During 2020, GNC went through both bankruptcy and the retail turmoil of COVID-19. However, the company has already emerged and is driving positive business trends thanks to a newfound focus on innovative technology and customer personalization. GNC is using Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Azure to break down data silos and create a single source of truth about customers so that it can produce highly individualized and relevant messaging. The company is rolling out Dynamics 365 Customer Insights and planning to implement additional applications such as Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management to optimize warehouse and inventory management.
“With Dynamics 365, our increased knowledge of individual customer journeys will further strengthen our customer relationships and turn GNC into people’s primary destination for health and wellness.”
Scott Saeger, Chief Information Officer, GNC
Using technology to put the customer first
Like many retailers, the nutrition and wellness experts at GNC had a rough year in 2020. Beyond the widespread industry challenges related to COVID-19, the company filed for bankruptcy and emerged under new ownership only four months later. Along with this rebirth came a heightened focus on using technology to deliver highly individualized and meaningful customer experiences.
“In the past, we didn’t put sufficient emphasis on funding technology to help drive the business,” says Scott Saeger, Chief Information Officer at GNC. “But our new ownership team understands that technology can be the catalyst for a lot of exciting changes, and they’re willing to make significant investments to achieve that.”
This new technology strategy is hyper-focused on better understanding customers and finding ways to propel them along their personal wellness journeys. “We need to put the customer at the heart of everything we do,” says Lauren Mannetti, Vice President, Marketing, at GNC. “We want to deliver a consistent omnichannel experience that meets the customer where they are and serves up information that they will truly find useful.”
Breaking down data silos for a unified customer view
Traditionally, GNC found it difficult to gain a single source of truth about its customers to communicate with them efficiently and effectively. The company had data in different systems that didn’t all talk to each other easily. This siloed data affected not only customer communications but also internal progress like gaining real-time insight into store inventory.
To overcome these blockers, GNC enlisted the help of Microsoft after evaluating other leading cloud platform and solution providers. “When you go through bankruptcy, you learn who your real friends are,” says Saeger. “Some companies turned their backs, but Microsoft was willing to work closely with us—not just on the technology side but on the business strategy side as well. They really went the extra mile to invest in our success.”
GNC uses the Microsoft Azure cloud platform and has begun deploying several Microsoft Dynamics 365 cloud-based business applications. GNC appreciates the fact that Dynamics 365 apps draw from a unified data model and work seamlessly with each other and across the company’s heterogenous landscape.
“Implementing Dynamics 365 is almost plug and play because of all the application and data coordination that Microsoft has already done,” says Saeger. “And with the built-in connectors, we can easily link to our Salesforce e-commerce solution much faster than if we had to make the connections ourselves.”
GNC has begun its Dynamics 365 deployment with Dynamics 365 Customer Insights to replace its disjointed customer data ecosystem, which has sometimes negatively affected customer experiences. By connecting its many different data sources and using the app’s built-in AI, the company can get a deeper understanding of its customers and how and when to act to meet their needs. GNC is currently doing the preliminary work to optimize the architecture and expects to go into production later in 2021. The company is working with Microsoft Partner Network members Fractal and enVista on the implementation.
“With Dynamics 365 Customer Insights, we’re going to have a single, reliable view of each customer that updates in real time,” says Mannetti. “We’ll use the AI capabilities in Customer Insights to better define our customer segments and ensure that every customer gets the right communication at the right time.”
Exploring further possibilities for omnichannel promotion
GNC runs a customer loyalty program, myGNC Rewards, that currently has 25 million members. The company started its Customer Insights project with these 25 million customer profiles and will use Customer Insights to manage and track its loyalty members’ activities, drive promotions, and enlist new loyalty members. “We expect to provide our customers with a highly personalized experience tailored to their wellness journey,” says Mannetti. “Whether they’re an 18-year-old high school athlete or a 70-year-old retiree, we want them to get the right message about products, programs, or deals that will appeal to them. We chose Customer Insights because with it, we have the data infrastructure to really do that right.”
GNC has begun plans to implement Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management for warehouse and inventory management and is currently evaluating Dynamics 365 Finance for enterprise resource planning. The company’s overall digital transformation has also involved a thorough overhaul of its POS systems with help from Microsoft Partner Network member Xenia Retail to further enhance the omnichannel experience for customers.
GNC’s investment in technology transformation is already paying off. “Our continued success is because of the strategic relationship with Microsoft and decisions made to always put our consumers first by taking advantage of improved capabilities and experiences within Dynamics 365,” says Saeger. “With Dynamics 365, our increased knowledge of individual customer journeys will further strengthen our customer relationships and turn GNC into people’s primary destination for health and wellness.”
“Implementing Dynamics 365 is almost plug and play because of all the application and data coordination that Microsoft has already done.”
Scott Saeger, Chief Information Officer, GNC
Beginning September 1, 2023, Dynamics 365 Marketing and Dynamics 365 Customer Insights will merge into a single offering under Dynamics 365 Customer Insights. Learn more about the evolution of Dynamics 365 Customer Insights.
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