Transforming Brands into Media Powerhouses with AI and Microsoft Azure

Catalyst empowers retail brands to operate like media companies, using custom-trained AI agents to generate, localize, and optimize video content at scale on Microsoft Azure.

Catalyst helps retailers think and move like media companies, delivering high-quality, emotionally resonant video at the speed of digital commerce.”
— Bill Baer, Global Business Development Director, Support Partners

Support Partners, a global leader in AI-powered media automation, announced the launch of Catalyst for Retail, a new vertical solution built on Microsoft Azure and available through the Azure Marketplace. Catalyst enables retailers to operate like media companies, automating the creation, localization, optimization, and orchestration of rich video content using intelligent, brand-trained AI agents.

By leveraging Microsoft’s advanced cloud and AI ecosystem, including Azure OpenAI Service, Azure AI Services, Azure AI Foundry, Azure Cognitive Services, Azure Content Understanding, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure Logic Apps, Azure Storage, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and Microsoft Teams, Catalyst delivers intelligent agent-driven media workflows that dramatically accelerate video content creation for retail marketing teams.

Retail is Media: A New Mandate
Today’s leading retailers are no longer just merchants; they are publishers, shaping customer relationships through dynamic content delivered across digital, social, e-commerce, and in-store screens. From product sizzles and behind-the-scenes features to influencer clips, shoppable stories, and campaign rollouts, video is the new language of commerce.

But to keep up with always-on customer expectations, brands must produce media with the scale and speed of a global studio. Catalyst makes this possible, turning traditional retail workflows into intelligent, AI-powered content engines.

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Redefining Retail Video Production with Catalyst
Catalyst introduces a multi-agent operating model built on the principle of “AI as the UI.” Teams interact with intelligent agents that generate, translate, localize, enhance, and manage rich media content, in real time, with full alignment to the brand’s identity.

These agents are not generic, they are custom trained using each brand’s own video libraries, product data, tone of voice, campaign history, and creative guidelines. This ensures that every AI-driven output is on-brand, on-message, and on-brief, even as scale increases and turnaround times shrink.

“Catalyst helps retailers think and move like media companies, delivering high-quality, emotionally resonant video at the speed of digital commerce,” said Bill Baer, Global Business Development Director at Support Partners. “By combining intelligent agents with AI trained on your unique content and voice, Catalyst enables brands to scale creative without sacrificing authenticity or control.”

What AI Agents Deliver
Catalyst offers a composable set of intelligent agents, each built to optimize key areas of retail content production:

• Automated Video Creation: Generate product trailers, seasonal promos, or social-first videos using templates and curated footage.
• Localization & Voice Synthesis: Translate campaign scripts and generate multi-language voiceovers using AI that understands your tone and style.
• Visual Optimization Agents: Automatically crop, color-correct, and format video for different platforms and channels.
• Audience Insight Agents: Recommend edits, formats, and distribution strategies based on real-time engagement data.
• Trend-Responsive Agents: Scan trending topics and hashtags across platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and X (Twitter), and dynamically adjust creative treatments, script language, or visuals to align with current cultural conversations — helping brands build on momentum and stay contextually relevant.
• Workflow Orchestration: Seamlessly manage content across cloud platforms, CMSs, and media libraries.

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Retail teams deploying Catalyst have reported production timeline reductions of up to 50% and operational savings of 30–40%, while significantly improving content relevance and localization speed.

Start Fast. Scale Smarter.
Catalyst is built for quick activation and long-term impact. Brands can begin with a focused Proof of Concept (PoC), such as localized campaign automation or AI-assisted social video production, and rapidly expand to pilot and full production deployments. It offers low entry cost and high ROI, supporting creative, digital, and retail media teams alike.

Built on Microsoft, Trusted by Retail
Catalyst integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Azure and the broader Microsoft ecosystem, including Microsoft 365 Copilot, Azure AI, Azure Logic Apps, Microsoft Teams, and enterprise retail systems. Catalyst’s availability through the Azure Marketplace enables simple procurement and global deployment across Microsoft’s trusted enterprise cloud platform.

“Catalyst helps retailers evolve from marketers into media producers, scaling their brand story through rich content and AI,” said Shelley Bransten, Corporate VP, Worldwide Retail & Consumer Goods at Microsoft. “This solution brings together Microsoft’s cloud power with deep retail and media expertise to deliver real-world value.”