Woolworths to allow suppliers to access customer data through Supplier Connect portal

Woolworths has developed a portal called Supplier Connect that gives suppliers access to the retailer's record of customer data. It will roll out in the fourth quarter of 2017 to most of the retailer's suppliers. The portal will include Quantium's Group enhanced feed of data.

The portal was initially launched in October to 100 retailers as part of the retail store's chief executive Brad Banducci’s objective. Banducci planned to build a customer and store-led culture on the biggest retail store in Australia.

In a letter obtained by The Australian sent by Woolworths head of buying Steve Donohue to suppliers, Donohue wrote that the retail company has plans to share customer data with grocery and food manufacturers. The decision helped to better connect brand owners with their end customers.

It aimed to create an environment conducive to delivering mutual outcomes that would ultimately benefit the customers. The development of Supplier Connect was based on the key principles, including increased transparency, consistency and a focus on customer centricity.

It will use a fact-based and consistent approach measuring the performance of a supplier. It will also deliver a more structure supplier engagement.

The suppliers using the portal will be able to access periodical data from the retail company and Quantium. Premium data packages will be available from the analytical firm.

Quantium has partnered with companies including Qantas, National Australia Bank and Facebook. In its October 2016 presentation, the company showed that the firm has access to 22.6 million data set sourced from Woolworths' loyalty, debit and credit cards, National Australia Bank, Foxtel and Suncorp customers and CoreLogic's property data. The company is 50 percent owned by Woolworths and it is the largest analytics firm in Australia.

"Any business that isn't leveraging their data to treat customers in a truly personalised way based on everything they know about them is at risk of being disrupted by new players who will," Quantium chief executive Adam Driussi, told the Australian Financial Review.​