The John Lewis Partnership has partnered with Google Cloud, which aims to help organisations to digitally transform, on a deal worth £100m ($127m) to provide customers with even more tailored and personalised experiences.
The deal which includes both UK fashion and homeware retailer John Lewis and UK supermarket Waitrose, will mean more of the organisation’s technology will migrate to Google Cloud, harnessing the cloud provider’s latest and most innovative technologies, including advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).
The agreement represents a major expansion on the relationship established between the two companies back in 2012.
John Lewis Partnership's chief transformation and technology officer Zak Mian said: “Today's announcement marks a significant step in transforming our technology, and ensures that our partners have the best tools to provide our customers with even more personalised experiences, across all our channels.”
Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian added: “By turning to Google Cloud’s leading AI and ML tools, John Lewis will help transform the Partner experience, which in turn will deliver a better and more seamless experience for its customers.”
It is hoped this integration of tools will empower the John Lewis Partnership workforce to enhance efficiency, allocate more time towards customer engagement, and effectively leverage data insights for refining product and service curation.
The investment in Google Cloud is part of John Lewis Partnership's transformation strategy and with Google Cloud, it wants to take its retail experience to new heights by spanning both physical stores and digital platforms, including johnlewis.com, waitrose.com and introducing a new pan-Partnership loyalty programme in 2024.
John Lewis Partnership CEO Nish Kankiwala said: “Investing in cutting-edge technology is not just a choice, it’s a necessity for a modern retailer like us. Core to our strategy is building our technology infrastructure for the long term, drawing on the latest innovations to benefit our customers.”
