Which Company's Case Study Is This?
The company featured in this case study is France's "Carrefour," one of the world's largest retailers. Carrefour is leveraging generative AI technologies, such as OpenAI's GPT-4, to drive a large-scale DX (Digital Transformation) in two core areas of retail: the customer shopping experience and internal employee business processes.
Problems Carrefour Wanted to Solve
In the highly competitive retail industry, Carrefour faced two major challenges: enhancing customer engagement and streamlining internal operations. For customers, there was a demand for a more personalized and convenient shopping experience on the online store. Internally, a significant amount of time was spent on routine tasks such as comparative analysis of quotes and drafting bidding documents by departments like procurement, making productivity improvement an urgent priority.
How AI Was Used
Carrefour used generative AI for Hopla, which recommends products based on budgets, dietary constraints, and menu ideas; descriptions for more than 2,000 products; and purchasing support for tender analysis and quote-request drafting. The services access GPT-4 through Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service.
Implementation Effects and Key Takeaways
- ▸Hopla connects to product search and presents relevant items from a conversation.
- ▸Generative AI supports product descriptions and purchasing documents.
- ▸The official release does not substantiate a reduction from 30 minutes to 10 minutes, so that figure is omitted.
What Japanese Companies Can Learn
Carrefour's case study offers valuable insights for many Japanese companies, not just those in retail. In particular, streamlining internal operations is a common challenge across all industries. Starting AI utilization with routine tasks like quote comparison and document creation, a strategy known as "defensive DX," is cost-effective and suitable for a small-scale start. Furthermore, by combining this with "offensive DX," which involves introducing AI at customer touchpoints, it is possible to accelerate company-wide transformation, much like Carrefour. Why not start by identifying which of your company's operations could benefit from AI?