South African retailer Pick n Pay has migrated its entire on-premises information technology (IT) infrastructure to Amazon Web Services (AWS). Pick n Pay worked with Lemongrass Consulting, an AWS Premier Consulting Partner, for the migration.

In a press statement seen by TechCabal, the retailer stated that it will use the AWS Marketplace and AWS’s wide range of services including storage, databases, analytics and business intelligence to automate Pick n Pay’s operations, deliver real-time insights, and identify and purchase AWS Partner Network (APN) offerings.

By analyzing data in the cloud, Pick n Pay can forecast demand, identify customer patterns and sentiment, and improve the in-store and online shopping experience for customers. With AWS, the retailer can dynamically scale its infrastructure resources in line with business demand and peak retail seasons. 

Pick n Pay states that this elasticity will help it scale its online shopping services, which run on AWS, to serve thousands of South African customers during its busiest shopping periods and holidays.

Speaking on the migration, Chris Shortt, chief information & technology officer at Pick n Pay, stated that leveraging AWS’s cloud services comes with greater operational efficiency for the retailer.

“The new cloud-based business intelligence platform enables us to make even more data-driven decisions that can help us deliver lower prices and more value to our customers,” he added.

Pick n Pay is the first African retailer to wholly migrate its entire on-premises information technology infrastructure to AWS. According to Eamonn O’Neill, chief technology officer at Lemongrass Consulting, the strategy will see potential cost savings of between 45% and 75% for the retailer.

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