Expanding JMSL’s omnichannel presence with JKIT Smart Retail

Keells, is one of Sri Lanka’s leading supermarket chains; owned and operated by Jaykay Marketing Services (Pvt) Limited (JMSL), which in turn is a subsidiary of John Keells Holdings (JKH). With multiple players serving the market, and the growth of smaller players exploiting the advantages of ecommerce and digitalization to encroach market share, it has become increasingly difficult to maintain customer loyalty and retention. In order to remain competitive, Keells (JMSL) needed to embrace an omnichannel approach that would allow them to analyse consumer behaviour in greater detail, and tailor shopping experiences according to observed personal preferences.

Commissioned by JMSL, John Keells IT (JKIT) came up with a solution that would see Keells leverage on the growing mobile usage among target audiences. The Smart Retail Mobile App afforded Keells the opportunity to expand and extend its in-store shopping experience beyond the physical plane. Built on Xamarin forms using Azure PaaS, the app provides a location-specific catalogue of products which customers can shop online; complete with checkout, payment gateways, and pickup / delivery instruction capabilities. Additional features that truly elevate the experience above physical shopping include the ability for customers to track orders placed as well as repeat previous orders; completing massive shopping chores with just a tap on the screen. The app backend relies on existing JMSL technology infrastructure while the databases are hosted on Azure cloud through Azure PaaS, and dedicated services are driven by APIM. In terms of capacity, the app is able to handle 1000 concurrent users without failures.

A key benefit realized through the app rollout was the incremental gain in volumes, where Keells was able to cater to a wider segment of customers by striking a balance between contactless online sales and traditional in-store sales. Consumers too were significantly benefitted in that they now had access to a superior retail experience where the entire purchase journey of search, selection, checkout, and delivery could be remotely lived through. The smart aspect of the Xamarin platform means that JMSL can make dynamic improvements to the app based on recorded customer behaviour. As a result, continuous improvements and innovations can be made to the customer experience, as delivered through the app.