EPAM Systems' David Billings

Summary

In this Retail Media Thursday video, David Billings, VP of Digital Marketing Solutions at EPAM, discusses the challenges and trends in the retail media industry. With a focus on custom technology solutions for enterprise clients, Billings highlights the complexities retailers face in scaling their media networks and the importance of integrating retail media with broader marketing strategies. He also touches on the impact of AI, both traditional machine learning and generative AI, on the future of retail media and the strategic considerations for retailers in adopting these technologies.

Takeaways

• 😀 David Billings is the Vice President of Digital Marketing Solutions at EPAM, a large professional services company with a focus on custom technology solutions for enterprise clients.
• 🌟 EPAM has around 55,000 employees globally, with the majority specializing in software engineering, data science, and other technical fields.
• 🛠️ David's role involves working with both advertisers and retailers to build custom platforms and solutions, especially when they face scalability challenges in their retail media networks.
• 🏪 Retailers often struggle with the complexity of managing multiple technology solutions and data environments, which can hinder scalability and efficiency.
• 🔧 Solutions to these challenges include building integration layers and APIs to orchestrate the complexity and streamline operations.
• 🤝 There's a trend towards integrating retail media with broader marketing strategies to influence customer lifetime value and category growth, rather than focusing solely on monetization.
• 💡 AI and machine learning are being increasingly adopted in retail media, with retailers exploring how to use these technologies for smarter segmentation, audience creation, and campaign optimization.
• 🎨 Generative AI is being considered for creating advertising content that aligns with both retailer and brand guidelines, potentially simplifying the content integration process.
• 🗣️ The intersection of conversational AI with machine learning models allows for more accessible and interactive data analysis and campaign planning.
• 🛂 Strategic considerations for retailers regarding AI include deciding the pace of adoption, whether to be a first mover or a fast follower, and where to house AI models to retain intellectual property and control over valuable data.
• 🏔 David's personal interests include outdoor activities like trail running, and his dream holiday would involve being in a mountainous region with good food and scenic beauty.

Q & A

What is David Billings' current position at EPAM?

David Billings is the Vice President of Digital Marketing Solutions at EPAM.

What is the primary focus of EPAM's business?

EPAM's primary focus is on building custom technology solutions for enterprise clients, with a strong emphasis on software engineering and technical specialism.

How many people does EPAM employ globally, and what is their specialization?

EPAM employs about 55,000 people globally, with approximately 45,000 of them specializing in technical roles such as software engineering and data science.

What was David Billings' previous role at Accenture?

David Billings set up and ran Accenture's digital media consultancy business in the UK and Ireland.

What significant project did David Billings work on at dunnhumby?

At dunnhumby, David Billings was accountable for building and rolling out their Omni Channel retail media platform.

What are the two broad areas that David Billings' role at EPAM covers?

David Billings' role at EPAM covers Advertiser Solutions and working with large advertisers and retailers to build custom technology solutions and platforms.

What challenges do retailers face when scaling their retail media networks?

Retailers face challenges such as complexity in their technology ecosystems, lack of integration between different systems, and the need to streamline processes to handle scalability.

How does EPAM help retailers with their scalability challenges?

EPAM helps retailers by building integration layers and orchestration layers that sit on top of third-party technology, enabling better orchestration and streamlining of processes.

What is the significance of AI in the retail media industry, and how are retailers approaching it?

AI is significant in the retail media industry for enhancing segmentation models, bidding algorithms, and creating more accessible and interactive models for planning campaigns. Retailers are exploring both traditional machine learning and generative AI to improve their operations.

What is the potential application of generative AI in the context of retail media?

Generative AI can be used to create advertising content that is compatible with both the retailer's and the brand's guidelines, streamlining the process and reducing the need for manual adjustments.

What are some strategic considerations retailers have regarding AI adoption?

Strategic considerations include the pace of AI adoption, deciding whether to be a first mover or a fast follower, where to house the AI models, and where the data resides to ensure IP ownership and data sensitivity.