Asda has revealed plans to transition its online grocery business to its own platform and away from previous owner Walmart’s managed systems.
The supermarket has agreed a deal with digital business transformation company Publicis Sapient to support the move towards an independent operation.
The programme will see Publicis Sapient take on the overall transformation of Asda’s e-commerce capability, with the aim of delivering a new digital platform for the online grocery business before April 2024.
A statement said: “Asda engaged Publicis Sapient to lead the project, integrating the company’s core SPEED capabilities – strategy, product, experience, engineering and data and AI – for an end-to-end transformation that will enable Asda to move off Walmart systems, while building a best-in-class, agile operating model that will create exponential value in terms of customer experience.”
As part of the transformation programme, Publicis Sapient had already built and implemented Asda’s new email marketing tool using Salesforce Marketing Cloud.
Carl Dawson, Chief Digital & Technology Officer at Asda, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Publicis Sapient, a leading digital business transformation company with a strong track record in e-commerce platforms. We look forward to a successful partnership and to the delivery of a platform that will enable a seamless transition for our customers, moving from a legacy system run by Walmart to an entirely independent Asda-owned platform.”
Julian Skelly, Senior Managing Partner at Publicis Sapient, added: “We are proud to be working with Asda, a beloved British brand, on transforming its online grocery platforms and helping the retailer build an agile organisation for digital success. The work is singularly focused on enabling Asda to be independent of Walmart and enabling the retailer to evolve and grow, focusing on exceptional usability and customer experience.”
NAM Implications:
- The break with Walmart systems was inevitable.
- And the opportunity to build from the ground up seems less complicated.
- Only issue may be the transition process…
- …in a very competitive market environment…
- …that rivals may see as an opportunity.
