Retail is entering a new era. Customers expect every interaction to be relevant, personalised and immediate, yet many organisations are still held back by fragmented data, disconnected processes and legacy technology.

Oksana Kulikova, Global Head of Marketing Technology at METRO AG, shares the journey of transforming customer engagement across 20 markets, replacing a 14-year legacy landscape with a harmonised customer experience foundation that today powers more than 60 automated processes and omnichannel journeys. Together with Hartmut König, CTO Central Europe at Adobe, she explores why this transformation was never just about technology, but about creating the conditions for relevance at scale. Their conversation offers a perspective on the future of customer experience, where harmonisation comes before personalisation and the path to AI starts with the right foundation.