INDIA- Hershey India has implemented digital technologies in its cold supply chain at the point of sale to track productivity and provide data metrics to measure performance and implement solutions.
Speaking at the 2024 ETRetailTech Summit in Mumbai, Hershey India’s MD Geetika Mehta reiterated the company’s commitment to digital transformation, both internally and at points of interaction with customers.
Geetika hailed the company’s digital transformation efforts, attributing the same to some aspects of the company’s operational efficiency.
“If we hadn’t done the digital transformation, we wouldn’t have fresh stocks available at almost 250,000 stores where we have our presence. We are actually slow starters but very fast followers of technology,” Mehta said.
However, the confectioner admitted that the digital transformation effort is a trial-and-error process, a process of learning, relearning, and continuous improvement, highlighting its past experiences.
This trial-and-error approach to the digital transformation strategy works well in promising market environments. Hershey has used the Indian market to test technological innovations, introduce new products, and other disruptive market innovations.
In 2022, Hershey India launched Hersherverse, the company’s attempt to participate actively in the metaverse craze that dominated the technology space at the time.
The technology was expected to enhance customer experience through quests, interactions, discounts, and other engaging experiences. However, customer engagement with Hersheyverse failed to directly impact financial performance.
The digital transformation strategy started in 2017, when Hershey highlighted India as its fastest-growing international market. The company has invested US$50 million in its India operations for optimization and this digital transformation strategy.
The company reiterated its technology incorporation strategies are customer-centric.
“The other part is digital transformation for the consumer. We are engaging with consumers across all touch points, and to ensure consistency across all touch points, technology plays a great role. We are investing heavily in digital advertising as compared to traditional ways of advertising,” Mehta also said.
Mehta explained, “The internal digital transformation includes everything right from the order taking that the last retailer gets to our distributors, ensuring continuous stock replenishment to getting data at a quick speed.”
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