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Project overview

Cycle Market Data Service.

Project Title: Market Data Service International

Capabilities demonstrated: Company spin-out, AI data analytics, market expansion to Germany.

Client: Bicycle Association.

Date: December 2024 on going.

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The job to be done

The UK's trade body, the Bicycle Association, has invested in a world-leading market data and intelligence product, the Market Data Service (MDS).

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This service captures over 70% of UK transactions at point of sale, both online and in-store and enables UK customers to track industry track trends and their own performance over time.

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This project will enable the UK to add AI capability to MDS -- ultimately helping member businesses to reduce the time that stock is held, and resulting costs for businesses large and small.

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This additional capability is provided by a combination of Edinburgh Napier Business School, which has a specialism in stock and supply chain optimisation, and Faculty.ai, a leader in applied data sciences for targeted commercial gains.

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​The project will also extend, under license, the software and service to Germany's trade association, ZIV whom represent Europe's largest cycle industry market by volume and value. This represents a significant expansion of MDS for the Bicycle Association.

 

The key challenges

  • Large volumes of data to be processed (circa 11m lines).​

  • Large volume of German retailers to be signed-up and trained.

  • UK platform to be regionalised for German market / users.

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The approach taken

  • Funding from EIT Urban Mobility (65%).

  • MDS International established as a spin-out company, by BA.

  • UK-German collaboration through a licencing agreement.

  • AI innovations enabling stock/supply chain optimisation with Academic partners at Edinburgh Napier University.

  • Retailer/data provider engagement via ZIV.

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Outcome and impact

In Germany.

  • The establishment of a market intelligence platform for a tenth of the cost and 6x faster than if it did so without basing its approach on the UK's platform, schemas, protocols, and template agreements.

 

In UK.

  • New revenues and IP for the Bicycle Association,

  • Enhanced data services for existing UK subscribers through new AI-powered forecasting models and techniques.

  • Research intelligence and content for our UK academic partner.

 

For both partners.

  • Automation of data analytics to inform more optimal buying decisions.

  • Reduced inventory and and improved cash flow.

  • New product insights,

  • Enhanced customer service.

  • Make data services available to smaller companies for whom this service would have previously been too expensive.​​​​

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