Case study: How Avril Centralized Its Customer Data to Strengthen Its Loyalty Program

Context

• Avril is a retail chain specializing in organic and health products.
• As part of the revamp of its loyalty program, the company implemented a centralized data solution, the Customer Hub, to unify customer information from multiple systems.
• The Customer Hub powered the loyalty program, delivering remarkable results in customer acquisition and increased visit frequency.
• Greater data visibility also facilitated monetization and increased supplier contributions to the program.

The Challenge: Customer Data Scattered Across Multiple Systems

For Avril-as for many growing companies-the proliferation of IT systems created data silos that limited its analytical and operational capabilities. Although the loyalty program had been in place for several years, it was underutilized.

“We had a lot of different systems operating in silos. We wanted a way to consolidate the data into a common system so we could leverage it and automate processes to improve our analytical capabilities,” said Guillaume Martin, director of customer intelligence, analytics and loyalty at Avril.

The Customer Hub also helped bring Avril’s vision for its loyalty program to life by overcoming some of the limitations of its technology ecosystem. Previously, the team had to perform manual analytics by compiling data in Excel spreadsheets, which severely hampered activation potential. “The data could be used for analysis up to a point, but that’s where it stopped. Activating the data was simply not possible,” adds Guillaume.

The Solution: A Phased Approach to Data Centralization

The company opted for a phased implementation strategy, starting with pilots about five years ago. “We started by analyzing our data and then running a few promotions. We quickly saw the potential of just a few targeted activities to increase frequency and loyalty,” says Guillaume.

The implemented solution includes:

• A central hub for unifying customer data
• Centralized business rules for the loyalty program
• Categorization and analysis of purchasing behavior
• Automated customer communications
• Ongoing satisfaction surveys
• Advanced analysis of purchasing behavior

“Our decision to choose Numea as a partner for this project was based on the professionalism they demonstrated in our first data analysis projects,” notes Guillaume. “We immediately recognized the technical and human expertise needed to support us in this transformation.”

The Results: Better Customer Understanding and Activation

The implementation of the solution had several positive effects:

Improved communications

• Automated emails triggered by points thresholds
• Higher engagement rates with communications
• Personalized notifications based on customer behavior

Improved business intelligence

• In-depth understanding of buying patterns by category
• Analysis of the impact of promotions on sales and customer behavior
• Ability to cross-analyze data from different systems
• Centralized segmentation and analysis for improved activation

Financial impact

• Increased revenue from loyalty program members
• Increased supplier contributions to the program

Strategic autonomy

• Reduced reliance on supplier schedules to move projects forward
• Faster development cycles

From fragmentation to excellence: A Data-Driven Transformation

Thanks to this success, Avril has discovered the full potential of data-driven strategies to take its growth to the next level.

“We went from a fragmented view to a comprehensive understanding of our customers. Now we can not only understand their shopping habits, but also create personas, analyze the impact of our initiatives, and make decisions based on real data,” Guillaume says.

And this is just the beginning. The company is continuing its partnership with Numea to push the boundaries of innovation and performance.