Canadian Retailer - Fall 2016 - 14

TECHNOLOGY ROUNDTABLE

Dawson: The LCBO has lots of data across the organization, but
it's not as well integrated as we need or want it to be. It's a big
strategic imperative for us to really focus on being data-driven
in our decision making and to make sure we have one, company-wide view of that data. As it relates to how our in store
staff use it, there's an opportunity there, but we also have be
cautious and protect the privacy of our customers, in part due
to the product we sell. To help improve customer service, we
are exploring ways to equip our employees with relevant data
about customer purchase patterns, at an aggregate level.
Simpson: We launched a non-traditional loyalty program in

2014 that provides some great data and insights into what motivates our customers, especially when married with the data
we have through digital, ecommerce and social media. In my
opinion, what's most important is how you action the data, since you run the risk of disappointing your customers if you ask
for information and can't action it and provide value to them.
The power in data comes from leveraging it to understand your
customer better and what they need.

VAN DE VOORDE: Today's
customer is starting to
expect things instantly.
And their expectations of the retail experience are increasing all
the time as well. When it comes
to data about those customers,
retailers have a wealth of it. But,
are we looking at it the right way
in order the make use of and draw
value from it to truly enhance the
retail shopping experience?

Nelson: Sears Canada reaches all Cana-

dian households and is actively applying
new data models that start with the custo%
mer. We want to ensure that we provide
the products and services they want. Our
innovation lab-Initium Commerce Lab-
A segment of
consumer dubhas made investments in big data and data
bed "avid online
scientists that go far beyond the traditioshoppers" are alnal. We believe that by focussing on our
ready purchasing
more online than
customer and understanding the data at
in stores.1
our disposal is paramount to our success.
This question drives our daily discussions within the Initium
Commerce Lab. We continually seek to improve on data collection and the architecture and customer touchpoints to support
it while adhering to Canadian Privacy Law. Our Data Science
team is dedicated to re-engineering traditional process and is
in constant iteration of data models to enrich and enhance the
customer experience both online and off.

Connell: Everyone wants to know everything about their customers. At Roots we create customer journeys that we use to identify both points of friction to be resolved and points of opportunity for the use of data. If we are able to reduce friction, specifically
in some of the non-glamourous parts of the shopping journey,
the overall customer experience is elevated. For example, if store
staff could be alerted that a customer is near a store that the
consumer has selected for a 'click and collect' order, an associate
could prioritize packing that order. We're starting to determine
how to connect the consumer journey in a better, more personalized, and exacting methodology both in store and online.
1
Source: comScore Inc., UPS Study: Avid Online Shoppers Making
More Than Half of Their Purchases With Ecommerce

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CANADIAN RETAILER | FALL 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Retailer - Fall 2016