Raymond’s presence is also strong across major e-commerce platforms, and the brand operates its own direct-to-consumer (D2C) website. Ravi Hudda, Chief Technology Officer at Raymond highlights the extensive reach, saying, “If you combine all retail touchpoints, we have more than 20,000 across the country.”
Harnessing AI for Enhanced Consumer Understanding
As Raymond expanded its omnichannel footprint, it became evident that deeper insights into consumer behavior were necessary. To achieve this, the company turned to Staqu, an AI-powered retail analytics platform. Hudda explains, “We all know that AI has huge potential. When a consumer visits our website, we get full insights—where they come from, what pages they land on, what products they view, and their conversion rates. But what about in-store? We wanted to understand consumer journeys in our stores—when they arrive, who they are, how much time they spend, and their conversion rates.”
Staqu’s Jarvis, a video analytics tool, proved to be the perfect solution. Atul Rai, Co-founder and CEO of Staqu, shares how Raymond made the most of its existing infrastructure: “Raymond already had cameras in its stores, so the idea was to leverage this existing infrastructure. We connected the feed to the cloud, where Jarvis analyzes the data. The AI tracks footfall, identifies unique visitors (excluding employees), and analyzes consumer behavior within the store.”
This technology gives Raymond the ability to create heatmaps of different store sections, track which products draw the most attention, and measure how long consumers engage with these items. Rai adds, “This is information you typically get from online shopping, but offline stores were missing out on it. Now, cameras play a powerful role in providing this data, helping the company optimize their store layouts and product placements.”
Balancing Technology with Consumer Privacy
With the increased use of AI and data analytics, privacy is a crucial concern. Both Hudda and Rai stress that Raymond is deeply committed to protecting consumer privacy. Rai explains, “In India, we follow GDPR guidelines, even though there isn’t a data protection law in place yet. We’re the only company in the country that is GDPR compliant, getting audited monthly to ensure we’re up to standard.”
The data collected by Jarvis is carefully anonymized, ensuring no personally identifiable information (PII) is included. “We do not collect data related to faces or any other re-identifiable markers,” Rai clarifies. “The data is stored on Raymond’s cloud, and Staqu does not have access to it. This ensures that Raymond maintains full control over their consumer data, safeguarding it within their firewall.”
Hudda likens the approach to a “watchman sitting outside the store counting the number of people entering. He’s not interested in faces, just the numbers. That’s how we use AI—purely to enhance consumer experience without compromising privacy.”
Measuring the Impact of AI
For Raymond, the integration of AI is not just about staying at the forefront of technology; it’s about achieving measurable results. “Any investment in technology is measured on ROI,” Hudda asserts. “For instance, if I have two stores in different locations and one has a lower conversion rate, I can analyze whether customers are not spending enough time in the right sections or if our staff needs better training in cross-selling and upselling.”
Additionally, the insights gained from Jarvis help Raymond make informed decisions about store displays, visual merchandising, and marketing campaigns. “My marketing dollars are becoming more efficient because I can measure the impact of each campaign,” Hudda explains. “I can refine those campaigns to create better footfalls and conversions.”
Embracing Future Innovations
Raymond is not stopping with AI-powered analytics. The brand is actively exploring new technological innovations to further enhance the customer experience. “We are working on multiple generative AI solutions to make the consumer journey easier, more interactive, and engaging,” Hudda reveals. While he keeps specific details under wraps, it’s evident that the company is poised to make significant advancements in the coming quarters.
As Raymond continues to evolve, embracing technology and innovation, the brand remains rooted in its legacy while preparing for what lies ahead. By integrating AI and omnichannel strategies, Raymond is not only meeting consumer expectations but also setting new standards in the retail industry.
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