SOSCIP–Loblaw Call for Pitches

Updated Information

Update on October 13, 2022:

  • deadline extended to Fri Oct 21 from Mon Oct 17

Sponsor

SOSCIP

Launched in 2012, the SOSCIP consortium is a ground-breaking collaboration between Ontario’s research-intensive post-secondary institutions and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the province. Working together with our partners, SOSCIP is driving the uptake of AI and data science solutions and enabling the development of a knowledge-based and innovative economy in Ontario by supporting technical skill development and delivering high-quality outcomes. SOSCIP supports industrial-academic collaborative research projects through partnership-building services and access to leading-edge advanced computing platforms, fueling innovation across every sector of Ontario’s economy.

Loblaw

Since 1919, we’ve innovated the grocery retail experience to better serve Canadians. Today, our goal is to be the best in food, health and beauty — to help Canadians Live Life Well®. We make good food affordable; health, beauty and wellness accessible; saving for the future possible; and essential style achievable. We’re guided by a shared set of values and grounded by our commitment to social responsibility.

 

Description

SOCIP and Loblaw's Loyalty Business Unit have launched a Challenge Statement requesting assistance from researchers (see below). A Pitch Day (TBD) will be put together for researchers that get selected after the initial screening. 

Loblaw – Loyalty Challenge Statement

  1. In an effort to deliver greater, more personalized value to customers, PC Optimum seeks to grow member engagement across both overall loyalty program and digital app usage.

    Key problem to solve: how can we understand what motivates overall and digital loyalty program engagement?
     
  2. PC Optimum has millions of members who provide us with compliments and highlight areas of opportunity across a variety of channels – post-transactional and digital surveys, social media, call center, and so on. The high volume, and disparate nature of the feedback we receive makes it challenging for the business to consume this information.

    Key problem to solve: how can we, in an automated and structured way (e.g., NLP to ascribe issue sources, aggregation across disparate channels), understand and action the root causes of customer pain points?

Deadlines

If College-level review is required, your College will communicate its earlier internal deadlines.

TypeDate
External Deadline

How to Apply

Please submit a 10-minute pitch with audio/video recording to Rebecca Tran, Partnership and Business Development Lead at rebeccasingh.tran@utoronto.ca . You may use any platform (YouTube, Google etc.) for your submission.  

Your pitch should address the following:

  1. Identify the Loyalty problem you are proposing to solve – you can look at both).
  2. Proposed method/approach to solve the key problem(s) and the impact it would have for the Loyalty business unit.
  3. Describe the dataset you would need from Loblaw (e.g., type and volume of data).
  4. Tell a bit about yourself, your team and perhaps examples of similar work you have done in the past.
     
For Questions, please contact

Rebecca Tran, Partnership and Business Development Lead, rebeccasingh.tran@utoronto.ca

Office of Research

Vanja Banks, Senior Grants and Contracts Specialist
Research Services Office
519-824-4120 x53592
vbanks@uoguelph.ca

Alert Classifications
Category:
Funding Opportunities and Sponsor News

Disciplines:
Information and Communications Technology