In today’s hyper-competitive retail landscape, digital transformation is not a one-size-fits-all journey. Retailers across EMEA, APAC, and North America face distinct market dynamics, regulatory environments, and consumer behaviors. At Publicis Sapient, we understand that true engineering transformation requires both global scale and local nuance—enabling retailers to modernize, innovate, and lead in every region they serve.
Retailers worldwide are grappling with the need to integrate omnichannel experiences, modernize legacy systems, harness data and AI, and scale platforms to support rapid growth. Yet, the path to transformation is shaped by regional realities:
Publicis Sapient’s approach is rooted in our SPEED methodology—Strategy, Product, Experience, Engineering, and Data & AI—ensuring every engagement is holistic, outcome-driven, and tailored to local market needs.
In EMEA, retailers must navigate a patchwork of consumer preferences and regulatory frameworks. Our work with Carrefour, one of the world’s largest hypermarket chains, exemplifies how agile engineering can drive transformation at scale. Facing declining foot traffic and rising digital expectations, Carrefour partnered with Publicis Sapient to unify its fragmented digital assets and accelerate e-commerce growth.
By introducing a scaled delivery model and breaking down organizational silos, we helped Carrefour consolidate over 350 projects into agile squads. The result: a new e-commerce platform launched in just six months, a 1.5x increase in conversion rates, and the ability to deliver enhancements daily without downtime. Today, Carrefour’s teams measure, iterate, and swiftly react to customer feedback—setting a new standard for customer-centric, evidence-based transformation in EMEA retail.
APAC’s retail markets are defined by their diversity and speed. Here, cloud adoption and platform modernization are essential to meet the demands of mobile-first consumers and fast-growing digital economies. Publicis Sapient’s global delivery model, with significant engineering centers in India and across Asia, enables us to bring world-class talent and agile practices to every project.
For a leading global retailer expanding its online grocery business into APAC, we developed a scalable e-commerce solution integrated with in-store capabilities. The rollout was completed in just 14 months, enabling rapid market entry and seamless customer experiences. By leveraging microservices, API-driven architectures, and cloud-native platforms, we empowered the retailer to scale quickly, optimize supply chain operations, and respond to surges in demand—such as doubling online orders and delivery slots in less than a week during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In North America, the retail battleground is defined by data, agility, and customer experience. Publicis Sapient has partnered with leading U.S. grocers and specialty retailers to modernize platforms, harness data, and deliver personalized, omnichannel experiences.
For a top U.S. grocery chain, we built a digital marketing platform and customer data platform that enabled real-time personalization and campaign optimization. The result: a 25% increase in conversion, 75% faster campaign curation, and a 4x increase in data processing volume. In another case, we helped a major sports retailer migrate to a cloud-based commerce platform, achieving 170% faster order processing during peak periods and zero site downtime.
Our expertise in cloud transformation is further demonstrated by migrating a large retailer’s legacy commerce system to Google Cloud Platform, resulting in a 25x increase in system enhancement frequency, 50% reduction in development costs, and an 80% decrease in on-premise expenses.
Across all regions, several best practices underpin successful engineering transformation:
Publicis Sapient is recognized as a leader in retail engineering transformation by industry analysts and clients alike. Our global reach, deep local expertise, and proven SPEED methodology empower retailers to modernize, innovate, and lead—wherever they operate. Whether scaling agile engineering in EMEA, enabling cloud-native growth in APAC, or driving data-driven personalization in North America, we deliver transformation that is both global in ambition and local in execution.
Ready to unlock growth through engineering transformation? Connect with Publicis Sapient’s experts and discover how agile teams and modern platforms can future-proof your retail business—anywhere in the world.