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CLIENT CASE STUDY

Wi2: Analytics and customer insights with Amazon web services using Accenture cloud platform

Read how Wi2, a Wi-Fi service provider, can use the analytics and customer insights with Amazon Web Services using Accenture Cloud Platform.

Overview

Wire and Wireless Co., Ltd. (Wi2) is a leading Japanese public Wi-Fi™ service provider. With Wi-Fi spots deployed all over Japan, the company provides a wide range of high-quality services easy to use on most Wi-Fi devices such as smartphones, laptops and gaming devices, which are especially helpful for foreign travelers who often find it difficult to use 3G or 4G LTE environments.

Accenture and Wi2 analytics platform combines anonymized, real-time geolocation data for Wi-Fi user sessions from Wi2’s Wi-Fi access points with an advanced big data analytics technology infrastructure, provided by Accenture Analytics and incorporating OSS (Open Source Software), such as Apache™ Hadoop® V2, Apache Spark™ and Cloudera® Impala, which process large data sets and provide data-based insights in real time. Details on the “Travel Japan-Wi-Fi” project are available at http://wi2.co.jp/tjw/.

Business Challenge

Wi2, intending to offload 3G mobile networks, had rapidly expanded its network infrastructure to more than 200,000 Wi-Fi access points across Japan, but with the commoditization of Wi-Fi enabled devices such as smartphones, tablets and gaming devices, consumer services that utilize geolocation data were getting more important, which motivated the company to start looking for opportunities to extract value from its existing network infrastructure and user base.

The company decided to launch an analytics services platform for consumer companies in Japan that delivers context-based customer insights and supports the creation of new, personalized services. This platform enables companies to develop personalized offerings such as product recommendations and coupons based on consumers’ location and preferences, and directly push these to customers’ mobile devices. Where proper customer consent has been given, the platform also leverages anonymized consumers' characteristics.

How We Helped

With Accenture participating in this new business as a co-operator, consultants from Accenture Analytics, with data scientists based out of the Hokkaido Delivery Center, designed and developed the data management and analytics platform on Amazon Web Services (AWS) via the Accenture Cloud Platform (ACP).

  • AWS is a cloud computing platform that runs virtualized computing resources for decentralized deployment of a site or solution. It is cost-effective, easy to use and secure. ACP accelerates cloud adoption for global companies, helping to integrate and manage a hybrid IT environment through self-service delivery of automated, standardized cloud solutions.

  • With 6,600+ servers and 570+ projects, ACP accelerates market introduction, provides governance and control to operate existing IT processes confidently, helps growth and supports the move to a digital business. These are the reasons why AWS and ACP were selected.

  • The Accenture team also combined anonymized, real-time geolocation data from Wi2’s Wi-Fi access points with an advanced big data analytics infrastructure which was provided by Accenture Analytics and powered by a Hadoop-based data warehouse. This infrastructure allows processing of large data sets and provision of data-based insights in real time.

  • Accenture deployed up to 30 virtual machines (VMs) running AWS on ACP—and in the process, delivered an additional cost-saving benefit to the client. The use of VMs expanded the client's computing resources without adding cost required for new hardware and software.

High Performance Delivered

The customer analytics platform, a part of —Ideal Insight—, was delivered to Wi2 on schedule for its commercial operations. The platform provides the ability to identify relevant target groups and understand more of where and how customers purchase products and services, and engages customers on their mobile devices with tailored offerings and promotions. Wi2 expects the platform to achieve a game-changing return on investment over a three-year period. It has the ability to scan and process more than 500 million records (45 GB of data) in less than six seconds and its running cost is $1 per hour.

Consumer companies can use the new platform and the insights it provides in a variety of ways, including:

  • Analytics reports and simulation—generate and analyze reports from Wi-Fi spots log data and data analysis engines for insights into customer behavior, store operation optimization and predict/simulate future plans.

  • Targeted campaigns—deliver targeted offerings to consumers via their mobile devices as they enter the store. These offerings can take into account when and how often a customer has received coupons, how he or she has used reward points, and how often and for how long the customer has visited a store.

  • Ad optimization—plan to place outdoor advertisements based on customer behavior at different times of day, in different store catchment areas and according to customer attributes.

  • Confirm potential—identify and address high-potential customers based on how frequently they have visited stores and purchase history