Shop Direct steps up data analytics with new hire

Shop Direct, the UK’s second largest pureplay online retailer with brands including Very.co.uk, Littlewoods.com, and VeryExclusive.co.uk, is continuing its investment in data and personalisation with its latest appointment, naming Gael Decoudu as head of data science and digital analytics.

Decoudu who has more than 10 years’ experience as a leader in analytics and statistics, will head a team of over 20 people that uses data analytics to uncover actionable insights within e-commerce, as Shop Direct looks to use these insights to help improve the end-to-end customer journey, including making it more personalised across its retail brands.

He joins Shop Direct from Vistaprint, where he led a global team as director of data science from the business’ office in Barcelona. He previously held statistics roles at Lloyds Banking Group and Capital One.

Commented on his new role, Decoudu said: “Shop Direct has quickly become one of the UK’s major e-commerce players, and its ambition in data science and digital analytics is unrivalled.

“The company is using its remote retail heritage as well as new methods in data analytics to understand its customer and improve their experience. Through even better data modelling and segmentation, we intend to unearth new actionable insight that can make the shopping experience even more relevant for our customer, which can help our retail brands thrive.”

Shop Direct group deputy chief executive Gareth Jones, added: “Using data to understand our customer and our business is one of the most critical success factors for Shop Direct today and in the future, and Gael has outstanding experience in leading teams that use advanced analytics to create commercial advantages.

“As part of our strategy to become a world-class digital retailer, we want to develop insight from data analysis to create a more personalised experience at every stage of the customer journey. That’s what Gael’s team will be focused on and we intend to continue investing in our data asset, as well as new ways to analyse it and unearth insight.”

Image: courtesy of Gael Decoudu/Shop Direct