Accenture launches new customer innovation center

Accenture is taking on its next innovation initiative.



The company announced on Wednesday, May 31, that it opened an innovation hub dedicated to the retail, fashion and consumer goods industries. The Accenture Customer Innovation Network (ACIN), which resides in Milan, Italy, bolsters the company’s existing fleet of innovation facilities in Bangalore, Chicago, Manila and Singapore.



The Milan ACIN enables clients to imagine, explore, discover and develop ground-breaking digital customer interactions and tackle the challenges facing consumer companies today. These range from harnessing social media to applying the next wave of artificial intelligence, according to Accenture.



ACIN will draw on Accenture’s deep industry experience in fashion, retail and consumer goods, and give clients access to an innovation ecosystem that includes start-ups, industry experts, universities and technology partners. While visiting ACIN, clients will be challenged to rethink existing business models and the customer experience. ACIN will also help organizations launch disruptive products and services, and get them to market quicker.



“Digital technologies are converging, consumer expectations are rising and business operations are under constant pressures to stay ahead of their peers,” said Sander van ’t Noordende, group chief executive of Accenture’s Products operating group.



“Consumer-facing companies need to constantly innovate to ensure flexibility and agility across every business function,” said van ’t Noordende. “Our new innovation network in Milan is an integral part of the Accenture Innovation Architecture which brings together capabilities from across the company – from research, ventures and labs, studios, innovation centers and delivery centers to help clients develop, scale and deliver disruptive innovation.”



Italy is not new territory for Accenture. The firm opened its first innovation center in Italy in 2006, a lab dedicated to the fashion and luxury sectors. Other Accenture innovation and delivery centers residing in Italy include the Liquid studio in Milan; the Digital Acceleration Center and Life Sciences Center of Excellence in Rome; the Industry Solution Center for Automotive in Turin, and Technology Delivery Centers in Naples and Cagliari.