Burlington Stores: Greenfield Customer POC Success

Executive Summary

Supported comprehensive proof-of-concept for Burlington Stores as a Greenfield customer, demonstrating Google Cloud Platform capabilities through patient, thoughtful approach that built customer confidence in the platform’s potential for retail transformation.

Challenge

Burlington Stores required careful evaluation as a new Google Cloud customer:

• Greenfield Assessment: First-time evaluation of Google Cloud Platform requiring comprehensive capability demonstration
• Retail Industry Requirements: Specialized needs for retail operations, inventory management, and customer experience systems
• POC Validation: Technical proof-of-concept needed to validate platform capabilities for retail workloads
• Strategic Decision: Major platform choice requiring confidence in long-term partnership potential

Approach & Solution

As retail technology specialist and cloud platform advisor, I developed a comprehensive solution:

• Retail Expertise Application: Leveraged deep retail industry knowledge to understand Burlington’s specific operational requirements
• POC Design: Created comprehensive proof-of-concept demonstrating Google Cloud capabilities for retail use cases
• Patient Guidance: Provided thoughtful, consultative approach recognizing importance of strategic platform decision
• Partnership Development: Built foundation for long-term strategic relationship between Burlington and Google Cloud

Results & Impact

Quantifiable Outcomes

• Successful POC: Delivered comprehensive proof-of-concept validating Google Cloud capabilities for retail operations
• Customer Confidence: Built Burlington’s understanding and confidence in Google Cloud Platform potential
• Partnership Foundation: Established Burlington as strategic Greenfield customer with expansion potential
• Technical Validation: Demonstrated platform capabilities specifically relevant to retail industry requirements

Business Value

The solution delivered significant business impact through:

• Market Entry: Successfully introduced Google Cloud to major retail organization
• Competitive Positioning: Positioned Google Cloud as viable alternative to established retail technology providers
• Industry Validation: Demonstrated platform capabilities for retail-specific workloads and requirements
• Strategic Partnership: Created foundation for potential long-term retail industry collaboration

Key Learnings

Greenfield Customer Engagement

1. Patient Approach: New cloud customers require thoughtful, consultative approach to build confidence
2. Industry Expertise: Deep retail knowledge essential for understanding specific operational requirements
3. POC Design: Comprehensive proof-of-concept must validate capabilities relevant to customer’s core business

Retail Cloud Adoption

1. Specialized Requirements: Retail operations have unique needs for inventory, customer experience, and operational systems
2. Partnership Foundation: Successful POCs create foundation for long-term strategic partnerships
3. Platform Validation: Technical validation must demonstrate capabilities for industry-specific workloads

Strategic Impact

1. Market Development: Greenfield customers represent significant growth opportunities for cloud platforms
2. Competitive Advantage: Thoughtful approach differentiates from purely technical platform demonstrations
3. Relationship Building: Success depends on building trust and understanding beyond technical capabilities

“Chris, Thank you so much for your support with the POC at Burlington Stores. We believe it’s all the ’little things’ that our broader team continues to do that will help this Greenfield Customer truly understand the power of our platform and lead them to a Google Cloud Partnership. This is step 1, and you’ve been patient and thoughtful in your approach. You have been a huge help and we appreciate you so much.” — Erin Hennessey, Google Account Team