Our company adeptly addresses the scalability needs of retailers
Intellicus is a leading data engineering and business intelligence (BI) product company, established in 2004, known for its customisable, modular solutions that serve over 17,000 enterprises worldwide. The company focuses heavily on R&D to innovate in data engineering and BI, supported by a team of over 200 specialist engineers and experts. In an interview with Fibre2Fashion, Director of Engineering Kavindra Singh discusses the role of data analytics and BI in retail.
How do you see the role of data analytics and business intelligence evolving in the textile and apparel industry, and what specific challenges and opportunities does it present for businesses in this sector?
The role of data analytics and business intelligence (BI) in the textile and apparel industry is characterised by three key aspects:
Handling Large Data Volumes: The industry has accumulated a vast amount of data over time, making it essential to have tools or products capable of processing such large datasets.
Managing Diverse Parameters and Attributes: There is a wide array of variations to consider, not just in products but also in the profiles of users, geographical areas, and other factors. The complexity of these variations presents a significant challenge that standard tools may struggle to address. Analytics tools can offer invaluable insights here, helping management understand customer preferences, investment areas, and strategic planning needs.
Adapting to Market Dynamics: The Indian market, particularly in the textile and apparel industry, is heavily export-oriented. This creates a dual demand dynamic: a domestic market increasingly shifting towards online and e-commerce models, and an international market. Domestic products tend to be more cost-effective, whereas for exports, quality may be a more significant factor than cost. Advanced analytics, BI, and ML can help businesses navigate these differences effectively, tailoring strategies to meet varied market demands.
Please provide an overview of Intellicus and its mission in the business intelligence and its analytics industry?
Intellicus, a company with a 20-year history, is dedicated to offering BI and analytics solutions across various sectors, including retail, production, appliances, banking, and finance. The firm’s mission is to serve as a comprehensive, enterprise-level platform, delivering end-to-end BI solutions. Intellicus aims to be the ultimate solution in the BI and analytics industry, providing a complete range of features and tools to meet the diverse needs of different domains. Our focus on versatility and comprehensive coverage distinguishes us as a key player in the BI field.
The company has come a long way since its founding in 2004. Could you share the key milestones and transformations it has experienced over the years?
Although we officially launched in 2004, our journey actually began a bit earlier, around October 2002-2003, with 3M being one of our earliest customers. This was a significant start for us.
One of our first major milestones was securing our first $1,000,000 customer. This was a pivotal moment in our financial growth and a testament to the value our solutions were bringing to the market.
Another critical transformation came around 2014-2015 when we entered the OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) domain. This expansion greatly enhanced our market presence and enabled us to provide BI and OLAP solutions over big data. This phase of growth brought us notable clients like Verizon, Barclays, and Adobe, marking a significant expansion in our customer base and capabilities.
More recently, we introduced a new tabular data model alongside our OLAP solution. This innovation has been particularly well-received in the financial sector. It represents a major technical milestone for us at Intellicus, further solidifying our position as a leader in the BI and analytics industry. This year has been particularly noteworthy for us in terms of delivering this advanced tabular solution to our customers.
Intellicus has been the choice of more than 17,000 large and small-scale enterprises worldwide. What do you believe are the core reasons behind this widespread adoption?
Intellicus has been chosen by more than 17,000 enterprises globally, and I believe there are two core reasons for this widespread adoption:
Versatility Across Domains: One of our key strengths is that we do not limit our solutions to specific industries or domains. Our platform is designed to be universally applicable and self-serviceable. This versatility means that businesses from various sectors, whether FMCG, retail, mining, finance, or any other, can easily use our platform. We have ensured that our platform can cater to a customer in each of these domains, offering the level of customisation that businesses need.
In-House Support Team: Another critical aspect that sets us apart is our complete in-house support team. Unlike many major BI companies that rely on outsourced partners for support, we at Intellicus handle all support internally. The expertise and knowledge that our in-house team brings to the table are unparalleled. This approach has fostered a strong belief among our customers in what Intellicus can achieve and how it can contribute to their success stories. The direct and expert support we provide is a significant factor in our customers’ satisfaction and our product’s effectiveness.
How does your company address the scalability needs of retailers as they expand and handle larger datasets?
