Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS) has helped Kingfisher plc, a leading European multinational home improvement company, to drive seamless customer experiences using TCS OmniStore™, an AI powered unified commerce platform.
Kingfisher plc operates a chain of over 1,900 stores in eight countries across Europe under its retail banners including B&Q, Castorama, Brico Dépôt, Screwfix, TradePoint and Koçtaş. The company was looking to upgrade to a multilingual commerce platform that delivers a unified brand experience. In addition, they wanted to address legal, fiscal, and operational differences across all their European banners. After careful consideration, Kingfisher plc selected TCS as its transformation partner and chose TCS OmniStore™ for its flexibility, seamless integration, and the ability to drive rapid innovation and adapt to market trends.
TCS OmniStore has enabled Kingfisher plc to deliver modern commerce experiences with a range of capabilities such as click-and-collect services, scan and go options, mobile apps, save the cart, and self-checkout facilities along with dynamic promotion capabilities and clienteling. In addition, the platform supports advanced payment options such as contactless payment, Apple Pay, Apple wallet, and pay as you go.
The platform’s flexible API architecture is built around a centralized core base that allows localization across different regions. This allows global brands like Kingfisher plc to enjoy common functionalities across their banners worldwide while still maintaining individuality in each region they operate in.
TCS OmniStore’s simple and intuitive single face colleague interface requires minimal user training and helps sales associates seamlessly move from one touchpoint to another. Kingfisher plc has implemented TCS OmniStore across two banners – B&Q in UK and Ireland, and Castorama in France – with the third coming later this year.
TCS OmniStore orchestrates omnichannel customer journeys enabling a consistent and seamless shopping experience across Kingfisher’s channels and brands. The retailer is benefiting from greater associate productivity, increased revenue, faster checkout, and broader sales opportunities; it was also able to execute promotions better based on data insights.
“TCS OmniStore was the strategic choice for Kingfisher’s future growth, orchestrating a fast, smooth, and seamless checkout experience, which is needed for today’s customers,” said Peter Ash, product director, operations and fulfilment, Kingfisher plc. “Our self-checkout systems have allowed us to be more efficient on the front end. It’s simple and our customers love it. They’re easy to use. But it’s also allowed us to bring colleagues further into the store. I’m really excited about the future. And I’m really excited about what OmniStore can bring with our current systems stack.”
“We are delighted to be a strategic partner to Kingfisher in its transformation journey to reimagine the end customer experience and offer a unified experience across its brands in Europe. The platform is enabling seamless omnichannel shopping experiences, enhancing their competitive differentiation and driving growth,” said Shekar Krishnan, head of retail & CPG, UK and Europe, TCS.
TCS OmniStore is part of the TCS Algo Retail™ suite, which enables retailers to seamlessly integrate and orchestrate data across the retail value chain, harnessing the power of analytics, AI, and machine learning to unlock exponential business value. The microservices-based platform helps businesses roll out new services and apps quickly without having to worry about channel constraints. It is a strong fit for large and medium, tier 1 and tier 2 retailers, and serves diverse lines of segments which includes but not limited to general merchandise, discount, specialty, fashion, restaurant, post office, telecom, and travel and hospitality industries.
