Taiwanese Innovators: President Information Corp

What is PIC? How does PIC differentiate itself from other IT service providers in the market?

PIC was founded in 1997. It is a leading IT service provider in Taiwan. Two major shareholders are Uni-President Chain Store Corporation and Nomura Research Institute of Japan. We specialize in system integration, cloud services, data analytics, and IT outsourcing. Our strategic partners such as Google, and SAP, help us lead the way in digital transformation and innovation across many fields, like retail, logistics, and finance.

PIC is an IT company. The difference is that we only focus on retail businesses, e-commerce, and logistics. These are very critical parts of our company. To add, what makes us special is how we design our solutions based on what businesses actually struggle with and need. This deep insight into customer needs and how we meet them gives us a strong competitive edge. We also stand out among Taiwan IT service providers due to our profound professional knowledge, extensive experience, and deep understanding of customer needs. We have adopted project management and quality standard systems from the Nomura Research Institute of Japan, which gives us a unique advantage in providing high-quality services and solutions. We work in various industries such as retail, logistics, and catering. Another aspect we are currently looking into and developing is AI. However, this AI is still directed toward our key parts: retail businesses, e-commerce, and logistics.  

Can you provide examples of recent projects where PIC successfully implemented innovative IT solutions for a client? What were the key challenges and how were they overcome?

We've recently rolled out a new solution in the largest convenience store in Taiwan. This system is used in the in-store restaurant to streamline order management between the front of house and the kitchen. One of the biggest challenges is getting this solution to work with the store's financial system and product database. Unlike typical restaurants, the CVS stores don't have set menus or options like choosing how spicy you want your food. As such, we had to get to know this brand new business model and customize the solution to fit their needs.

Can you elaborate on the current trends and challenges faced by the retail and distribution industry in Taiwan, and how PIC's solutions address these challenges?

I think the challenge in Taiwan is people talking about digital transformation. A lot of businesses in Taiwan are very traditional. The retail industry in Taiwan is currently facing two significant challenges: fierce market competition and a critical shortage of manpower. At PIC, we work with our clients and help them with innovative solutions. 

We assist our clients in developing advanced systems to lead market trends. Our solutions enable retailers to create new traffic or increase PSD, helping the clients to adapt quickly to the market demands by leveraging Al to personalize customer experiences and optimize pricing strategies. The labor shortage in retail is another issue. Our Al portal solution helps mitigate this problem in several ways. First, we automate routine tasks, reducing the reliance on a large workforce. Secondly, our solutions enhance employee efficiency by LLM and RAG, allowing staff to focus on more strategic and customer-facing roles. Additionally, we offer Al-powered training systems that accelerate the education and onboarding of new employees, ensuring they are quickly equipped with the necessary skills. 

What are PIC's growth strategies for the next few years? Are there any plans to expand services beyond the retail and distribution industry?

For the future, we want to create a sort of Retail Ecosystem Platform that essentially contains all necessary items needed for a company to transform digitally. We want to provide this service soon to our partner companies, and to future clients. Technology is developing at a rapid pace, whether it is Retail Al technology, AI, Smart Logistic Solution, ESG, RMN (Retail Media Networking), etc., we will help customers quickly use new technologies to expand their business. Some clients have formulated digital growth plans, and we also hope that other clients can grow with us. 

We are preparing to duplicate our experience and expand the business to other countries, such as the Philippines. 

PIC is optimistic about the future growth of the Philippine digital economy. We will develop an Innovation Hub covering retail Al, logistics, 10T, and e-commerce.