Accenture Google Cloud Business Group
Resetting
the retail
sector
Future-ready expertise + world-class technology.
We’re resetting retail,
to get you to value faster.
The rules of retail have changed. With disruptors setting Accenture offers the imagination and expertise to
the pace and legacy back-end infrastructure looking capitalize fully on Google’s world-class technology.
increasingly untenable, it’s never been more important We’re here to help the retail sector navigate a changing
to balance operating costs with top-line growth. landscape, through a combination of forward-thinking
expertise and leading technical innovation.
Those who are ready to capitalize on this rapid evolution
can expect to thrive within a sector where many verticals The stage is set for some truly seismic shifts within the retail
are experiencing unprecedented growth. Advances in sector. With Accenture’s front-line experience and Google’s
technology – in particular AI, cloud, IoT and automation – offer capabilities across Alphabet assets, our combined forces
a catalyst for new solutions, services and security. But for a can address your most complex challenges.
sector broadly lagging behind in cloud adoption, success
will depend on decisive action – and the right partnerships.
Applied intelligence
and ML
Google’s ML platform harnessed
millions of curated data points from
around the world and provided
actionable insights on what customers
want and the trends driving their eating
habits for this UK retailing giant.
Accenture Google Cloud Business Group 2
Retail is ready for a reset.
Retail businesses that aspire to a meaningful share
of tomorrow’s market will be powered by future-ready
technology, available today.
By embracing cloud-powered, connected infrastructure The retail landscape
you’ll secure a better digital commerce experience, Disruption. Change. Opportunity.
deploying intelligent, agile, digitally-enabled platforms
and operations at every touchpoint. • Rapid growth for many verticals
Rapid integration with third-party ecosystems will • Need for agility (supply chain and
help to drive profitability, and data will be brought emerging sales channels)
to the strategic forefront, underpinning decision- • Rising customer expectations
making and helping to create an empowered,
diverse and data-fluent workforce. • Squeezed margins
• Legacy infrastructure
• Increased need for supply-chain visibility
• The end of 3P cookies
• Rise of MarTech walled gardens
• Increasingly conscious consumerism
• New business models
(retail media monetization, marketplaces)
Accenture Google Cloud Business Group 3
The fast-track to value. Seeing the
potential above and beyond the cloud.
The retail sector is being hampered by a reluctance to move The Accenture Google Cloud Business Group aims to
beyond the familiarity of traditional technologies. There’s a elevate the cloud conversation beyond the commonly
distinct danger that, although many retailers are using the accepted advantages, to illuminate the full potential
cloud in some form, its fullest potential is not being realized. and opportunity it can unlock.
Instead of asking ‘how do we use the cloud?’, the retail Together, our imperatives are to:
sector needs to look at ways to maximize its business
value, asking questions such as: • Embed data and AI within all business
decision-making
• How do we capitalize on the full cost and
• Launch new business models
scalability benefits of the public cloud?
(eg retail media business)
• Who can help ensure we are utilizing the full
• Accelerate savings
strength of the cloud when we want to shape
our future business practices? • Prepare for cyber threats
• How do we compete with the ‘digital native’ • Gain first-mover advantage on
businesses that have reset consumer expectations? emerging revenue opportunities
• Scale innovation at pace
Retail sits on the brink of real revolution – and with change
comes opportunity. Cloud, AI, IoT and automation • Empower and enable the workforce
combine to offer exponential growth reaching far beyond
• Implement rapid change without
infrastructure and savings on IT run costs. The highest-level
disrupting day-to-day operations
CEO imperatives of revenue, true product innovation and
differentiation, customers, workforce, ESG and security are
at stake for those businesses ready to take the initiative.
Repositioning retail
as a business of
continuous customer
engagement means
putting AI and
data at the heart
of decision-making.
Accenture Google Cloud Business Group 4
The way forward. ‘Cloudify’ your platform
with these transformative opportunities.
• Analytics at scale Grow – beyond digital. Be quicker to market,
capitalize on opportunities.
