A major retailer’s strategic intent was to move towards a more digitized and personalized engagement with members. There was an aggressive push to drive customers to addressable, targeted digital channels while over 90% of revenues came from in-store foot traffic.The situation was further complicated by the extreme focus on physical assets like circulars and the fragmented nature of the organization where each category was setup as a separate business unit.  Additionally, competing and conflicting messages/promotions to the customer caused confusion and margin erosion. There was considerable suspicion and conflict as different organization’s jockeyed for position.

Approach and Solution

Our approach to establishing a cohesive internal organization that focused on real time targeted promotions was based on the fundamental premise of “taking the best of all” without the compulsion to “own and control”. Wherever possible, transparent processes and engagement models were established to reduce conflict and allow for open dialogue. There was an intense and early focus on reporting and measurement to allow for fact based decision making instead of relying on anecdotal and institutional knowledge. Having an independent external facilitator helped drive alignment in difficult situations and investment was made in leadership development and coaching and team building.

Value Delivered

• Delivered over $3B in sales over three years
• Winner of the 2013 IBM Smarter Commerce Marketing Innovation Award; recognized as an industry leading solution for personalized real-time inbound marketing
• Program continues to enjoy Chairman and CEO endorsement
• Endured multiple leadership changes with robust organization and leadership development