The first episode of data science company Dunnhumby’s new online reality show, The Prophets of Aisle Six, aired on Tuesday.
Tesco-owned Dunnhumby’s series will focus on innovation in the food retail industry, with a particular focus on the US market. The show will tour North America and feature some of the world’s most recognisable brands, exploring the biggest challenges facing retailers and investigating how they are using data to achieve their goals.
In partnership with Retail Leader, a trade media outlet for senior managers in the retail food and allied industries, Dunnhumby will use the series to highlight the power of data science and get under the skin of some of North America’s most prominent grocery brands.
Once aired, each episode will be available upon demand. In episode one Jose Gomes, managing director of North America for Dunnhumby, visits Raley’s Supermarkets to find out how the company is using data to help customers make healthier eating decisions. The next episode will see Gomes talk to Heinen’s Grocery Stores about how it leverages data to improve customer experiences.
“So much of the last year has focused on the gloom and doom of some of the changes occurring in the retail market,” explained Gomes.
“There is a growing groundswell of retailers that are not only reimagining what it means to be a retailer, but also how they can embrace data and technology to better meet the needs of today’s consumers. I am excited to have the opportunity to meet with a diverse range of retailers and showcase how they are addressing key challenges to propel their businesses further.”
Dunnhumby operates the Tesco Clubcard, which is widely credited with transforming the loyalty scheme landscape in the UK grocery market when it launched in the mid-1990s.
Two years ago Tesco aimed to sell off the data science arm, as it offloaded a raft of subsidiaries, but the supermarket chain cancelled the potential sale after suitors failed to meet its valuation. It was all change at Dunnhumby earlier this year when long-term CEO Simon Hay left the business and was replaced by Guillaume Bacuvier.
