BTC Fashion, the retail arm of the Business Trading Company (BTC) has partnered with MarTech company WebEngage to drive customer engagement via more ‘personalised’ experiences.
The retail group, which is known for bringing brands such as Matalan, Miniso, Superdry and Balabalato to GCC and Levant regions, is seeking a deeper understanding of customers including more personalised conversations with them across offline and online channels.
Under the deal, it will integrate WebEngage’s marketing technologies, powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and a customer data platform (CDP). As well as physical regional outlets, BTC Fashion intends to deploy AI and automation technologies to support its e-commerce arm bfab.
“As one of the largest investment firms in GCC, we represent some of the most inspirational global brands. Our aim is to provide unique and consistent experiences to each shopper whenever and wherever they engage with any of our brands. Partnering with WebEngage, we will be able to understand our customers better and fulfil their needs in a more personalised manner. WebEngage’s proven experience in transforming retention marketing for leading fashion and retail brands in the region is an added advantage,” said Hasit Kakkad, General Manager, BTC Fashion.
BTC Fashion will integrate its back office, loyalty platform, data lake, and e-commerce channel with WebEngage’s Retention Operating System to help build unified customer profiles. The resulting “customer 360” will be used by the retail group’s marketing teams and product managers to optimise customer journeys across SMS, mobile, web, digital, paid media, WhatsApp, email, and offline.
Ultimately BTC Fashion is planning to deliver more personalised omnichannel experiences as a result of increased understanding of shopper behaviour, purchases, psychography, and real-time intent.
The partnership with WebEngage to deliver tailored experiences draws upon broader consumer sentiment in the regional fashion retail industry. A recent study by Oliver Wyman revealed that GCC consumers’ expectations for tailored experiences are 30% higher than those of their global counterparts. Additionally, 87% of GCC customers are using both online and offline channels to shop. By driving omnichannel personalisation, BTC Fashion is hoping to cater to such customers meaningfully and reinforce its position as a leading retailer in GCC and Levant.
“We are so honoured to associate with a family group of BTC’s calibre. Since its inception, the group has played an integral role in the region’s socioeconomic transformation. We will deploy our latest innovations in generative AI, seamlessly integrate with all their systems, and empower their marketing teams to build 1:1 customer engagement,” said Hetarth Patel, Vice President – Middle East & Africa and Managing Director – UAE.
“Our regional business managed services team will ensure we maximise the value of their customer data, boost marketing impressions, and improve CLTV,” he added.
