Cisco Store boosts in-store analytics with Splunk insights

The Cisco Store uses unified security and observability platform to turn data into actionable insights and enable strategic decision making that improves purchase conversions for in-store visitors. 

In today’s data-driven world, businesses across all industries face the same dilemma: we’re generating mountains of data that hold exciting potential, but struggle to effectively harness it. This challenge is largely due to an inability to centrally monitor diverse data sources across increasingly complex technology environments. 

For those of us in brick-and-mortar retail, this is especially true. We’re not just dealing with data complexity – we’re also working to protect customer information, optimize physical spaces and inventory, and keep pace with the analytics advantages of e-commerce.   

At the Cisco Store, we grappled with all these same issues. Most recently, we turned our focus on how to bridge the gap with e-commerce to bring online-level analytics and customer insights into our physical store environments. We wanted to know: How do we gain the same depth of understanding about our in-store customers that we have about our online shoppers?

About the Cisco Store: More than just merch

Cisco Store is the official merchandiser for Cisco branded apparel and accessories. We operate both online and through physical retail spaces, including two permanent locations and various pop-up traveling stores that appear at Cisco Live and other industry events worldwide. 

By tapping into the power of Cisco’s broad portfolio, we discovered a unique opportunity to revolutionize our brick-and-mortar retail experience. This inspiration led to the Cisco Store Tech Lab – a retail technical showcase environment that demonstrates the full power of Cisco and partner technologies. 

The Cisco Store Tech Lab has evolved into a common testing environment and “customer zero” for groundbreaking innovations from Cisco product teams. In our role as customer zero role, we deploy and test emerging solutions before customer general release, providing critical feedback that enables product teams to enhance their offerings for optimal customer satisfaction. 

The roadblocks that inspired our transformation

Over the years, our technology stack evolved into a sophisticated yet complex system that generates vast amounts of data from various solutions and devices. This was the root of our data problem – we saw the exciting potential of this data, but lacked the ability to turn it into strategic insights. This resulted in other challenges:

• Customer visibility and analytics: We were uncertain of the demographics of store visitors which created challenges in determining how to optimize inventory and floor plans, as well as how to personalize experiences. 
• Inventory management: We were experiencing fluctuating demand and insufficient visibility into stock levels at travel pop-up travel stores and wanted a way to optimize product availability and minimize sales loss.  
• IT complexity: With our Cisco Store Tech Lab producing all this data, we needed a way to simplify the monitoring to know in real-time when and where IT issues occur.  

We needed a way to gain unified visibility across a variety of data sources within our environment. Splunk enabled us to consolidate these diverse data sources into a single, cohesive view and obtain real-time insights, empowering us to achieve our goal of bringing online-level analytics to our physical store environments.

Overcoming roadblocks: The solutions that paved the way to success

We implemented several Splunk solutions that transformed how we efficiently gather, analyze, and leverage data across our retail ecosystem. These observability solutions integrate with the rest of our technology stack to create a comprehensive monitoring system that bridges the analytics gap between our online and physical stores: 

• Consolidates diverse data sources into a single view and enables creation of custom dashboards that offer actionable insights to enhance decision making in areas such as store operations, infrastructure performance, inventory management, customer analytics, and security.

• Splunk IT Service Intelligence (ITSI): Uses a broad range of data in the Splunk platform to provide a holistic and interactive view of the Cisco Store operations and technology stack. This allows for setup of custom KPIs/thresholds (POS times, carbon monoxide, noise levels, etc.) and simple monitoring of health and performance, enabling fast identification and resolution of areas needing attention.

• Splunk Real User Monitoring (RUM): This capability provides comprehensive, end-to-end visibility into web application user experiences, enabling our team to quickly identify and troubleshoot issues – including a where we leveraged historical monitoring data to promptly notify affected customers and minimize damage.  
  
• : Processes data locally in real-time for areas such as inventory and stocking. This local processing ensures continuity in the event of a network outage and is particularly helpful for pop-up and travel stores where internet access might be unreliable.

The deployment process: Setting up Splunk for real-time insights and strategic impact

Step 1: Deciding which devices and solutions to integrate first

We first determined which aspects of our tech stack to integrate into Splunk. We prioritized based on impact to customer experience and strategic value to the store including these core systems: 

• Point-of-sales systems: Critical for transaction monitoring and identifying bottlenecks in the purchase process.
• Smart Building Technology:  Meraki Smart Cameras and Sensors provided valuable data on store traffic patterns and environmental conditions.
• Network infrastructure: Essential for ensuring connectivity and optimal performance across all systems.

