Showcase Expertise with New AWS Specialization Badge Categories

AWS has introduced categories for its Specialization badges, allowing Partners to showcase their validated expertise and meet customer demands more effectively. The new categories will help customers identify and select Partners with the expertise for their unique business needs. Partners can generate updated badges in Partner Central by logging in and navigating to the "Badge Manager" tab. This feature is available to Partners who maintain an AWS Specialization with categories.

AWS has recently introduced a new feature for its Specialization badges, allowing Partners to showcase their validated expertise more effectively. This update aims to help customers identify and select Partners with the specific expertise they need for their unique business demands. The new categories enable Partners to generate updated badges in Partner Central by logging in and navigating to the "Badge Manager" tab. This feature is available to Partners who maintain an AWS Specialization with categories [1].

The AWS Competency Partner Program is designed to identify, validate, and promote Partners with demonstrated AWS technical expertise and proven customer success. These Partners have passed a rigorous technical validation rooted in the AWS Well-Architected framework for designing, building, and operating reliable, secure, and efficient solutions in the cloud [1].

The new categories include:
- Consulting Services: Demonstrated AWS technical expertise and proven retail customer success in specialized areas across retail solution areas, use cases, and workloads.
- Smart Stores: Solutions for Point-of-Sale (POS), Buy Online Pick-up In-Store (BOPIS), Self-Checkout, Pricing and Promotion Engine, Store Inventory Management, Electronic Shelf Labels (ESLs), and Workforce Management for Store Operations leaders.
- Digital Commerce: Solutions for Web Stores, Immersive Commerce, Live-Streaming, Search, Digital Asset Management (DAM), User Generated Content (UGC), Third Party Marketplaces, and Distributed Order Management (DOM) for Digital Commerce leaders.
- Intelligent Supply Chain: Solutions for Warehouse Management (WMS), Transportation Management (TMS), Track and Trace, Last Mile Delivery, Enterprise Asset Management (EAM), and logistics for Retail Supply Chain leaders.
- Customer Engagement: Solutions for Customer Data Platforms (CDPs), Target Marketing, Clienteling, Advertising, Loyalty, Retail Media Network, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions for retail marketing leaders to attract and retain customers.
- Merchandising and Planning: Solutions for Merchandising, Replenishment, Space, Promotion, Pricing, Product Information Management (PIM), Category, and Vendor Management solutions for Merchandising and Planning leaders.
- IT and Core Applications: Solutions for Core Retail Enterprise solutions for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Finance, Procurement, Human Resources, Employee Management, Legal, Real Estate, and IT.
- Advanced Data Insights: Solutions for Retail Data Lake, AI/ML, Business Intelligence (BI) and Analytics that improve operational efficiency, customer insights, and engagement.

These new categories aim to streamline the process for retailers seeking specialized expertise, allowing them to find the right AWS Partner more efficiently. The introduction of these categories aligns with AWS's broader strategy to drive innovation and unlock greater business value for its retail partners [1].

References:
[1] https://aws.amazon.com/retail/partner-solutions/