Business Daily Media

Men's Weekly

.

Microsoft supports Inchcape on its data-driven digitalization journey with Azure 

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 16 March 2023 - In a digital-first world, enterprises are generating data at breakneck speed as they integrate technology into all areas of the business to adapt to market and digital disruptions.



Over the last few years, market changes in the automotive sector have created a growing value gap between manufacturers and consumers. Industry disruptions such as changing customer digital behavior, stricter ESG regulations, and the boom in demand for electric and hybrid vehicles have led companies to rethink their digital transformation strategy, with data and analytics at the heart of it.

To set the foundation for analytics success, global automotive distributor Inchcape turned to Microsoft for its business needs. Inchcape distributes and markets vehicles of some of the world's most popular brands like Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW to over 40 countries across six continents, including Singapore.

Hitting the accelerator on data transformation

Recognizing the value in embracing data-driven digitalization for predictive analytics in customer engagement, pricing optimization, and demand forecasting, the company established a new strategy called 'Accelerate', which had digital transformation at its heart. To build out its data and analytics capabilities, Inchcape sought out Microsoft Singapore's partner, Tiger Analytics Inc, to put its digital strategy into action.

Inchcape's platform of choice for a seamless omni-channel transformation was Microsoft Azure to leverage the company's existing SQL-based systems. Using Azure meant that migration and deployment of workloads could be automated, faster, and more agile compared to other platforms. In addition, Inchcape could access Databricks and Data Factory to facilitate efficient data transformation.

Navigating data-driven digitalization with Azure

Inchcape identified three areas for initial use cases for its data models, utilizing them as tools for making better business decisions. The first was a lead scoring tool centered around car sales built using the Azure Databricks Data Analytics Platform for customers. The solution allowed Inchcape to determine customers by their 'digital body language' based on website interactions, showroom visits and sales history.

The second use case was for after-sales churn prediction, which was tied to service warranties. By analyzing warranty and car servicing data, Inchcape could engage with customers proactively before they decide to leave.

The third was used in parts pricing optimization and profit maximization, which are tied to transactions with dealerships and shops. By evaluating parts transaction data, Inchcape can determine better opportunities to maximize product price elasticity.

Together with Tiger Analytics, Inchcape built a data analytics center of excellence, achieving a centralized approach to harnessing the power of data. "Data and analytics are at the heart of our Accelerate strategy to set our business up for success. Our leaders empowered us to build a central analytics team and pursue a modern analytical architecture that provides real-time and event-driven business intelligence and predictive analytics insights," says Ram Thilak, Global Head of Data Science & Analytics at Inchcape. "Effective use of Microsoft products helped accelerate delivery and future-proof Inchcape's data management strategy," says Lakshmi Vaideeswaran, VP and Client Partner for Inchcape.

"For instance, having centralized data resulted in a 75 percent improvement in data accessibility across the organization, which fed into day-to-day decision-making. Furthermore, the implementation of Azure Purview helped Inchcape manage metadata, eliminate KPI discrepancies, and support end-to-end data pipelines for advanced analytics and reporting. Azure also provided Inchcape with visibility over cloud use so the company could scale up or down cost-efficiently."

Charting sustainable growth with analytics

As the company plans to expand its analytics capabilities across the business, Inchcape's central analytics team has grown from 20 to 150 employees globally.

Inchcape also established a long-term analytics roadmap to unlock the true value of data and drive its digital strategy well into the future. Learning from the initial use cases, the company is now evaluating 20 more possible use cases to establish how data can be leveraged for business intelligence.

Lee Hui Li, Managing Director of Microsoft Singapore said "data and AI continue to play a prominent role in supporting businesses on their digitalization journey. Microsoft's tools and technologies are designed to benefit everyone, and that includes helping our customers better organize and make sense of their data. As a global leader in cloud and digital technology, we are proud to partner enterprises across industries and help them gear up for success, as we empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more."

