Top Global Retailer

How A Top Global Retailer Achieved Digital Business Transformation

Digital transformation is an ongoing process. Learn how one of the largest global retailers innovated across the business to achieve success.

When one of the largest international grocery and general merchandise retailers wanted to evolve for the digital age, they chose Publicis Sapient to lead their transformation journey. Over the last 10+ years, Publicis Sapient has worked to strategically redefine the business, innovate processes, introduce new offerings and overcome some of the toughest digital challenges to future-proof their brand in an ever-changing retail landscape.

2010 - 2012

The Journey Begins

Publicis Sapient partners with one of the top-five retailers in the world to scale their online grocery platform in the United Kingdom and move their non-food retail business off Amazon to establish an independent channel.

2012 - 2013

Online Grocery Goes Global

With early success, Publicis Sapient helps expand the retailer’s online grocery capabilities into broader international markets. Improvements to supply chain are also implemented, allowing scale to handle larger orders and peak volume.

2013

A Whole New Look

Publicis Sapient delivers digital transformation of the retailer’s apparel business. Innovation includes new brand positioning, a full-scale digital platform strategy to elevate e-commerce and a reimagined loyalty program.

2014 - 2016

Transformational Shift to Agile Teams

With an innovation mind, the retailer works with Publicis Sapient to adopt an engineering-first organizational mindset, with focus on a more agile way of working and lean engineering teams capable of delivering high-quality results with speed.

2016 - 2018

Re-Engineering for Digital Commerce

The retailer advances their digital capabilities, moving to a service-based model architecture, developing a global content management system, and moving non food business to a bespoke e-commerce solution.

2017 - 2020

Always Innovating

With a strong foundation for growth, the retailer continues to optimize and scale grocery and supply chain experiences with services like improved scan-as-you-go mobile features, delivery van scheduling and in-store picking optimization.

The Imperative for Change

The retailer's journey began in 2010, with the desire to expand their grocery and general merchandise e-commerce business to be independent of third-party partners. To do this, the business needed to optimize supply chain operations for larger online orders, strengthen relationships with suppliers, elevate branding and promotional programs, and integrate digital channels into existing in-store businesses.

As new systems were implemented, the retailer had the ability to build on processes and introduce new services to put shoppers first. As the organization became more digitally mature, they also needed to change how they worked to scale projects efficiently — shifting their organizational mindset to become an agile, engineering-focused enterprise.

The Transformative Solution

Publicis Sapient has worked with the retailer at every stage of the transformation journey, sparking growth by providing a suite of services across the business, including:

Expansion of online grocery to international markets

Dedicated e-commerce marketplace for general merchandise

E-commerce and brand revitalization of apparel business

Grocery supply chain optimization

Data-driven pricing, loyalty and promotions

Mobile scan-as-you-go technology

Organizational shift to engineering-first, API-based microservices ecosystem

Ongoing support of branding, digital marketing and engineering initiatives

The Business Impact

With an international e-commerce presence, optimized supply chain operations, advanced in-store digital technologies and an agile engineering mindset, the retailer has seen incredible growth and is ready to embrace a new decade of shopper-first innovations.

$1B

annual revenue from general merchandising solution

$500M

annual revenue from international grocery e-commerce

$400/500M

annual revenue from UK grocery API

35%

improvement in e-commerce order picking rate

improvement in on-time delivery