Walmart Picks SymphonyIRI for Panel Shopper Insights

Walmart and SymphonyIRI Group are introducing a next-generation, Web-based shopper insights and collaborative planning platform.

Dubbed Customer Advantage and powered by SymphonyIRI’ s Liquid Data technology and rich marketing analytics, the new platform will be available from SymphonyIRI beginning in August.

“The Customer Advantage solution identifies and sizes opportunities among shopper segments, trips and categories that will better enable Walmart and its supplier partners to grow their businesses through a deeper understanding of our customers,” said Cindy Davis, executive VP, Walmart global customer insights.

Leveraging SymphonyIRI’s Consumer Network, Customer Advantage delivers unique, custom, Walmart-focused shopper insights and supports Walmart’s collaborative planning process by providing a dedicated shopper insights portal of user-friendly, customizable reports shared between Walmart and its supplier partners. The solution contains multiple custom features, including exclusive Walmart business drivers, such as Walmart-defined shopping trips, geographies, and customer segments, as well as custom report templates that support Walmart’s planning process with its supplier community.

The solution will enable manufacturers to better understand and address the rapidly evolving needs of Walmart shoppers by closely collaborating with Walmart on shopper strategies and tactics. With Customer Advantage, Walmart and its supplier partners will share the same custom knowledge base about Walmart’s shoppers. Leveraging this shared knowledge, Walmart and its suppliers can work together to improve planning, shopper marketing, and growth through better shopper insights.

“SymphonyIRI has a unique understanding of collaborative planning challenges and is well positioned to enable closer alignment between manufacturers and retailers,” said John G. Freeland, SymphonyIRI president and CEO. “We believe Walmart is dedicated to their customers and is boldly employing new, innovative supplier collaboration strategies that not only better meet their customers’ needs, but also improve marketing and merchandising decisions. We are pleased to be working with Walmart to ensure growth for their company and their valued supplier community.”

SymphonyIRI Group, formerly named Information Resources Inc., helps companies create, plan and execute forward-looking, shopper-centric strategies across every level of the organization.