Hashtag: #Microsoft

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

News from Asia

DL Holdings Solidifies Web3.0 with "3-Phase" Plan

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 24 July 2025 - Recently, DL Holdings Group (1709.HK) has entered into strategic cooperation agreements with ViaBTC, Asseto, and Rich Dragon Consultants, w...

ONYX Hospitality Group Reinforces Long-Term Commitment to Key Market Japan Through Targeted Development Strategy

BANGKOK, THAILAND - Media OutReach Newswire - 24 July 2025 - ONYX Hospitality Group, the prominent management company in Southeast Asia specialising in hotels and resorts, serviced apartments and...

PRCA Thailand Conference 2025 to Explore "AI: Truth, Trust and Thailand"

BANGKOK, THAILAND - Media OutReach Newswire - 24 July 2025 - As artificial intelligence redefines how stories are told, trust is built, and reputations are managed, PRCA Thailand is calling on com...

DBS Launches Gen AI-Powered Coaching Tool to Future Proof Its Workforce

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 24 July 2025 - DBS announced today that it is democratising coaching for its workforce with the launch of iCoach, a Generative AI-powered (Gen AI) platfor...

BlueLink International CZ certified as one of the Best Places to Work in the Czech Republic for 2024: A testament to exemplary human capital practices

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC - Media OutReach Newswire - 24 July 2025 - BlueLink, a prominent provider of customer relationship management solutions, has been formally recognized as a "Best Place to Wor...

Bitcoin's surge & beyond: An Octa broker forecast

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - Media OutReach Newswire - 24 July 2025 - Bitcoin (BTC) has been rising almost uninterruptedly over the past three months, setting new all-time highs (ATH) essentially ever...

Unlocking trading flexibility: the power of Octa Broker's swap-free accounts

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - Media OutReach Newswire - 25 July 2025 - In a dynamic and somewhat dangerous world of currency trading, it is critical to understand every element that impacts your potent...

Citi Renews Coverage of Fosun International with a "Buy" Rating

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 25 July 2025 - Citi issued its latest report on 23 July, announcing the renewing coverage on Fosun International (00656.HK) with a "Buy" rating and a targ...

Far East Hospitality Strengthens its Presence in Japan with Two New Hotels in Osaka

Group enters Osaka with two Far East Village Hotels in Namba South and Honmachi districts, reinforcing its commitment to double its footprint to 2000 rooms in Japan.SINGAPORE - Media OutReach News...

VinFast launches all-electric VF 7 suv in Indonesia

JAKARTA, INDONESIA - Media OutReach Newswire - 23 July 2025 - VinFast today officially introduced and began sales of the VF 7, a C-segment all-electric SUV with right-hand drive, in Indonesia...

Chris Hancock AM Honoured as 2025 Communications Ambassador

SYDNEY Chris Hancock AM, former CEO of AARNet, has been awarded the prestigious Communications Ambassador title at the 2025 Telecommunications Indus...

Baby boomers are driving development feasibility leading to larger apartments

As residential developers continue to grapple with feasibility issues on apartment projects, the sector is struggling to deliver volumes of new st...

Hays launches FY25/26 Salary Guide: ‘Salary Paradox’ deepens as pay rises fail Australians

Rising dissatisfaction with pay, progression and perks is fuelling a new wave of career change in FY25/26, as Australians demand more from employe...

Australian Businesses Still Stuck in the AI Hype Cycle

Data Governance Failures, ROI Gaps and Unclear Strategy Slowing Progress Despite artificial intelligence (AI) dominating headlines and boardroom ag...

How to ensure your manufacturing business survives international tariff turmoil

Optimising your operations in FY2026 will help you combat the challenges of a volatile trading environment. Up, down, in out…Since the commence...

Why Apptio is Enhancing Visibility into AI and Hybrid Cloud

AI investments have become a strategic priority for business with the mindset that if you're not using AI, you're falling behind. But according to...

Sell by LayBy