The Record - Issue 21: Summer 2021

149 R E TA I L & C PG “The retail landscape has changed tremendously, with elevated customer expectations, seeking convenience, innovation and value in their shopping experience. Now more than ever, customers demand real-time, highly personalised experiences across all channels. To meet these expectations, retailers must leverage their data, turn it into actionable insights, and deliver a unique and personalised experience to each and every customer, no matter where they buy. ciValue leverages big data, AI and machine learning technologies to extend the customer experience across all channels, helping retailers to get omnichannel insights, hyper-personalised offers at scale, and better collaboration with their brands. ciValue partnered with Microsoft, working with top-tier retailers such as Sephora, Rema, and Big C to enable omnichannel personalisation at scale and on-demand targeting for millions of customers all hosted and operated on Microsoft Azure cloud solutions.” “The past 18 months has seen a seismic shift in the way people shop. At the beginning of the pandemic we highlighted some key trends to watch and many of these have endured: customers will shop more locally and there will be an increased focus on health and well-being, an acceleration in all things digital and a boom in online shopping. The true economic impact of the pandemic is yet to be seen, but we know that customers will be seeking value more than ever before. There’s never been a better time to use customer data science to prepare for this uncertain future. dunnhumby’s partnership with Microsoft helps retailers to bring data to life and make insights accessible, allowing quicker decisions to enhance the customer experience and create commercial value. The company’s experience in turning data science into action is perfectly complemented by Microsoft’s cloud platform, allowing retailers and brands to collaborate and focus to put their customers first.” “Newmine is tackling retail’s most expensive problem: product returns. Returns are expensive, environmentally unsustainable, and they negatively impact the customer experience as well as customer loyalty. While legacy returns solutions have focused on handling, disposition and customer experience, Newmine focuses singularly on returns reduction. Research shows that 73 per cent of returns are in the retailer ’s control. Even the most frictionless returns experience will not negate the customer ’s disappointment after receiving the wrong product. Newmine’s AI-powered Chief Returns Officer is built on Microsoft Azure and is the first solution to address the returns problem at the source. Analysing millions of enterprise-wide data points, the system identifies the root cause of returns. Once the system recognises why the returns are happening, it triggers alerts with prescriptive actions to actually fix the issue, preventing future returns and customer dissatisfaction and churn. Microsoft Azure supplies the secure platform and requisite tools allowing Newmine to deploy its industry-leading returns reduction solution.” Navjit Bhasin Founder and CEO of Newmine Assaf Haski Head of Partnership at ciValue David Clements Global Head of Retail Sector at dunnhumby