Kingfisher introduces Athena to boost testing and learning with AI and machine learning technologies

Last week at Google Cloud Next, Kingfisher shared the work it has been doing with AI and machine learning technologies.

Group Head of Data Science, Mohsen Ghasempour, discussed how the retailer is harnessing these innovations to improve the customer experience and power growth.

He introduced Athena, an AI orchestration framework which will manage how Kingfisher prompts and interacts with AI language models, as well as other AI tools developed in-house.

This is designed with advanced controls to ensure security and provide protection against sensitive or inappropriate content.

Tom Betts, Group Data Director at Kingfisher, says: “Athena will help us test and learn with these technologies even faster.”

TCS OmniStore

Kingfisher is using TCS OmniStore, an AI powered unified commerce platform from Tata Consultancy Services.

The company operates a chain of over 1,900 stores in eight countries across Europe under its retail banners including B&Q, Castorama, Brico Dépôt, Screwfix, TradePoint and Koçtaş.

It was looking to upgrade to a multilingual commerce platform that delivers a unified brand experience. In addition, it wanted to address legal, fiscal, and operational differences across all its European banners. 

TCS OmniStore has enabled Kingfisher to deliver a range of capabilities such as Click and Collect services, scan and go options, mobile apps, save the cart, and self-checkout facilities along with dynamic promotion capabilities and clienteling.

In addition, the platform supports payment options such as contactless, Apple Pay, Apple wallet, and pay as you go.

Its API architecture is built around a centralised core base that allows localisation across different regions.

Kingfisher has implemented TCS OmniStore across two banners – B&Q in UK and Ireland, and Castorama in France – with the third coming later this year.

It says that it is benefiting from greater associate productivity, increased revenue, faster checkout, and broader sales opportunities; it was also able to execute promotions better based on data insights.

“TCS OmniStore was the strategic choice for Kingfisher's future growth, orchestrating a fast, smooth, and seamless checkout experience, which is needed for today's customers,” says Peter Ash, Product Director, Operations and Fulfilment, Kingfisher.

“Our self-checkout systems have allowed us to be more efficient on the front end. It's simple and our customers love it. They're easy to use. But it's also allowed us to bring colleagues further into the store. I'm really excited about the future. And I'm really excited about what OmniStore can bring with our current systems stack.”

“We are delighted to be a strategic partner to Kingfisher in its transformation journey to reimagine the end customer experience and offer a unified experience across its brands in Europe. The platform is enabling seamless omnichannel shopping experiences, enhancing their competitive differentiation, and driving growth,” says Shekar Krishnan, Head, Retail & CPG – UK and Europe, TCS.