Coles to deploy AI-driven analytics tools

Coles will deploy a new suite of workforce strategy and analytics tools platforms across more than 840 stores.  

The work forms its latest three-year partnership with AI-systems provider, Palantir, and is expected to improve the way Coles “designs, executes and continually enhances its end-to-end workforce strategy and integrated supply chain functions”. 

The retail giant will use the platforms, including the artificial intelligence platform (AIP), over its store operation “to better understand and address workforce-related spend”. 

“By integrating data into one system, Coles will connect its C-Suite to the shelf-edge in stores across its more than 840 supermarkets,” Palantir stated. 

Coles is seeking to uplift its workforce through improved planning, shift efficiency and add a more granular understanding of its spend as the company looks to enhance shopping experience. 

Under the new system, store and department managers are projected to make real-time decisions that optimise costs and improve both customer and team member experience.

The suite will enable Coles to identify opportunities from over 10 billion rows of data, comprising each store, team member, shift and allocation across all intervals each day.

“Foundry enables these capabilities by bringing legacy data systems and machine learning into a shared end-to-end view of Coles’ retail ecosystem, including bakery production planning tools for in-store bakeries and Ocado fulfilment centres,” Palantir said. 

Matt Swindells, chief operating and sustainability officer at Coles said, “In line with a broader data strategy, we have partnered with Palantir to explore opportunities to operationalise our Advanced Analytics ‘Smarter Forecast’ and redefine how we think about our workforce.”

“We are excited by the capability the Foundry platform brings to rapidly leverage beyond dashboards, and provide a suite of tools utilising AI to our front-line teams. 

“This will allow them to respond more dynamically to ever-changing trading conditions and customer needs,” said Swindells.  

“Our development work with Palantir has demonstrated how we can enhance our ability to ensure all departments are optimally resourced – to provide not only the best return on workforce spend but to drive better customer outcomes in-store.”

Swindells added, “The most exciting part is that we are only just beginning – with a detailed roadmap of work to deliver over the coming years in line with our Simplify & Save to Invest program.”