• Technical agility
• Improved customer-centricity With streamlined, connected store operations and
33-45%1 annual IT productivity gains you can mitigate
• Enhanced profitability transformation costs. When you ‘cloudify’ your platform
you gain powerful insights that inform strategy across
Solve current retail challenges with comprehensive
your business, and AI working across all channels
analytics solutions.
at its maximum potential.
Google’s analytics capabilities – with data on BigQuery
This leads to improved accuracy of forecasting and
and AI – are continuing to innovate within the industry,
optimized supply chain logistics. You’ll be empowered
while Accenture’s AI-powered data and insights solution –
to acquire new audiences and get direct line of sight
ai.RETAIL – is purpose-built to help retailers become
into customers via digital marketing, enhanced by new
data-driven, faster and at scale. By combining Google
customer data architecture. Combine customer data
Cloud Platform technology with data management
with marketing and supply chain data for a holistic
capabilities and retail-specific use case analytics
view of your audience, their preferences, usage
you can accelerate speed to value.
of products and behaviors.
1
Outside-in perspective based on assumptions
Finance function
transformed
For this global retailer, our statistical
scenario modelling allowed AI/ML
driven planning and forecasting,
saving time, increasing accuracy
and driving a focus on the future.
Accenture Google Cloud Business Group 5
The way forward.
Building blocks of future-ready retail.
Accenture’s deep, retail specific and technology expertise, coupled with Google’s retail
industry-aligned solutions help clients meet business case and self-funding requirements
by rapidly scaling the building blocks of future-ready businesses.
Next generation Embracing digital Leverage ai.retail
application development commerce Transform marketing,
Enables faster identification and Enables retailers to rapidly merchandising and supply
analysis of opportunities to bring adapt to the expanding chain by utilizing data
new products and services to opportunity for integrated and AI to unlock new
market. Leveraging Google’s commerce experiences opportunities for growth
API ecosystem allows retailers across any number of and optimize performance.
to see business outcomes faster digital channels.
and gives you the freedom to
innovate with lower risk.
Personalized AI Digital marketing Data modernization
conversational Create personalized Enhance and enrich your
experiences customer experiences data to achieve the quality
Reimagine the customer and optimize campaign- and accuracy required to
service experience using spend to increase customer deliver insights at scale
AI-powered solutions to lifetime value while reducing with ai.RETAIL’s data
improve service levels while acquisition costs. management framework.
reducing operating costs.
Accenture Google Cloud Business Group 6
Enterprise Google Workspace Data marketing platform
cloud services Opens up new ways of Help retailers, with the
Improve business agility working, collaborating and support of the RelevanC
and reduce TCO with a innovating for a culture of platform (Casino Group),
standardized and secure connected knowledge and to go further in the targeting
infrastructure. intelligent productivity. This is and personalization of offers
a simple and secure solution addressed to their customers.
with proven impact on work Implement a genuine 1:1
satisfaction and innovation. personalization strategy
versus a mass personalization.
Retail media and Ecommerce substitution
data monetization and recommendation
management Make the preparation of
Enable retailers and advertisers online orders before and after
to publish sponsored product validation of the basket more
ads or display campaigns in efficient by proposing relevant
an optimized way through the and personalized substitutions
RelevanC platform. to RelevanC customers.
The Accenture Google Cloud Business Group is a partnership designed to help you navigate
this changing landscape. Accenture accelerates the innovation that Google technology enables.
Accenture Google Cloud Business Group 7
Accenture. End-to-end retail sector
expertise and experience.
Accenture’s approach to transformation in the retail • Extend platforms and ecosystems
sector combines a business-led approach with a to reach new markets
flexible development model, cloud platform and
• Deliver profitable growth using leading AI,
digital decoupling approach.
purpose-built for retail via the ai.RETAIL insights solution
• Benefit from Accenture’s overarching cloud strategy, • Merge enterprise and third-party data and analytics
architecture and implementation competences with behavioral insights to understand the needs,
• Deliver strategic resilience and achieve ESG mindset, expectations, intentions of customers
goals – proven ability to help clients transition to more and employees
sustainable systems and improve environmental score • Implement advanced data and analytics platform
• Perform with the agility of digital-first start-ups to improve core decisioning and processing
and disruptors accuracy and efficiency
• Enable a flexible digital-native development model with • Transform cost curves and reduce legacy tech
a cloud platform and digital decoupling approach to • Empower the workforce with a connected workplace
scale rapidly on the developer-preferred platform
AI delivers 83%
predictive accuracy
This European retail giant needed
a KPI reporting the customer churn
rate. Accenture trained a predictive
algorithm leveraging two years of
historical data and deployed the
AI engine on the client’s customer
data architecture.
