HSO Director Sean O’Hagan on Retail AI Strategy

21 May, 2026 | by Patrick Overall

Sean O’Hagan, the Retail Industry Director at HSO, has spent over a decade aligning enterprise technology strategy with retail operations. He leads multi-million-pound portfolios across EMEA and North America, helping organisations modernise legacy estates and embed AI into critical processes. At HSO, O’Hagan enables enterprises to use Microsoft Trends 365, Power Platform, Azure, and AI tools like Copilot to shift from simple digital transformation to intelligence-led growth.

For over 30 years, HSO helped organisations around the world transform with the full power of the Microsoft Cloud.

Backed by decades of industry experience, award-winning delivery, and all six Microsoft Cloud Solution Designations, they bring deep expertise in Fabric and Copilot to turn data into action and AI into impact.

Helping Retailers Simplify Complexity

HSO assists retailers in building connected, data-driven businesses using Microsoft technology. The company combines deep retail domain knowledge with end-to-end Microsoft capabilities, ranging from ERP and commerce to data, AI, and analytics. This focus ensures that transformation is practical, scalable, and outcome-oriented rather than purely technical.

According to O’Hagan, the Microsoft cloud ecosystem is particularly effective because it brings together commerce, supply chain, finance, and customer data on a single platform. The approach prioritises solving urgent business challenges over implementing technology for its own sake. Solutions are designed to evolve alongside the retailer, improving visibility and decision-making while creating more resilient operations.

From Implementation to Measurable Results

One example involves reducing “ghost stock,” a problem where inventory records do not match physical stock levels. By improving demand forecasting and creating more responsive fulfilment models, retailers can lower costs and improve the customer experience. These systems also provide real-time insight into stock and allow for the personalisation of customer journeys.

Strategies for 2026

Retailers in the UK face continued cost pressure, supply chain volatility, and rising customer expectations. They are increasingly required to achieve more with fewer resources. O’Hagan notes that while the challenges are significant, there is an opportunity to differentiate through data, automation, and AI in areas like forecasting, pricing, and customer engagement.