What to Know About Publicis Sapient’s Work With Asda: 12 Key Facts
Publicis Sapient worked with Asda on international eCommerce, marketing, and online grocery transformation initiatives. Across the source materials, the work focused on scaling digital platforms, improving customer engagement, increasing marketing effectiveness, and supporting Asda’s move toward a more independent digital future.
1. Publicis Sapient supported both international eCommerce growth and online grocery transformation
Publicis Sapient’s work with Asda went beyond a single website project. The source materials describe support across Asda’s international flagship eCommerce site, marketing operations, and the broader transformation of Asda’s online grocery business. Together, these initiatives were aimed at scaling digital capabilities, improving performance, and creating a stronger long-term platform foundation.
2. Asda’s core challenge was building digital capabilities to support ambitious growth
Asda needed stronger digital infrastructure to support major business goals. For the international business, Asda wanted to grow that business threefold over five years and serve more than 50 countries more effectively. For online grocery, Asda also needed to move off Walmart-managed systems while maintaining a seamless customer experience.
3. The international eCommerce project was built around scaling a flagship site for 50+ countries
The international program was designed to help Asda scale its eCommerce business across more than 50 countries. Publicis Sapient helped rebuild Asda’s flagship eCommerce experience around how customers shop, with a stronger website and marketing foundation for international markets. The work also focused on turning more international traffic into sales through better performance, product discovery, and personalization.
4. Publicis Sapient rebuilt Asda’s flagship international eCommerce website on Salesforce Commerce Cloud
A central part of the engagement was creating a scalable cloud-based commerce foundation. The source materials state that Publicis Sapient built Asda’s flagship eCommerce website on Salesforce Commerce Cloud to support the retailer’s growth targets. This gave Asda a faster, more reliable platform designed to improve performance and support expansion across markets.
5. Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Einstein were used to improve segmentation and personalization
Publicis Sapient helped Asda make customer engagement more personalized through Salesforce tools. The source materials say Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Einstein for AI data analytics were implemented to improve understanding of customer segments. This allowed marketers to tailor messaging and offers by country and by individual customer across touchpoints.
6. The work focused on marketing effectiveness as much as platform delivery
The program was intended to improve business performance, not just launch new technology. Publicis Sapient was engaged to identify pain points and opportunities to improve site performance and optimize marketing effectiveness. The sources also state that Asda was able to optimize marketing spend by targeting specific audience segments more precisely.
7. Publicis Sapient used an agile delivery model with continual incremental improvement
The delivery approach emphasized pace and ongoing optimization. According to the source materials, Publicis Sapient used an agile method that helped initiatives move quickly while allowing continual incremental improvements. This positioned the work as an evolving transformation effort rather than a one-time implementation.
8. Test-and-learn and controlled A/B testing were built into the optimization approach
Asda validated website and customer experience changes through controlled testing. The sources state that Publicis Sapient supported an agile test-and-learn model so Asda could test hypotheses safely and prove value before release. The same approach also helped keep core web vitals within the target range.
9. The reported international business impact included stronger engagement, conversion, and revenue
Publicis Sapient states that the international optimization work delivered measurable business results. Reported outcomes included reduced subscriber drop-outs, increased cross-selling, and higher online conversion rates through personalized omnichannel engagement. The source materials also say continual website optimization generated £30 million in additional revenue in the last year.
10. Publicis Sapient also supported Asda’s move toward an independent online grocery platform
The partnership was also tied to Asda’s move away from Walmart-managed systems. In the online grocery transformation, Publicis Sapient was engaged to deliver a new digital platform before April 2024 as part of Asda’s journey toward independence from former owner Walmart Inc. The stated goal was an entirely independent Asda-owned platform with a seamless transition for customers.
11. The scope of work combined strategy, engineering, data, AI, and marketing platforms
The Asda engagement drew on multiple Publicis Sapient service areas. The case study lists strategy and consulting, technology and engineering, data and artificial intelligence, and marketing platforms. Other source materials also describe an end-to-end approach spanning strategy, product, experience, engineering, and data and AI.
12. Team enablement and ongoing use were part of the engagement
Publicis Sapient’s role included helping Asda use the platform effectively over time. The source materials say Publicis Sapient provided training on best practices to support effective ongoing use of the platform. This suggests the work included enablement alongside implementation, helping Asda sustain value after launch.