By focusing on these core systems, we could establish a foundation that would provide immediate value while allowing for future expansion. 

Step 2: Setting up and feeding data into Splunk Enterprise 

With our priorities established, we began the process of feeding data into Splunk Enterprise. This involved:

1. Installation: With the help of Splunk Validated Architectures, we installed Splunk Enterprise on our server and ensured it met all the hardware and software prerequisites.
2. Data connectors: Using Splunk’s intuitive interface, we used Splunk’s Technology Add-ons, available in Splunkbase, to establish connections with our chosen devices. This involved specifying the data source type, such as syslog or network devices and SNMP protocols for network devices to ensure smooth data collection. 
3. Splunk Universal Forwarders: These were installed on remote devices to gather and forward data to our Splunk deployment, enabling efficient data collection from endpoints that are not directly connected to the server.  
4. Collection protocols and sampling rates: Based on device data types, we determined appropriate sampling rates to ensure a balanced approach between the volume of data collected and the level of detail needed for insightful analysis. 

Step 3: Customizing dashboards

Once we had our data flowing into Splunk, it was time visualize the insights through custom dashboards.

1. Dashboard creation: Using Splunk Dashboard Studio, we created dashboards tailored to display key metrics such as network traffic patterns, device health, and security alerts. 
2. Customization: We customized the dashboards with various visualization panels like charts and graphs, making the information more comprehensive based on the intent of the data.
3. Alerts and thresholds: Initial alerts and thresholds were configured to trigger notifications based on data patterns and operational norms.

Step 4: Monitoring Analytics for strategic decision-making

With our dashboards in place, we began using the platform to actively monitor our operations and inform strategic decisions. This wasn’t just about passive monitoring – it was about generating insights that lead to actions and continuously evolving and improving.

Transformative results that redefined our success

The implementation of Splunk across our technology ecosystem did not disappoint. Within just a year we’ve seen remarkable results. Most significantly, we’ve achieved our primary mission: bringing online-level analytics to our physical stores.

• Strengthened operational efficiency: We now have full visibility into our entire technology ecosystem, from back-office systems to in-store devices. This comprehensive monitoring of our complex, interconnected technologies give us a granular understanding of system interdependencies and potential failure points, allowing for proactive management.
• Improved network reliability: Critical insights into network health enable us to proactively address connectivity challenges to ensure reliable store operations and optimal customer interactions. The reduction in WiFi bandwidth consumption achieved through Splunk Edge Hub has been particularly beneficial for our traveling stores.
• Real-time monitoring and visibility: With real-time monitoring and end-to-end visibility into user experiences, we can quickly identify and troubleshoot issues.  When faced with a cybersecurity incident, the Splunk Real User Monitoring capability was especially valuable by enabling us to promptly notify affected users and minimize damage.
• Elevated customer experience: Our improved understanding of customer engagement patterns through custom dashboards allows us to optimize store layouts and create more personalized interactions. The ability to monitor and lower point-of-sale transaction times also directly enhances the customer shopping experience.
• Strengthened digital resilience: With the collective use of these Splunk solutions, the Cisco Store is equipped with comprehensive visibility to detect and investigate issues earlier and have better data access and control, allowing us to quickly identify and remediate issues. Additionally, the team can now correlate IT service health with business KPIs and reduce noise by grouping related alerts.
• Increased revenue: Enhanced inventory management strategies and improved customer insights have contributed directly to revenue growth of 40% year-over-year. By minimizing stock outages and better anticipating customer needs, we’ve significantly reduced missed sales opportunities. 

The transformation we’ve experienced through integrating Splunk into our tech tack has been game changing. What began as a solution to data visibility challenges has evolved into a comprehensive platform that enhances every aspect of our retail operations. 

Our journey with Splunk represents the future of retail analytics—where physical and digital channels are no longer separate domains but part of a continuous, data-rich environment that enables truly informed decision-making. As we continue to iterate and expand our use of these tools, I’m excited to see how far we can push the boundaries of what is possible in modern retail. 

Additional Resources:

• Read the Cisco Store success story to discover more ways we are redefining our retail success 
• To get more information about how the Cisco Store is using Smart building technology, read this blog post 
• Discover more Cisco on Cisco success stories 
• For tours and more information about the Cisco Store Tech Lab, explore our videos 
• Browse the Cisco Store 

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