Family-owned conglomerate Gulf Marketing Group (GMG) is embarking on a wide-ranging Digital Transformation project that will enhance its operations across its various business divisions as part of its international growth strategy.
GMG is transitioning towards unified commerce through a customer-first approach to bring together the front-end experience and back-end applications to better organise and analyse data to derive meaningful customer experiences. Using ultramodern architecture, the company aims to build a technological foundation to improve business resilience and agility.
As a part of a company-wide Digital Transformation strategy, GMG will adopt a cloud-first approach and leverage advanced data-intelligence solutions, including Big Data and analytics to drive innovations and product development. In addition, the Digital Transformation will enable GMG to capitalise on new business opportunities at a time when the conglomerate continues to diversify its operations across sectors such as sports, healthcare and food, while also opening new offices in the Middle East and growing its footprint in Southeast Asia.
Sunil Nair, Group CIO, GMG, said: “GMG’s business has rapidly expanded in the past few years and the group has an ambitious growth plan set for the next five years. As a strategy, Digital Transformation is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’ but a ‘must-have’ to future-proof business. At GMG, we will move the necessary levers of change management, processes, practices, technology and talent to continuously develop and scale our internal capabilities and skills to increase our business resilience and better adapt to a dynamic world. Guided by GMG’s customer-first approach, we are leveraging next-generation technologies to not only better understand, but also better serve our customers across our omnichannel, whether they are in-store or online.”
The company has already been embracing advanced digital solutions across its business portfolio, working with partners such as Salesforce, SAP and PwC in recent years. This is in addition to over 150 experts now working in-house to support GMG’s Digital Transformation agenda. GMG’s latest phase of Digital Transformation investments is focused on three key business objectives – enhancing the customer journey, delivering high-quality customer care, and improving access to inventory across approximately 550 stores worldwide.
Mohammad A. Baker, Deputy Chairman and CEO, GMG, added: “Digital Transformation for GMG is about looking beyond marginal enhancements and rethink processes, creating a connected engagement enabled by the meaningful application of technology. At GMG, we always challenge ourselves to look at innovative ways to bring added value to our partners and customers. Our latest Digital Transformation project will allow us to not only optimise our business operations but deliver an enhanced customer experience across our diverse portfolio of companies.”
GMG has been bolstering its omnichannel retail strategy to capitalise on the region’s e-commerce boom, with nearly half of consumers in the region likely to increase their online shopping this year compared to last year. Earlier this year, GMG deployed an expanded omnichannel ecosystem that enhances customers’ accessibility to leading GMG sports brands through digital and mobile-commerce platforms. Such efforts have helped GMG Sports to maintain its position as the largest sports retailer in the MENA region, with its online sales more than doubling in volume between 2019 and 2020.
Today, GMG oversees a diverse portfolio of businesses ranging from sports, healthcare, food and logistics. The company has introduced more than 90 brands into the Middle East, including Nike, Vans, Columbia and North Face. GMG has also created quality-driven homegrown brands such as the Middle East’s largest sports retailer Sun and Sand Sports, leading healthcare brand Supercare Pharmacy, food brand Farm Fresh, and logistics provider Trilogi.
Under the ownership and management of the Baker family, GMG has become one of the Middle East’s leading family-owned holding companies affiliated with the world’s most successful and respected brands. Operating across the GCC region and internationally, GMG has introduced several brands into the Middle East, while also creating reliable and quality-driven homegrown brands.
