Securely data integration via DataSpider Cloud and a closed network to build a customer information infrastructure for one-to-one marketing

Kintetsu Department Store Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Kintetsu Department Store) operates 13 department stores and commercial facilities in the Kansai area, and is working to transform its business model in order to create and provide new value in line with changes in consumer behavior and lifestyles. For example, its flagship store, Abeno Harukas Kintetsu Main Store, is leveraging its existing strengths while challenging itself to create a new floor plan that combines food and miscellaneous goods, and it is aiming to transform its regional anchor stores and suburban stores into complex commercial service facilities that combine lifestyle functions, commercial functions, and community functions.

One of these initiatives is One to One Marketing, which involves marketing tailored to the needs of each individual customer. Salesforce Marketing Cloud was introduced as the platform, and DataSpider Cloud was adopted to data integration with existing systems. A secure data integration platform based on a closed network was created for handling customer information.

Benefits of implementation

Taking on the challenge of one-to-one marketing while exploring new business models

Kintetsu Department Store operates 13 department stores and commercial facilities. The company was exploring new business models to address the accelerating changes in consumer behavior and lifestyles due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of these initiatives is one-to-one marketing, which delivers information tailored to each individual customer's needs. This requires anticipating customer behavior and thoughts and developing measures to improve satisfaction. Furthermore, while approaching customers through various channels, centralized management of measures is required to avoid undermining customer satisfaction by approaching them individually through different channels. Because these were not fully covered by their existing systems, the company decided to implement the Salesforce Marketing Cloud marketing platform and build a new customer information infrastructure.

"One of the issues we faced was data integration from our existing on-premise data warehouse (DWH). We needed to integrate sales and purchase history linked to customers, as well as usage data for the apps we provide, and we began to consider how to do this," says Iritani.

IP-VPN support and HULFT interface were the deciding factors in selecting DataSpider Cloud

When considering data integration, compatibility with closed networks was a requirement. "We wanted to avoid internet-based integration because we would be exchanging customer information," says Iritani. While considering multiple ETL tools, DataSpider Cloud emerged as a candidate. While many tools are internet-only, DataSpider Cloud supports IP-VPN. Its ease of use, allowing conversion processes to be implemented without coding, and its ability to provide various controls, such as external trigger activation, were also attractive, and the choice was narrowed down to DataSpider Cloud at an early stage. "We use HULFT for on-premise system integration, and HULFT interface was the deciding factor. HULFT 's high stability gave us a great deal of trust in the vendor, so we thought we could do no wrong," says Iritani.

With the support of the NTT Group, data integration over a closed network is realized

The company was helped by the full support of the NTT Group during the implementation. "We knew that DataSpider Cloud was compatible with IP-VPN, but we didn't know how to implement it specifically. After researching, we found that the only service that could connect to the Salesforce infrastructure via an IP-VPN network was Flexible Inter Connect (FIC) provided by NTT Communications," says Iritani. FIC is a next-generation interconnect service that securely connects various cloud services via IP-VPN, allowing connections to Salesforce, AWS, and other services from bases and data centers via FIC. Since the company had previously been using NTT lines for its network, the company consulted with them. After careful consideration, the company decided to use FIC based on NTT Communications' IP-VPN network and build DataSpider Cloud on AWS to achieve data integration. "DataSpider Cloud was also provided by NTT Technocross, an NTT Group company, so we were able to work closely together and coordinate within the group to move forward with the build," says Iritani.

Implementation was achieved in a short period of time, enabling information to be sent tailored to each customer

The implementation was extremely speedy, taking just 3.5 months from the start of consideration, and they were able to complete it in time for the October 2021 release. "The implementation of data integration in DataSpider Cloud was handled by a Salesforce Marketing Cloud construction vendor, but NTT Technocross was able to quickly and thoroughly answer any questions or concerns we had. We were on a tight schedule, but they responded quickly, including adjusting the lines, and we are very grateful for that," said Iritani.

With the necessary infrastructure in place, it is now possible to design scenarios for each customer, from sending direct mail and push notifications via the app to viewing and purchasing (using coupons), optimizing the approach and planning measures to increase satisfaction.In addition, by centrally managing customer information and promotion history, such as "what kind of promotion was implemented" and "what kind of response was there," the company is expecting various benefits, such as making communication itself more enjoyable for customers.

I want to use it as data integration platform that connects with various clouds

With the foundation for data integration over an IP-VPN network now in place, it is expected that it will also be useful for future data integration. FIC can connect to a variety of services, including Azure, and by combining it with DataSider Cloud, data integration over a closed network will become much easier. "We currently use multiple SaaS services and cloud services such as Azure and Oracle Cloud, but data integration is always an issue. We consider how to transfer data and come up with suitable methods, such as setting up relay servers each time, but using a different method for each cloud service is not ideal. We have now created an environment based on FIC and DataSpider Cloud that allows data integration with a variety of cloud services in a closed network. We are still in the trial and error stage, but we believe that this system can be used as data integration platform" says Iritani.

Furthermore, as systems move to the cloud, opportunities for employees to work outside the company are also increasing. "Zero trust security has been a hot topic recently, and our company is also gradually moving forward with initiatives such as introducing EDR. We plan to develop both systems and infrastructure so that we can flexibly respond to various work styles and new technologies," says Iritani.

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