GEC NEWS WIREWhat changes/evolution did the year 2017 bring to your thinking or mind-set as a CIO?
A large amount of historical data was available to tap into the power of Customer Centric analytics, however initially we were not very much equipped to leverage this information adequately to understand and plan our business in a scientific, structured and systematic way. The Retail Smart Digital Transformation Strategy enabled us to unearth this Customer Centric valuable information from our retail systems and provide you with granular insights to let Al Safeer make the best business decisions.
Were you able to stick to your New Year resolutions? Did you achieve/over achieve/ under achieve?
The key success highlights with respect to the CIO’s goals and objectives for 2017: –
- Utilize Business Technology Planning process to achieve vertical based objectives
- Develop a holistic understanding of business, technical, risk/cost requirements for each customer
- Identify opportunities to reduce overall Run-the-Engine costs
- Enhance delivery of future initiatives by leveraging Service Oriented Architecture best practices
- Reduce overall system risk through improvements in efficiency and effectiveness
- Leverage existing technology investments to deliver the next generation of IT solutions
In brief, which technology of 2017 attracted you the most? Have you planned to implement the same in your organization?
Digital Transformation and Blockchain had been my major technology revolution attraction of the year 2017. We have a massive database with a diversity and depth of transactional data. We track not only what, when, and from whom consumers buy, but also the channel utilized for each purchase. We strategize, we improve. We refine. And ultimately, we win the prize: more new customers that actually produce good LTV. We also made our in-house solution for keeping a track of what our customers buy using Digital Analytics, Customer Analytics, Inventory & Shelf Space Analysis and Category Wise Sales Analysis.
What is your 2018 resolution? What goals do you have for your organization?
- Expedites in-store operations, including item look-up, receiving, adjustments, stock counts, and inter-store transfers
- Streamlines management of store-labour expenses and in-store processes
- Improves control of inventory management for reduced carrying costs
- Prevents stock-outs and overstock using in-store location level tracking
- Helps save the sale by using real-time cross-store inventory access
- Delivers accurate store inventory visibility to all channels
- Streamlines store management, improving efficiency and reducing costs
- Improves inventory control
- Minimizes the need for extensive staff training, reducing labour costs
- Improves customer satisfaction through rapid delivery of merchandise to the sales floor
