How Adobe's tech is helping Tata CLiQ compete with e-commerce rivals

Access to Adobe Analytics dashboards and reports enables everyone in the Tata CLiQ ecosystem to dive deeply into data, track sales and make advanced analyses such as assessing customer purchase intent

The Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has accelerated the shift to e-commerce, with an increasing number of consumers shopping online more frequently. This presents an opportunity and a challenge for Tata CLiQ, the Tata Group's e-commerce platform, as it competes with other business-to-consumer online marketplaces such as Amazon, Walmart-owned Flipkart and Reliance’s JioMart.

But Tata CLiQ is well-positioned for success, as it places delivering excellent customer experiences — whether on a mobile app or its website — at the forefront of its business. The brand prioritises customer experiences by continually working to understand what customers want and adapting interactions accordingly. That includes analysing home page and product page data to gain insight into the customer experience, banner click behaviour and click-through rates.

At the core of better understanding its diverse customer base is the technology provided by tech giant Adobe. This consists of Adobe Experience Cloud applications, including Adobe Analytics and Adobe Target. Everyone from creative and marketing to site merchandising managers has access to Adobe Analytics dashboards and reports to dive deeply into data, monitor sales and perform advanced analyses such as assessing customer purchase intent. 

In addition, a dedicated team runs digital marketing campaigns that enhances brand awareness, target new and existing customers, and directly boost revenues. With Adobe Target, the team can test different web banners and hierarchies to see which approaches encourage shoppers to click through and spend more time exploring a product category. The team has found that if individuals interact with more than four product views within the same category on the website, they are 2 to 2.5 times more likely to place an order within the browsing session.

“Using a combination of Adobe Analytics and Adobe Target, the team was able to see where people were coming from and then suppress certain products, so they don’t show up in banners or filters,” says Kamal Kumar, Head of Analytics and Data Science, Tata Unistore Ltd, which runs Tata CLiQ platform. “Now we show people relevant inventory. With the help of Adobe Experience Cloud applications, the click-through rates for many of our personalised campaigns are at least three to four times higher than what we see in normal business-as-usual campaigns.”

For instance, as the global Covid-19 pandemic forced many people into lockdown, consumer e-commerce needs have shifted towards groceries and other essential items. Historically, Tata CLiQ did not carry these items on its platform, but when the first pandemic wave occurred, the team responded by offering those items.

During the second wave, government restrictions changed, and states had the freedom to choose their lockdown periods. Adobe Target made it possible to present personalised experiences to consumers browsing the website from various states. In regions under lockdown, banners featured essentials, while in areas without a lockdown, the homepage hero banner featured non-essential goods. Not only was the company able to provide needed goods to consumers but the banners promoting essentials to people in restricted areas resulted in a 57 per cent increase in clicks.

“We saw the number of people coming to our site grow since the first wave of the pandemic,” says Kumar of Tata Unistore. “Fortunately, we were able to respond to changing customer demands for everything from masks and thermometers to groceries, and help people get what they need while remaining at home.”

For shoppers on the go, the Tata CLiQ Android and iOS mobile apps are a convenient option, becoming the primary revenue driver, followed by the website. Recently, the team discovered additional opportunities to add value, including app testing, personalisation, and optimisation. For example, the merchandising team wanted to understand the most effective sequence to list brands within the Tata CLiQ sports centre web page. These insights enabled the team to personalise and provide the most relevant content for people based on iOS, Android, or other mobile operating systems.

“We have transitioned to a digital-first world where customer behaviour has changed and become more dynamic,” says Nitin Singhal, managing director, digital experience, Adobe India. “To thrive, companies must understand this new landscape and its impact on their customers, and business.”

Singhal said Tata CLiQ engages deeply in customer experiences by investing in understanding what its customers want and adapting its interactions across channels accordingly. 

“With Adobe Experience Cloud applications like Adobe Analytics and Adobe Target, we are helping Tata CLiQ personalise and provide the most relevant content to its shoppers, allowing them to explore a wide assortment of products and find what they’re looking for faster,” says Singhal.

Unlike many online retailers that ship inventory from a handful of nodes, Tata CLiQ ships products from brand shops and third-party warehouses, which means delivering from over 3,000 nodes. 

Earlier website visitors could view all Tata CLiQ inventory, regardless of their current location. For example, a customer in North India could view a product on a page that could only be delivered to shoppers in the southern part of the country. Using a combination of Adobe Analytics and Adobe Target, the team was able to see where customers were coming from and then suppress certain products, so they don’t show up in banners or filters and therefore show customers relevant inventory.

Also, when a shopper visits the website, the Tata CLiQ team can gauge session-level data — the product, product category or brand they have viewed and shown intent to purchase in the last 15 days of browsing. This information is used to inform remarketing campaigns, where consumers receive push or in-app notifications that include the same shoes, phone or another item they’ve been browsing. With the help of the tech provided by Adobe, Tata CLiQ reduced the average delivery distance by 10 miles, lowering costs and minimising carbon footprint. It was able to drive 3x to 4x higher response to remarketing campaigns with personalisation. It also reduced marketing costs by 25 per cent to 30 per cent with targeted actions.