Lowe's taps former Amazon exec for first chief digital officer role
Home improvement chain Lowe's has nabbed an e-commerce exec from Amazon to become its first-ever chief digital officer -- a relatively new role in corporate taxonomy that's increasingly driving digital transformation efforts.
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Vikram Singh is charged with accelerating the company's "digital evolution" into a fully integrated retailer with seamless connections between in-store, online, and mobile shopping. He'll also work to better integrate Lowe's digital efforts with its supply chain and marketing operations.
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"We're making strategic investments in digital to become even faster at anticipating customer needs and providing relevant solutions leveraging technology," said Michael McDermott, chief customer officer at Lowe's.
"Digital is the fabric of a fully integrated customer experience, from project inspiration to customer relationship management to how we present products and services and create engaging content. We're excited to have Vikram at the helm leading the next stage of our digital journey."
Lowe's, along with rival Home Depot, is bulking up on technology initiatives that at first might seem out of place for a home improvement retailer. For instance, Lowe's recently stepped up its use of augmented reality with the launch of two apps that leverage capabilities in Apple's ARKit.
The technology is a continuation on Lowe's augmented, virtual and mixed reality testing in its stores, beginning with the Holoroom debut in 2014, followed by the launch of Lowe's Vision app last November, to the recent introduction of its In-Store Navigation app in March. The common thread through all of the apps is an effort to solve problems posed by visualization. On the business side, Lowe's can also pitch its AR functionality to the likes of real estate brokers, interior designers, and contractors as a tool to close deals, create budgets, and outline projects.
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