customer experience Archives - Innovation Safari

Lidl International Hub

Lidl’s International Hub in Barcelona is a massive technology and digital powerhouse located in the 22@ tech district. It serves as the global center for the company’s digital transformation, specifically focusing on e-commerce, customer loyalty (Lidl Plus), and CRM systems.

Core Operations: Retail & MSCRM

The hub is divided into specialized units that support Lidl’s operations in 32 countries:

Lidl Digital (Retail Tech): This team builds and manages the global e-commerce platform. They handle everything from the online shop infrastructure to the logistics software that ensures products reach customers across Europe.
MSCRM (Microsoft Customer Relationship Management): This is a critical unit dedicated to managing customer data and interactions at scale. They use Microsoft Dynamics 365 to power Lidl’s marketing automation and personalized customer journeys.
Lidl Plus: The development and optimization of the Lidl Plus loyalty app—one of the most downloaded retail apps in Europe—is largely managed from this hub.
Data & Analytics: The hub employs data scientists to analyze consumer behavior, helping the company optimize pricing, stock, and promotional offers globally.

It houses over 500 specialists, including software engineers, cloud architects, and CRM experts. It is a highly international environment where English is the primary language of business.

Revolut Barcelona Hub

Revolut’s Barcelona Hub is one of the company’s largest and most strategic European offices. While Revolut has moved toward a “flexible working” model, Barcelona remains a massive talent center, specifically for Southern European operations and global support functions.

Hub Overview

Expansion Hub: Barcelona was established as a key site to drive Revolut’s growth in the Spanish market, where it now has over 3 million customers.
Multicultural Workforce: The hub employs over 600 people (and growing) of various nationalities. It is a major center for Operations, Sales, Customer Support, and Compliance.
Key Functions: Revolut Barcelona Hub is heavily focused on Revolut Business sales, specialized customer support, and “Know Your Customer” (KYC) operations.

Office Style: Following their “RevRemote” policy, the office serves as a collaboration hub where employees can choose to work in-person or remotely, focusing on team-building and creative workshops rather than mandatory daily attendance.

Why Barcelona?

Revolut chose Barcelona to tap into the city’s high density of multilingual talent. This allows them to provide native-level support and sales services across multiple European languages from a single location.

Allianz Technology

Allianz Technology is the global IT service provider for the Allianz Group, responsible for driving the company’s digital transformation. While headquartered in Munich, Germany, its Spain Hub in Barcelona has evolved into a strategic European center for decision-making and innovation.

Key elements

Strategic Location: The hub is primarily located in Barcelona’s vibrant 22@ tech district, the city’s heart for innovation and technology.
Diverse Workforce: The hub employs over 600 people from approximately 60 different nationalities, fostering a multicultural and inclusive work environment.
Key Responsibilities: Teams in Barcelona work on global projects involving cutting-edge technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, cloud platforms, and data science.
Growth and Evolution: Since 2017, the center has transitioned from a supporting innovation lab to a key decision-making hub for the entire multinational organization.

Core Global Functions

Digital Backbone: It operates one of the insurance industry’s largest IT infrastructure projects, managing data centers, global networks, and end-to-end security.
Innovation Pillars: The company focuses on scaling global platforms, embedding GenAI into delivery processes, and simplifying the technology landscape to improve customer experience.
Inclusive Culture: Spoken language is English across its global operations, and the company is recognized for its commitment to diversity and gender equality through certifications like EDGE Move.

Glovo Yellow Park Barcelona

Glovo Yellow Park Barcelona is the innovation hub and the international headquarters for GLOVO and also it serves as the company’s primary global center for engineering and data.

Key Details of the Barcelona Tech Hub

Capacity: The 30,000 facility can house nearly 3,000 employees and brings all engineering, data, and product teams under one roof.
Sustainability: The campus is LEED Platinum certified, featuring solar panels, 57% water consumption savings, and 36% energy savings.
Work Environment: Offers a hybrid model (typically 2 days working from home) and vibrant spaces designed to foster “Glownership” and collaboration.

Innovation & Ecosystem Programs

Beyond its daily operations, the hub serves as a springboard for the wider startup community:

Glovo House: An initiative launched in 2022 to support Glovo alumni in building their own startups by providing resources and mentorship.
Glovo Startup Lab: An annual competition (most recently held for Ukrainian startups) that offers cash prizes and internships at the Barcelona headquarters for winning founders.
Focus Areas: The hub drives innovation in Q-Commerce (Quick Commerce), logistics optimization, and AI-powered customer experiences like “Discovery Wall” and AI gifting assistants.

Barcelona Retail Tech Open Innovation Safari

Explore one of Europe’s most dynamic ecosystems of retail, consumer experience and digital innovation

Location: Barcelona – Themes: Retail Tech / Customer Experience / Omnichannel / AI – Duration: One Day

The Barcelona Retail Tech Open Innovation Safari is a one-day immersive experience designed for professionals who want to explore how technology is transforming the retail sector and consumer behavior.

Led by Certified Innovation Safari Sherpa Francesc Saldaña, this Safari introduces explorers to the retail innovation ecosystem of Barcelona and Catalonia, where global brands, startups and innovation hubs are redefining the future of shopping through digitalization, data and new customer experiences.

During the experience, explorers will discover how retailers are integrating physical and digital channels, leveraging data and AI, and creating new formats that enhance engagement, personalization and operational efficiency.

Explorers will explore topics such as:

retail tech and digital transformation
omnichannel and phygital experiences
AI and data-driven personalization
new retail formats and customer journeys

Innovation Safaris allow professionals to experience innovation where it actually happens.

The experience

The Safari combines curated exploration with interactive activities designed to encourage learning, discussion and inspiration.

Explorers will explore key innovation hotspots across Catalonia’s retail ecosystem:

Mango – A global fashion retailer leading digital transformation, omnichannel integration and data-driven retail strategies.
Desigual – A brand known for experimenting with customer experience, retail formats and digital engagement.
Girona Next – A regional innovation hub connecting retail, tourism and digital transformation initiatives.
La Roca Village – A benchmark in experiential retail, combining physical retail with premium customer experience and tourism-driven innovation.

Participants will:

explore innovative retail environments and flagship stores
meet professionals and innovators shaping the future of retail
join an innovation workshop with other explorers focused on customer experience, digitalization and new business models
discuss how retail innovation can inspire transformation across industries

This immersive approach helps participants better understand how Retail Tech ecosystems operate in practice.

What explorers will gain

Explorers will learn and design by:

discovering emerging trends in retail and consumer behavior
understanding how technology transforms customer experience
connecting with key players in the retail ecosystem
generating ideas and inspiration for new retail concepts and business models

Who Should Join

corporate innovation leaders
retail and e-commerce professionals
marketing and customer experience managers
entrepreneurs and startup founders
digital transformation leaders
professionals from any sector interested in customer-centric innovation

Participants from different sectors are encouraged to join and share perspectives.

Join this Open Safari

Limited group to ensure a high-quality exploration experience.