IBM iX for METRO: Transforming the global customer experience

Together with METRO, IBM iX developed a modular campaign framework based on the Adobe Customer Data Platform (CDP) and Adobe Journey Optimizer. The CDP centrally bundles customer data from all countries and allows for real-time analytics, so that marketing campaigns can be precisely tailored to individual customer segments. This significantly increases personalisation and efficiency. Customers receive highly personalised campaigns: the recommended products or special offers are based entirely on their past purchasing and user behaviour and also consider factors like seasonal promotions.

Five scalable use cases marked the beginning of the new setup: onboarding, upselling and cross-selling, multi-channel activation, churn prevention and reactivation. These journeys were set up centrally, adapted locally and linked to uniform KPIs. The implementation included the technical integration and harmonisation of data sources from over 30 countries. Special focus was given to real-time campaign management, which allows content to be dynamically adapted to changes in customer preferences or market conditions.

A particular challenge was designing the rollout in such a way that even countries without in-depth CRM know-how could immediately start implementation. This resulted in measurable efficiency gains, a faster go-to-market and a more consistent, data-based customer engagement across all channels.

Customer centricity is strategically anchored at METRO. Together with IBM iX, a holistic Voice-of-the-Customer ecosystem based on the leading experience management and feedback analysis platform Qualtrics was built over six months in 2024. The objective was to make customer feedback visible and operationally usable throughout the entire customer journey—from data collection to automated evaluations and real-time reactions.

The starting point was the migration of the previous solution (Medallia) to Qualtrics to achieve more flexibility, better integration and greater agility in feedback processing. To this end, a touchpoint model was developed to define the most impactful customer feedback points—for example, post-purchase, during returns, loyalty programmes or during service contracts.

Based on this, a modular survey system was created that can be rolled out individually and evaluated centrally in over 20 METRO countries. Integration with the Adobe Experience Platform (AEP) makes it possible to intelligently connect feedback data and customer profiles and trigger targeted, personalised measures—for example, in campaign management, product range optimisation or service quality.

Individual dashboards, alert systems and follow-up procedures ensure high transparency and responsiveness in all countries. Feedback is not only collected but leveraged strategically for continuous improvements across the entire customer experience.

With the growing demand for content in marketing, CRM, SEO and e-commerce, METRO teams were increasingly reaching their capacity limits. New markets required a quick availability of texts in different languages, formats and target group variants. Manual processes could no longer keep up with these requirements.

Together with IBM iX, an AI-supported content workbench based on watsonx.ai was developed as part of a PoC in 2024. In close collaboration, SEO experts from METRO HQ, METRO Germany and IBM iX created an interface based on pre-configured prompts.

Local marketers can enter structured briefings and receive automated, editable suggestions for headlines, outlines, product descriptions, email content or SEO texts – taking into account desired key topics or current events like the Oktoberfest.

The combination of AI-generated suggestions and editorial control allows for quick and consistent content production for all markets. Quality, tonality and legal compliance are guaranteed by an integrated approval process that requires every AI-generated draft to undergo human review.

The PoC is the basis for the continued use of artificial intelligence in METRO campaigns. Thanks to its simple usability and reliable results, it achieved a high acceptance rate in the METRO team. The project marks an important step in the operationalisation of AI: central standards, well thought-out processes and initial integrations ensure efficiency, security and scalability in content production and enable real-time campaign rollouts and adaptations based on customer and market data.