CX Awards Winners 2024: Retail & E-Commerce

News

1. Customer Centricity Summit & Awards Explores Brand-Customer Relationships in KSA

2. GITEX Global 2024 to Showcase Global Innovation, Investment, and Cybersecurity Trends

3. The Perfectly Imperfect Start of Disruptive Innovations

4. GovTech Conclave to Explore Cutting-Edge Solutions for Modern Governance

5. New Report Shows Cautious Optimism Among Enterprises Adopting AI

6. Majority of CISOs Feel Their Organizations are Unprepared for Cybersecurity Regulations

Floward

For adding delight to the gifting experience via AI-powered innovation 

Floward, the online flowers and gifts delivery destination in MENA, added a slew of new features to offer a more personalized and memorable gifting experience for both senders and recipients. The new age business developed an occasion-aware algorithm to attach relevancy and offer personalization messaging options that boosted card attachment by 12 to 20%, and impacted reorder rates positively by 5%.

Occasion-aware message cards

Floward has expanded its collection of message cards, allowing users to perfectly match their selected product with the occasion being celebrated. These cards are occasion-aware, automatically detecting the event associated with the main product and highlighting the most relevant cards.  

Hand-written font

The business enables users to hand-sign their message cards. For those who may not be able to sign themselves, a handwritten font option is available, making it easy for everyone to include a unique, handwritten message that transforms their purchase into a memorable gift.

AI-generated message

This feature simplifies the process for those who struggle with what to write on their message cards. With the help of AI, Floward curated an extensive collection of pre-written messages that cover all occasions, genders, and tones of voice. The company made sure to be inclusive, offering messages in both Arabic and English.

Modern Electronics

For creating personalized paths based on user behavior

A critical yet common challenge for retailers that operate online and offline is unifying customer profiles into a single persona.

Modern Electronics is a leading provider of consumer electronics and home appliances in Saudi Arabia, established in 1970.

This retailer aimed to create a holistic view of its customers so the marketing approach would be hyper-personalized based on the individual’s preferences, history and behaviour. The result is more relevant experiences, and heightened customer satisfaction and loyalty.

The team did this through automated engagement to treat challenges like cart abandonment via personalized emails and web push reminders that re-engaged customers. The communication was tailored to consider the user’s event attributes data.

A key focus was to ensure seamless omnichannel integration so users could be approached via the right channel at the right time. The retailer partnered with WebEngage to action this campaign.

The impact of this initiative was a 60% uplift in conversions from cart abandonment campaigns, effectively recovering potentially lost sales and making it easier for customers to complete their purchases.

On journey-based email communications, the business noticed an average click rate of 3%, exceeding industry benchmarks. In September, the campaigns generated 1.2 million SAR in revenue, reflecting the top-line impact of the campaign. 

Nice One

For using data-driven personalization to guide future purchase

Nice One, the makeup ECommerce brand located in the Middle East, launched a personalized shopping experience based on micro-segmentation to target customers based on their behaviors. For example, product views without adding to cart. Using automation, the business could check the preferred channel of communication for the customer and tailor the messaging that followed. The messaging communicated offers and recommendations that improved the relevance of the interaction and increased engagement. CRM platforms Amplitude and Insider powered the campaigns.

The campaign resulted in an overall 15% increase in retention, with a 10% increase in repeat purchases for members of the loyalty program.  

Lulu Hypermarket

For blending digital and physical convenience   

In 2020, when Lulu Hypermarket launched its Click and Collect services – it resulted in higher online sales and improved overall revenue. It is an outcome that has contributed to increasing returns.

The hypermarket’s e-commerce operations are powered by SAP Hybris, a cloud-based e-commerce platform solution for B2B and B2C enterprises. It allows businesses like Lulu Hypermarket to efficiently manage inventory and transactions, driving online sales growth and enhancing user experience.

To gain deeper insights into customer preferences, Lulu employs SWAN, a customer behavior analysis program. This platform provides data on shopping patterns, enabling the team to tailor marketing strategies and optimize product placements. By understanding customer behavior, Lulu can anticipate needs and deliver targeted promotions that better resonate with the audience.

Lulu Retail Holdings Plc increased the number of shares on offer in its Abu Dhabi initial public offering, and with a target to raise as much as $1.72 billion in the United Arab Emirates’ biggest listing of the year.
 

L’Oreal Middle East

For using immersive live streaming to shorten the sales cycle   

L’Oreal Middle East’s live shopping campaign was timed during Ramadan to cater to increased beauty spending and digital engagement. The campaign proved to be culturally relevant and resonated deeply with the target audience, addressing a unique consumer need by offering easily replicable beauty routines designed for Ramadan and Eid. Perhaps, most impressive was the ability to reduce the time spent in decision-making in a cluttered beauty market.

It claims to be the first-ever live shopping experience on Amazon in MENA. It connected product discovery guided by beauty influencers with an integrated purchase mechanism, solving fragmented online shopping journeys.

The live shopping format engaged customers with influencer-led content and created an immersive experience that was educational and transactional. Against the backdrop of Ramadan’s media frenzy, L’Oréal Middle East emerged victorious, with a staggering 40% increase in sales year-over-year on Amazon. Products showcased in the live videos experienced an unprecedented 148% surge in sales compared to the previous year, underscoring the power of immersive storytelling and personalized experiences.