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Retail will forever be an industry that must constantly reinvent itself in response to, and anticipation of, ever-changing consumer demands. Digital transformation is fueling these changes and we’ve previously spoken about how businesses including Ulta Beauty and Kohl’s are taking advantage of Google Cloud to put data at the center of what they do and deliver the best possible shopping experience and product offerings for their customers.
Sainsbury’s, one of Britain’s best-known supermarkets, is another great example of a business transforming the way it engages with its customers with the cloud. With over 150 years of service, Sainsbury’s vision is to be the most trusted retailer, where people love to work and shop. It makes customers’ lives easier, by offering great quality and service at fair prices.
The food industry and the way that customers shop is rapidly changing. From foodie hashtags on Instagram, to the latest cooking fads, customers want to stay connected to the latest trends and Sainsbury’s is empowering them do that. To help Sainsbury’s achieve this goal, its Commercial and Technology teams, in partnership with Accenture, are building cutting-edge machine learning solutions on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) to provide new insights on what customers want and the trends driving their eating habits.
Sainsbury’s solution relies on data from multiple structured and unstructured sources. Using Google Cloud’s powerful cloud-based analytics tools to ingest, clean and classify that data, and a custom-built front-end interface for internal users to seamlessly navigate through a variety of filters and categories, Sainsbury’s is able to gain advanced insights in real time. As a result, Sainsbury’s has been able to develop predictive analytics models to spot trends and adjust inventory, providing shoppers with a better experience.
Phil Jordan, Group CIO of Sainsbury’s believes this project will have a big impact. “The grocery market continues to change rapidly. We know our customers want high quality at great value and that finding innovative and distinctive products is increasingly important to them. With the help of Google Cloud Platform, we are generating new insights into how the world eats and lives, to help us stay ahead of market trends and provide an even better shopping experience for our customers.”
This project is also a great example of the successes our customers have when they work with our partners. “We’re delighted to partner with Google Cloud to help the Sainsbury’s Commercial team apply predictive analytics to the identification of new and emerging trends in grocery,” says Adrian Bertschinger, Managing Director for Retail, Accenture. “The food sector is experiencing significant, rapid disruption, and this new, cloud-based insights platform will help Sainsbury’s identify trends much earlier and adapt their product assortment in a faster, more informed way–all for the benefit of customers.”
Whatever the next food or shopping trend may be, Sainsbury’s is looking to the cloud to help them stay a step ahead.
Learn more about retail solutions on Google Cloud.
