central add-on built on Power BI.
For retailers with delis, cafes, bakeries, or food counters within their stores, LS Central manages food preparation, kitchen operations, recipes, and table service. Scales integration, electronic shelf labels, and automated discounts on items approaching expiry are built in.
Beyond native Business Central capabilities and LS Central, retailers can extend the platform with purpose-built solutions for specific operational needs:
LS Retail's integrated payment processing solution. Provides secure, reliable payment handling across all POS terminals with support for card, contactless, and mobile payments.
A mobile self-scanning app by LS Retail that lets customers scan items as they shop and pay from their phone, eliminating checkout queues.
LS Retail's self-checkout solution integrates with LS Central for unmanned checkout terminals, reducing wait times and labor costs.
Alletec's advanced warehouse management solution for retailers with complex distribution operations. Provides wave picking, cross-docking, put-away optimization, and real-time warehouse visibility.
Native Business Central integration with Adyen for global payment processing across online, in-store, and mobile channels.
Hundreds of third-party apps for barcode scanning, advanced pricing, EDI connectors, shipping/logistics, and industry-specific compliance.
Business Central embeds AI directly into retail workflows through two layers. Copilot works alongside your store managers, buyers, and finance teams, surfacing insights and accelerating tasks inside the screens they already use. Autonomous agents work independently, handling transactions and document processing without manual intervention.
Copilot generates AI-powered summaries and KPIs for inventory items, giving buyers instant visibility into stock health, demand trends, reorder urgency, and supply risks across locations.
Ask Copilot questions in plain English: "which stores had the highest shrinkage this month," "show me slow-moving inventory at the downtown location," or "what was our gross margin on the holiday promotion."
Copilot projects future cash positions based on open receivables, payables, seasonal buying patterns, and pending purchase orders.
Copilot matches bank transactions to ledger entries automatically, reducing the manual effort of reconciling high-volume daily retail payment deposits.
For retailers selling online, Copilot generates product descriptions and marketing text from item attributes, useful when onboarding new products or managing large catalogs.
Reads incoming vendor invoices from email, matches them against open purchase orders, and creates draft purchase invoices for AP review.
Monitors incoming order emails, extracts details, matches items, validates pricing, and creates draft orders. Useful for retailers with B2B wholesale channels.
Handles employee expense capture, receipt scanning, categorization, and posting through approval workflows.
Business Central's Model Context Protocol (MCP) server lets retailers connect external AI tools directly to their ERP data. Build custom agents tailored to your operations: a markdown optimizer that recommends pricing adjustments for slow-moving inventory, a vendor performance scorer, or a customer segmentation agent that identifies high-value shoppers across channels.
Most retailers can operate on Business Central Essentials since it includes inventory management, purchasing, sales, and financial management. Premium adds manufacturing and service management, which are only relevant if your retail business also produces goods or provides field service.
| Feature | Essentials $80/user/month | Premium $110/user/month |
|---|---|---|
| Financial Management | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sales & Invoicing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Purchasing & Procurement | ✓ | ✓ |
| Inventory & Warehouse | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shopify Connector | ✓ | ✓ |
| Copilot & AI Features | ✓ | ✓ |
| Power BI Integration | ✓ | ✓ |
| Production Orders | ✗ | ✓ |
| Service Management | ✗ | ✓ |
A Team Members license ($8/user/month) is available for light users who only need read access and limited data entry, and can be mixed with either tier. LS Central licensing is separate from Business Central licensing and is priced per POS terminal and per back-office user — contact Alletec for a combined BC + LS Central quote based on your store count and user requirements.
Licensing is only part of the total investment:
Implementation covers system configuration, store and POS setup, inventory migration, eCommerce integration, payment gateway configuration, and staff training. Scope and cost vary based on number of stores, channels, and integration complexity.
Successful adoption requires structured training for store staff, buyers, finance teams, and store managers. Alletec includes change management in every engagement because the best-configured POS fails if your staff reverts to old habits.
Post-go-live support includes troubleshooting, performance monitoring, and help evaluating new features from Microsoft's twice-yearly release updates and LS Retail product updates.
LS Central, LS Pay, ScanPayGo, self-checkout, XtendedWMS, payment gateway integrations, and AppSource retail apps are separate costs to scope during implementation.
Business Central integrates natively with the Microsoft ecosystem and key retail and digital commerce platforms, giving retailers connected tools for collaboration, automation, and analytics without middleware.
Manage vendor communications, process purchase orders, and handle customer correspondence directly from Outlook.
Share store performance reports, inventory alerts, and operational updates in Teams channels.
Real-time retail dashboards: sales by store, product performance, inventory turnover, margin analysis, and seasonal trends.
Automate retail workflows: trigger reorder alerts, route discount approvals, send automated customer notifications, or generate daily sales summary emails.
Build custom mobile apps for store operations: stock checks, price label printing, delivery receiving, or customer feedback capture.
Choosing the right implementation partner determines whether your retail ERP delivers results or becomes another stalled project. Alletec is an AI-first, full-stack Microsoft partner and certified LS Retail implementation partner with proven experience in retail and omnichannel commerce.
Alletec has earned Microsoft Solution Partner Designation in all 6 solution areas validating full stack expertise across Business Applications, Data & AI, Azure Infrastructure, Digital & App Innovation, Modern Work, and Security.
Alletec is in the top 1% of Microsoft partners globally, with direct access to Microsoft engineering teams, early product roadmap visibility, and priority support escalation.
Structured deployment methodology that accelerates go-live, reduces risk, and ensures solutions are built on proven architectural patterns.
Alletec's consultants understand omnichannel operations, multi-store complexity, and the retail workflows that drive customer retention and margin protection.
Proven LS Central deployments covering POS configuration, loyalty programs, automated replenishment, store operations, and omnichannel commerce integration.
Every engagement includes AI readiness assessment, Copilot configuration, and data architecture for AI workloads. Your Business Central goes live with AI active.
Book a free consultation to see Business Central in action with your retail workflows. Our retail and Business Central experts will walk you through a tailored demo, help map your unique store operations to the platform, and identify where AI agents and Copilot can automate the work that slows your teams down today.