Our company adeptly addresses the scalability needs of retailers, especially as they expand and manage larger datasets. To illustrate, let’s consider an example of one of our clients, a rapidly growing FMCG company in India. This client has an extensive network of over 20,000 distributors and retail points.
Our approach is built on a fully scalable architecture. As the client onboards new retailers or distributors, they do not rely on a single database. Instead, they use a system where a new database is spun off for each addition. This approach is not just about database management but also about how Intellicus integrates with their architecture.
Intellicus efficiently pulls data from these multiple sources, nearly in real-time, for the company’s management. We handle all aspects of data processing: from ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes to the generation of dashboards and delivery of reports. This capability demonstrates the scale at which Intellicus operates and supports its clients, enabling them to efficiently manage and leverage their expanding data landscape.
The textile and apparel industry often deals with complex global supply chains. How can Intellicus’ solutions help companies in this sector enhance visibility and efficiency in their supply chain operations?
Intellicus' solutions are designed to enhance visibility and efficiency in the complex supply chains of the textile and apparel industry. Our approach goes beyond just aiding in production and procurement management and providing dashboards for finance and accounts departments. A significant aspect of our solutions is the automation and real-time tracking of the entire supply chain operations, benefitting both management and sales teams.
To give you an idea of the scale, the numbers I mentioned earlier encompass the entire supply chain operations, segmented into four distinct levels. This segmentation allows for detailed monitoring and management at each stage of the supply chain. By making these operations real-time, Intellicus helps companies in the textile and apparel sector to quickly respond to market demands, streamline their processes, and make informed decisions that enhance overall efficiency and effectiveness.
Could you highlight the various solutions and services that Intellicus offers to its customers, especially textile and apparel manufacturers?
Intellicus offers a range of solutions and services tailored to meet the specific needs of textile and apparel manufacturers and retailers. There are several unique aspects of this industry that our solutions address:
Detailed Procurement Analysis: We understand that procurement in the textile industry is highly specific. Our solutions help manufacturers track and analyse details such as the source, quality, and processing methods of materials like yarn. This level of detail is crucial for quality control and supply chain transparency.
Customer Reception and Product Performance: Once the processed goods are delivered, a key concern is how they are received by customers. What products are selling more? Which colours or styles are popular? Intellicus helps manufacturers and retailers analyse different product attributes and their impact on sales and customer preferences.
Supply Chain and Inventory Management: Our tools provide comprehensive insights into supply chain dynamics and inventory levels. This includes understanding which product combinations perform best and how inventory is being managed across different channels.
Advanced Visualisations: We offer sophisticated visualisation tools that help our clients in the textile and apparel sector to easily comprehend complex data, thereby gaining a deeper understanding of their customers and market trends.
Prescriptive Analysis: Beyond just analytics, Intellicus provides prescriptive insights, guiding textile and apparel companies on what to focus on in the market and how to strategise for future developments.
Thus, our solutions are designed to encompass the entire lifecycle of textile and apparel products, from procurement to customer feedback, aiding in informed decision-making and strategic planning.
In the context of fashion retail, consumer preferences and trends change rapidly. How can Intellicus’ BI solutions assist fashion retailers in adapting to these shifts and making data-driven decisions to stay competitive?
Intellicus’ BI solutions are particularly adept at helping fashion retailers adapt to rapidly changing consumer preferences and trends, especially in an increasingly online market. Here’s how our solutions facilitate this:
Omni-Channel Integration: The fashion retail segment is swiftly moving from traditional brick-and-mortar stores to an omni-channel setup, including a strong online presence. Our BI solutions cater to this shift by integrating data from both physical stores and online platforms, providing a comprehensive view of sales and customer behaviours across all channels.
Response to Changing Shopping Behaviours: Post-COVID, there has been a significant change in consumer shopping habits, with a greater inclination towards online shopping. Intellicus helps retailers adapt to these changes by analysing customer behaviours and preferences in this new retail environment.
Connecting Disparate Data Sets: The core strength of Intellicus lies in its ability to connect with disparate data sets. We bring different kinds of data into a single warehouse, offering a common platform for data analysis and visualisation. This capability is crucial for understanding complex and evolving fashion trends.
