Case Study: Data-Driven Marketing Automation and Customer Engagement with AI to Increase Transgourmet’s Competitiveness
Transgourmet is one of Europe’s leading food wholesalers and ranks second in the Cash & Carry and foodservice sectors. The company supplies restaurants, hotels, institutional catering, and retail with a comprehensive range of food and non-food products. In addition to a nationwide network of self-service markets, Transgourmet also offers flexible delivery solutions and personalized expert advice.
With 146 markets across Europe, net sales of CHF 11.5 billion, and around 30,800 employees, Transgourmet is a key partner for professional food supply. The group aims to provide customers not only with products but also with digital services and innovative solutions to make collaboration more efficient and personalized.
Initial Situation
In wholesale, it’s not just about one-time sales but about building sustainable customer relationships. Existing customers are crucial for revenue and stability. At Transgourmet, data-driven marketing had only been used to a limited extent.
Challenges:
Introduction of a marketing automation solution for the Cash & Carry wholesale segment
Go-live of first use cases within 2 months
First CEO review within 6 months
Solution must be scalable and roll out to other countries
Strategie & Implementation
Together with gateB, Transgourmet developed a new data-driven customer retention strategy and implemented the BSI Customer Suite as its CX and CRM system.
Project Scope:
Identification and design of prioritized use cases
Setup and launch of marketing automation including customer journeys
Data model and interface integration
Implementation of 4 use cases within 6 months – now over 350 BSI stories live
Use of predictive models (e.g., churn prevention), scores provided via
Hyper-personalization of newsletters and website content
From Manual Processes to Automation
Before implementation, there were no automations to leverage existing data for personalized interactions. With the BSI Customer Suite, Transgourmet can now:
Manage and monitor the entire customer lifecycle
Detect and respond early to at-risk customers
Perform real-time KPI monitoring
Technical Highlights:
Full data integration and analysis
AI-based predictive analytics model for churn prevention
Automated and personalized communication channels
Real-time dashboard for KPI tracking
Concrete Use Cases
Automated address selection for mailing the “Express” magazine: Weekly effort reduced from 4–5 hours to about 10 minutes → approx. 25 days saved annually
Churn prevention with predictive AI: Automated detection of at-risk customers, triggering reactivation measures (e.g., voucher dispatch)
Personalized promotional newsletters: Featured products based on individual purchase behavior → higher relevance and click-through rate
Integration of WhatsApp as an additional communication channel alongside email newsletters
Results & Added Value
+51% higher click-through rates on products in newsletters
-15% fewer newsletter unsubscribes
Efficiency gains: 25 fewer working days per year thanks to automation
Sustainable and measurable improvement in customer retention
Scalable solution for potential rollout to additional countries
By introducing marketing automation and data-driven marketing, Transgourmet has taken a decisive step toward customer centricity. The combination of predictive analytics, automation, and hyper-personalization strengthens customer loyalty, reduces effort, and collectively enhances competitiveness.
Olaf started building gateB in 2009 with a focus on helping companies digitize and optimize their marketing processes. Today, digital transformation touches and affects all business areas. As a result, Olaf has further developed gateB together with the management team. Now, the company is globally positioned and supports renowned organizations in fully tapping their digital potential and strengthening their customer relationships in the long term.
Sarah is the Managing Director of gateB Consulting, Inc. (USA) and is responsible for leading and developing the implementation and consulting business in the American market. She has years of experience in marketing and consulting for large companies. Sarah knows exactly what drives brands and how to strengthen them through digitalization.
René has been working in the field of enterprise software for more than 15 years, eight of them as Head of European Business Development for a provider of license accounting software in London. Since 2014, René has been responsible for marketing operations, brand experience and content management as Managing Director at gateB, as well as Deputy CEO for Business Development of the gateB enterprise. He also has extensive experience in the evaluation and implementation of digital asset management (DAM), marketing resources management (MRM), enterprise content management systems (CMS), brand portals and marketing planning systems.
Marco is a consultant with a focus on driving business value through the use of data and technology. He is a member of the gateB leadership team and has helped shape the company’s growth path from its inception to a leader in data-driven customer engagement. As Managing Director, he is responsible for customer intelligence and customer experience.
Robert is a pioneer in data-driven marketing with over 20 years of experience in direct marketing. A lecturer at multiple universities, he specializes in digital and data-driven strategies. Since 2015, he has led business development for intelligent customer engagement at gateB, helping companies leverage data to enhance customer relationships, optimize experiences, and drive profitability.
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