Accenture Google Cloud Business Group 8
Google. In the retail sector.
Google helps retail businesses make better use of existing
and new data with tools such as Anthos, Contact Center
AI, BigQuery and a comprehensive API ecosystem.
Google’s industry-aligned AI/ML expertise, powerful
infrastructure and security give retailers the freedom to
innovate with lower risk. Google Cloud creates a virtuous
cycle powered by data and analytics.
Google Cloud was named
the #1 cloud provider
for the retail sector 2
In partnership, retailers can:
• Access the best of Google – industry-leading
AI/ML, as well as cross-Google synergies and native
integrations such as Google Trends for better
forecasting / stock management
• Work with Google’s extensive retail partner ecosystem
• Eliminate outdated legacy applications and their
associated technical debt
• Benefit from a more robust and comprehensively
integrated data backbone
• Promote their commitment to sustainability,
working with the cleanest cloud in the industry –
carbon neutral since 1998 3
• Leverage an actionable strategy to optimize costs
at the same time as driving top-line growth through
a closer customer connection
• Improve worker productivity and retention
through Google Workspace
2
Source: Canalys - Cloud Channels Analysis Report, July 2020
3
Source: https://sustainability.google/commitments/#leading-at-google
Accenture Google Cloud Business Group 9
A powerful partnership
to deliver your future vision.
The most successful retailers of tomorrow will be
powered by data and analytics, customer-centricity and
modernized infrastructure that enables improved agility.
Establishing data as the backbone of your organization
will enable you to benefit from accelerated innovation.
We always aim to deliver reusability across solutions. Intelligent agent elevates
We don’t replicate technology but apply it at scale across
the enterprise to establish a platform that will help you
customer service and
innovate across business lines for measurable value. lowers costs
Accenture accelerates the innovation that Google This global retailer asked Accenture
technology enables. Together, we are helping retail to automate portions of its customer
companies navigate the changing landscape and service and technical support.
capitalize on opportunities. Our solution, including Google’s
cloud-based natural language solution
and Accenture’s Intelligent Agent
tech quickly and accurately answers
customers questions.
Accenture Google Cloud Business Group 10
Accenture is #1 Accenture
in Google in retail
certifications
We work with:
Google Partner 350 retailers
Award Winner on 14 occasions worldwide including all of the top 10 global retailers
#1 all retail segments
in Google AI Services across the integrated marketplace
Leader
in Google Cloud Platform Services We have:
7,000+ 12k+
practitioners trained dedicated retail practitioners across the globe
1,000+ 50+
Apigee practitioners globally unique, innovation-led capabilities,
assets and partnerships
3 million+
users migrated to G-Suite 14
industry associations
9
Google specializations 24+
ecosystem partnerships
Accenture Google Cloud Business Group 11
About Accenture
Accenture is a global professional services company
with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security.
Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills
across more than 40 industries, we offer Strategy and
Consulting, Interactive, Technology and Operations
services — all powered by the world’s largest network of
Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers.
Our 624,000 people deliver on the promise of technology
and human ingenuity every day, serving clients in more
than 120 countries. We embrace the power of change to
create value and shared success for our clients, people,
shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at
www.accenture.com
About Google Cloud
Google Cloud accelerates organizations’ ability to
digitally transform their business with the industry
leading infrastructure, platform, industry solutions and
expertise. We deliver enterprise-grade solutions that
leverage Google’s cutting-edge technology – all on the
cleanest cloud in the industry. Customers in more than
200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as
their trusted partner to enable growth and solve their
most critical business problems.
This content is provided for general information purposes and is not intended
Copyright ©2021 Accenture.
to be used in place of consultation with our professional advisors. This document
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