Flexible Data Processing and Analysis: Intellicus allows for the integration of Python-based algorithms and supports extensive ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes. This flexibility over a single interface is a standout feature in the industry.
Self-Serve Analytics and Visualisation: We provide tools for creating self-serve cubes and visualisations. This feature enables fashion retailers to quickly generate and interpret data-driven insights, facilitating agile decision-making in response to market trends.
Overall, Intellicus’ BI solutions equip fashion retailers with the tools to stay competitive by making informed, data-driven decisions in a fast-paced industry where trends and consumer preferences are constantly evolving.
Can you share some recent innovations or technologies that your team has been working on?
Some of the recent innovations and technologies our team at Intellicus has been working on are:
Tabular Model Release: Our team has been dedicatedly researching for over a year to develop a new tabular model. We are thrilled to announce that this model was released very recently in November 2023. This innovation is a significant leap forward from the traditional OLAP model.
Addressing the OLAP Cube Challenge: In traditional OLAP models, creating a cube with huge data sets and multiple dimensions often led to the cube size exploding, significantly increasing the space required compared to the actual data size. Our new tabular model effectively tackles this challenge.
Data Size Reduction and Efficiency: Our research indicates that with the new tabular model, the size of the processed data model is actually less than the raw data size. This represents substantial savings for our customers in terms of storage and processing resources.
Near Real-Time Data Processing and Visualisation: One of the most impressive aspects of our new tabular model is the speed with which it operates. The time from data inflow to visualisation has been drastically reduced, ensuring near real-time data processing. This speed enhancement is crucial for businesses that need quick insights from their data.
We believe these innovations will significantly benefit our customers, offering them more efficient, faster, and more cost-effective BI solutions. Our team is proud of this level of research and development, confident that it will greatly assist our customers in their data analysis and decision-making processes.
With the increasing importance of data privacy and compliance regulations like GDPR, how is the BI industry adapting to ensure data protection and compliance for its users?
First, SOC
2 audits are based on five Trust Service Principles: security, availability,
processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. SOC 2 can apply to all
service providers that process and store customer data. SOC 2 requires organisations
to establish and follow strict information security policies and procedures,
encompassing the security, availability, processing, integrity, and
confidentiality of customer data – the five trust service principles. Having
the SOC 2 report attesting to your enterprise’s compliance means you can
demonstrate to others that the data with you is protected.
Second, PCI
DSS is a set of security-related standards incorporated by major credit card
companies to ensure the protection of cardholder data during payment card
transactions. Compliance with PCI DSS is mandatory for any organisation that
handles, processes, or stores cardholder information. By adhering to these
standards, businesses can strengthen their security infrastructure and
safeguard sensitive data.
Benefits
of PCI DSS Compliance
a) Enhanced data security
b) Minimised risk of data breaches
c) Consumer trust and confidence
d) Avoidance of penalties and fines
e) Streamlined business operations
f) Competitive advantage
How do you see the use and role of artificial intelligence and machine learning evolving in retail and e-commerce?
The use and role of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in retail and e-commerce are rapidly evolving. At Intellicus, we provide a platform that seamlessly integrates these technologies into our data processing pipeline. This integration allows users to directly plug in their Python algorithms, significantly enhancing the system’s capabilities. We offer a range of pre-built AI functions, but also empower users to develop their own or incorporate existing Python algorithms. Once these tools are integrated, they can be fully utilised within the Intellicus pipeline. This enables the creation of sophisticated AI and ML-driven workflows, which are tailored to meet the specific needs of the retail and e-commerce sectors.
Can you provide insights into Intellicus’ plans for the future?
Looking to the future, Intellicus has several strategic plans to further strengthen its position in the industry. One of our primary goals is to solidify our standing in the big data solutions sector. Although we are already a major player in this area, following our shift towards big data solutions around 2014-2015, we are keen to enhance our capabilities further.
In terms of our customer base, we aim to expand our reach within the Fortune companies. We are already making inroads in this segment, but our aspiration is to have a more prominent presence. Another key objective for us is to establish Intellicus as a leading product company originating from India. While we are incorporated in the US, our main development centre is in India, and we take pride in that. Our vision is to be recognised as one of the best product companies to emerge from India, demonstrating our commitment to innovation, quality, and customer service.
