Auchan, the leading supermarket chain in France and abroad, has been engaged in a far-reaching digital transformation for several years. The challenge: to meet the new expectations of consumers seeking an ever more fluid, personalized and enriched shopping experience, whatever the channel.
To achieve this ambition, Auchan is focusing on the end-to-end digitalization of its value chain, from the centralization of product information to the omnichannel distribution of content. This means integrating and automating processes around reliable data and high value-added media.
At the heart of this strategy lies media asset management. Interview with Michel DeshayesProxy Product Owner PIM and DAM at Auchan Retail Franceon the implementation of the Keepeek solution.
The time-to-market challenge for product information at Auchan
For Michel Deshayes, the main challenge is to optimize the time between collecting media and making them available:"Our aim is to reduce this time-to-market to half a day, even if it can sometimes take up to 48 hours. All our systems are connected every 1/2 hour, so we try to identify the special cases that slow down the process."
Another challenge is toextend product enrichment to all references, beyond just those sold online. "Today, we're far from offering everything online, especially in the food sector, which is more limited. Our aim is to be able to query our repository, whether the product is sold online or not", he stresses.
Keepeek, a complete media management tool
Before implementing Keepeek, Auchan used the Step tool, which only managed product media. "The difficulty was desynchronization, with a break between the media validation gesture on one side and the complete product sheet on the other. With Keepeek, we gained in graphic functionalities (clipping, blurring, advanced search) and in productivity, thanks to massified media management. Where we can still make progress is in synchronization with our applications", analyzes Michel Deshayes.
Today, Keepeek is used by over 200 Auchan employees and manages 800,000 products, out of a global repository of 1.5 million. Eventually, it is intended to become the single repository for Auchan Retail France media, providing brand assets and branding.
"Keepeek is a true media asset management tool, capable of handling all the associated issues formats, rights, archiving... It simplifies the work of teams by automating certain tasks, such as duplicate detection and archiving, and helping them to manage volume. This is a real contribution to the media validation workflow and a gain in productivity"concludes Michel Deshayes.
Read Intermarché's testimonial.
Integration and automation, the keys to an enriched customer experience
In addition to managing product media, Keepeek integrates with all the tools in the Auchan retail ecosystem (PIM, PLM, MDM, ERP, E-Commerce platforms, etc.) to automate content indexing and guarantee continuous updating.
Adapted workflows streamline the media production and validation chain, while automatic generation of different formats ensures an optimal customer experience, with no processing delays.
Multilingual, Keepeek can also manage media-related data in several languages, and interfaces with the best automatic translation solutions. Keepeek is the ideal solution for Auchan's international development.
Next steps? Deploy Keepeek on new product scopes (non-food, textile) and functionalities, notably around AI."We've already implemented some automation functions, and others are in the pipeline with AI. This is an important area of development", emphasizes Michel Deshayes.
Auchan's value proposition will be further enriched by high value-added media. After all, the challenge is to meet the growing expectations of consumers in search of an ever richer, more immersive and engaging experience. With Keepeek, Auchan is giving itself the means to achieve its ambitions.
Michel Deshayes, a course dedicated to optimizing Auchan's IS
Michel Deshayes began his career in 1998 at Altran, where he worked for 10 years as a service provider for various customers, including Auchan for 7 years. In 2008, he joined Auchan internally, where he held several key positions in information system optimization.
In particular, he worked as application architect on the entire SIA commerce (hyper sales management) system, then on the complete overhaul of the after-sales service information system for 5 years. He then took part in the birth ofauchan.frfirstly in consumer electronics, then in food, catering and delicatessen, and finally in the drive area.
For the past 5-6 years, he has been working in the referencing and enrichment department as Proxy Product Owner on the Keepeek PIM and DAM. In this capacity, he works in coordination with various contacts: data management, purchasing teams, e-commerce, etc. His role is to ensure that these tools are maintained in operational condition, and to contribute to development projects as part of a comprehensive product roadmap.
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