Nike acquires Celect, adds to data science team
Nike said it is acquiring Celect, a retail analytics company, to build out its data science skills for its Consumer Direct Offense plan.
The purchase of Celect follows last year's acquisition of Zodiac, a consumer data analytics company.
Nike's Consumer Direct Offense strategy aims to develop products faster with personalization at scale. Nike also has to focus on selling direct and owning the customer relationship, given the economic challenges in the retail industry.
Eric Sprunk, operating chief at Nike, said that Celect accelerates its digital plan and gives it more data science talent.
Celect has intellectual property in data science and software engineering. Celect's cloud analytics platform enables retailers to optimize inventory across channels. Here's Celect's platform in a nutshell.
According to Nike, Celect's team will be integrated into its global operations team. The co-founders of Celect will remain professors at MIT and consult with Nike.
In addition to acquihires, Nike is looking to add data scientists on multiple fronts such as personalization and supply chain.
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