Client Success Story

In an era of retail transformation, the “new retail” strategy is a top priority for most retail businesses, and Yonghui Superstores had forged its own version. However, because “new retail” was still an emerging concept, the company needed to verify that its strategy could meet current as well as future business needs. The goals were to:

• Develop a strategy aligned with business goals
• Increase business flexibility across different divisions
• Stay ahead of industry trends and make use of peer best-practices

Gartner experts met with Yonghui executives in person to identify business needs and offer specific research based on this analysis. The Gartner team supported developing a best-fit cloud infrastructure, and local Gartner experts specializing in edge computing, cloud computing and Docker; an enterprise container platform, shared research on SaaS and PaaS. In addition, Gartner Hype Cycles provided insight relevant to the company’s application scenarios.

Several cross-industry CIO seminars hosted by Gartner and the Gartner CIO Summit in Shanghai provided opportunities for peer best-practice sharing and insight into the application of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and blockchain in the retail industry.

The new strategy and digital upgrade created a more flexible IT infrastructure in line with business goals and enabled the company to keep up with market shifts and proactively prepare for the future. The long-term relationship with Gartner equipped Yonghui with access to research and insight as needed to stay ahead of changes in the marketplace. Continuing engagement created confidence to face uncertainty around technology and business in the ever-changing retail landscape.

Today, Yonghui looks forward to deeper collaboration and continuing timely exchanges with Gartner to help prepare for what’s next in technology and the retail business. “We believe Gartner will help Yonghui Superstores connect with and activate the ecosystem in the retail industry, and advance the ‘new retail’-oriented transformation,” says Xie Xiupeng.