Japanese retailer Muji looked to find ways to mine and act on data in a timely matter to keep up with today’s short-on-time consumer and found it with unified customer profiles.

In an age where personalization can make or break a retailer, it is imperative for retailers with a digital presence to act on the bevy of data of at their disposal. Muji was able to streamline this data by breaking down its silos and leveraging its mobile application.

“Through its work with Treasure Data, MUJI built a loyalty app that both personalized and unified the shopping experience across MUJI’s 700 plus brick-and-mortar locations and eCommerce site,” said Kiyoto Tamura, head of marketing for Treasure Data. “The app has become the connective tissue between online browsing and offline buying for customers.

“Integrating MUJI’s data channels has unlocked a more tailored experience for each user, who can receive individualized coupons based on purchase and browsing history and physical location; not to mention peruse the catalog, communicate with the brand, scan in-store displays for loyalty points, and more,” he said.

Muji partnered with Treasure Data to create the solution.

Muji and data
The Japanese retailer had too much data that it was not able to process it all in a timely and useful manner. Muji looked to Treasure Data to help ease data management.

More than 8 million online events daily from 10 million visitors and 4.6 million app users was pulling in data for Muji, which was too much to process. An analytic program was built to funnel this data into a single stream, instead of separated silos.

The solution from Treasure Data allows Muji to get a clear picture of each individual shopper that is completely personalized. In response to the data, Muji then shares personalized coupons and rewards points, it calls “shopping points,” to drive spending.

Muji’s Passport app is the driver in these moments, where consumers can access their rewards and coupons to redeem in stores. Through the use of data and the app, Muji has acquired a 100 percent increase in coupon redemption across all locations.

Over the last few years, Muji has increased 2 percent in revenue. The positive results started coming in within the first couple of months.

In upcoming campaigns, Muji and Treasure Data will begin leveraging geolocation from mobile users to push consumers into local stores.

Retailers and data
Similarly, HotelTonight was the latest travel marketer to foray into mobile loyalty, opting to roll out a new in-application feature called HT Perks, which lets users unlock bigger discounts based on the amount they spend.

The booking platform is offering frequent customers an easier way to access special offers – by encouraging them to reach specific spending thresholds in exchange for receiving tiered rewards. The HT Perks feature employs a video game-like angle to inspire app users to reach each level, suggesting that gamified loyalty is still a top revenue-driver for travel brands (see more).

Also, Mondelez International’s Cadbury brand recently teamed up with Mac’s Convenience Stores to reward shoppers for logging into the locations’ Wi-Fi, driving a 14 percent increase in coupon redemptions and a 25 percent increase in customer loyalty.

Cadbury sought to fuel penetration among the millennial audience and incite more in-store purchases of its products by collaborating with mobile location marketing platform Turnstyle to send targeted offers to individuals who logged onto the convenience stores’ Wi-Fi. All three of the parties involved were able to glean valuable insights into customers’ purchase behaviors, which consequently helped inform future marketing initiatives (see more).

“Treasure Data enabled MUJI to understand its customers and their journeys from online to in store better than ever, and act on that with personalized targeting and experiences, leading to a 100 percent increase in coupon redemption across all locations, more in-store foot traffic, and an overall 46 percent increase in revenue over the past two years,” Mr. Tamura said.