Metro AEBE, a leading retailer in Greece with a strong presence in both wholesale and retail sectors, embarked on a journey to harness the power of AI to enhance business operations and improve customer engagement.
As one of the country’s largest employers, with over 11,000 employees, Metro sought to use data and AI to stay ahead in a competitive market. Satori Analytics partnered with Metro to identify high-impact AI use cases, develop a comprehensive AI roadmap, and create a future-proof data strategy.
The Challenge
Metro AEBE saw a lot of potential value in AI. However, with its extensive operations across Metro Cash & Carry’s 50 wholesale locations and the My Market franchise’s 245 retail stores, the company faced the complex challenge of identifying where AI could deliver the greatest impact. As a retailer operating at this scale, Metro had access to vast amounts of data generated from sales, supply chain activities, customer interactions, and more. However, the sheer volume and variety of this data presented a challenge: how to harness it effectively to drive business decisions, optimize operations, and enhance customer engagement.
Without a clear roadmap or structure in place, Metro needed expert guidance to pinpoint the most valuable AI use cases and create a strategy for implementing them across its diverse business units.
Equally critically, to support these AI ambitions, Metro required a scalable, modern, cloud-based data infrastructure that could handle the complexity of AI-driven initiatives. It was essential for Metro to build a unified data strategy that could accommodate future AI projects while enabling seamless data access, governance, and analytics. Only in this way can they fully capitalize on their data and position themselves for long-term success in a data-driven retail landscape.
Our Solution: AI Discovery and Data Strategy
To address Metro’s needs, we guided Metro through a comprehensive AI Discovery process —a structured framework designed to help organizations uncover and prioritize AI opportunities. Over the course of 11 discovery sessions, we engaged more than 20 stakeholders from 9 distinct business units, including the commercial teams from the supermarkets and Cash & Carry wholesale stores, as well as Financial Services, IT, Supply Chain, and others. This collaboration allowed us to identify over 35 potential AI use cases across the organization.
Using our AI Use Case Valuation Framework, we shortlisted and evaluated 20 of these use cases, assessing their potential for revenue growth, productivity gains, and time-to-value, while also considering Metro’s readiness in terms of data, technology, and adoption. From this analysis, three high-value, high-readiness use cases emerged as clear quick wins for immediate implementation:
1. Wholesale Recommender System: This AI solution aims to automate and optimize product recommendations for wholesale clients, boosting cross-selling and upselling efforts.
2. Basket Analysis: This system will recommend products to customers based on their current basket, increasing sales through personalized suggestions.
3. IT Helpdesk Chatbot: A chatbot powered by GPT technology will streamline internal IT support, significantly reducing ticket resolution times and cutting operational costs.
Data Infrastructure Assessment and Strategy
In addition to the AI discovery work, we conducted a thorough assessment of Metro’s data infrastructure. The result was a 3-year data estate strategy aimed at modernizing Metro’s data capabilities. Our recommendations included the creation of a cloud-based data lakehouse, a strategic approach to data governance, and a clear roadmap for leveraging AI and machine learning to generate long-term value. This strategy will ensure that their AI initiatives will be scalable and sustainable.
Results and Future Outlook
Satori Analytics not only identified AI opportunities but also guided Metro through the critical steps of evaluating, prioritizing, and planning for their implementation. This ensures that when Metro is ready to implement these solutions, they will deliver measurable business value.
• 35+ AI use cases identified
• 20 use cases shortlisted using our valuation framework
• 3 high-impact projects selected for immediate implementation
• Projected millions of EUR in revenue growth from the Wholesale Recommender and Basket Analysis Systems.
• Six-figure operational savings expected from the IT Helpdesk Chatbot
With these solutions in place, Metro AEBE is poised to continue its leadership in the Greek retail market, leveraging AI to drive efficiency, increase revenue, and improve customer service. Our collaboration has laid the foundation for a data-driven future, and the roadmap we've developed will guide Metro as they continue to integrate AI into their business strategy.
Curious how AI can transform your business? Contact us today to explore the possibilities with Satori Analytics.
