French retail giant Carrefour has announced the launch of Carrefour Links, which forms the centrepiece of the retailer's new data and retail media strategy.
Developed in association with Criteo, Google and LiveRamp, Carrefour said that Carrefour Links will enable it to 'better meet customer expectations by creating more personalised experiences – ones that are more relevant to their needs, both in-store and online'.
Path To Purchase
Carrefour Links was developed following a study that found that 80% of the retailer's customers want a customised digital offering, as well as customised attention at each stage of the path to purchase.
It said that the solution is built around four types of solutions – Capture (finding new and prospective customers); Convert (improving conversion throughout the customer journey); Converse (developing a sustainable relationship with Carrefour customers); and Comprehend (managing activity and performance).
In addition, Carrefour Links helps partner companies measure their end-to-end marketing campaigns, the retailer said, from the ad through to the in-store transaction.
Carrefour 2022 Strategy
Its launch forms part of a three-year digital transformation at the group, which was outlined in its Carrefour 2022 strategy, and promised some €2.8 billion invested into digital solutions over five years.
'Three years ago, Carrefour's e-commerce offering was split across many different websites, creating a complex customer experience,' the company said.
'Customer data was hosted on on-premise servers, with limited capacity, which in turn limited opportunities for real-time analysis. The Carrefour 2022 plan placed technology and data at the heart of its strategy.'
Among the initiatives rolled out by the group included the recruitment of hundreds of data scientists, the migration of 25% of its applications to the cloud, the introduction of a number of data analysis and safety tools, and the ramping up of its Carrefour.fr platform, which is now the most-visited food website in France.
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