7 Examples of Digital Transformation Success Stories

Digital transformation uses technologies like low code development, product lifecycle management (PLM), artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and augmented reality (AR) to digitize manual processes and create opportunities for innovation. It can help businesses work smarter, build better customer relationships, and simplify operations.

But it’s not always easy to see how these technologies translate into real-world impact. Without concrete examples, digital transformation can feel overwhelming and abstract. 

This guide explores 7 examples of digital transformation from companies that are solving problems and preparing for the future.

Short on Time? Here Are 5 Digital Transformation Examples

• Starbucks introduced mobile apps to deliver product recommendations and allow customers to order ahead.
• Goldman Sachs leveraged AI to develop personalized banking products.

• Nel Hydrogen launched a PLM system to centralize engineering data and enhance operational efficiency.

• IKEA introduced augmented reality (AR) so customers can visualize products in their homes.
• UPS built a fleet management system optimized by machine learning to streamline driver routes and reduce operational costs.

• CED implemented low code automation to speed up insurance claims processing by 50%.

• The Mayo Clinic adopted cloud computing for faster patient data sharing, telehealth appointments, and AI-enhanced diagnoses.
  

7 Real-World Digital Transformation Examples

Let’s explore 7 outstanding examples of digital transformation strategies.

Starbucks: Leveraging Mobile Apps to Drive Growth

From a single coffee shop in Seattle, Starbucks has grown into a global coffee empire with more than 38,000 stores worldwide. A key driver of the company’s growth has been its customer-focused mobile apps, launched in 2009. 

Initially, the Starbucks app provided basic features like store locations and drink information. But in 2015, Starbucks revolutionized the customer experience with Mobile Order & Pay, enabling customers to order via mobile devices and skip the lines. This innovation addressed a major pain point—long wait times—and improved customer satisfaction by simplifying the ordering process. 

Since then, Starbucks has further enhanced customer experiences on mobile with AI-powered features that remember past orders, suggest new products, and deliver personalized promotions.

This digital solution has transformed Starbucks’ business. By 2019, nearly one-third of Starbucks customers used the app for payments, and in 2023, it accounted for 31% of all US sales.

Goldman Sachs: Harnessing Data to Meet Customers’ Financial Needs

Over the past 20 years, banking has shifted from branch-first to online-first as customer expectations evolve. In 2016, Goldman Sachs seized this opportunity and launched Marcus, its first line of personal banking products.

Marcus offers personal loans, savings accounts, certificates of deposit, and credit cards through a fully online platform. AI models allow the platform to analyze vast amounts of data, market trends, and financial risks to tailor each customer’s financial products, rates, and terms.

More recently, Goldman Sachs expanded Marcus’ capabilities, using AI-powered tools to assist customers with portfolio management. By evaluating factors like customers’ risk tolerance, investment goals, age, and savings, the platform recommends personalized investment strategies and asset allocations.

The result is a highly personalized offering that resonates with consumers. By 2022, Marcus had grown to 15 million customers and generated $110 billion in deposits and $19 million in loans. The platform now accounts for nearly 30% of Goldman Sachs’ total deposits.

Nel Hydrogen: Using PLM to Centralize Data and Enhance Operational Efficiency

Nel Hydrogen is a manufacturing company that makes equipment to produce hydrogen through electrolysis. Its products are critical to the green energy revolution, and the company has seen demand skyrocket in recent years.

However, the 97-year-old company’s engineering and manufacturing processes were largely manual, preventing the company from scaling to meet demand. To address this, Nel Hydrogen embarked on a digital transformation effort focused on digitizing manual processes and establishing a cohesive information system for its engineering teams.

In partnership with low code specialist CLEVR and enterprise software provider Siemens, Nel Hydrogen implemented the Teamcenter PLM system. 

This new system integrated with Nel Hydrogen’s existing enterprise resource planning software and allowed for seamless sharing of engineering documentation processes and procurement data. It’s also directly integrated with the company’s computer-aided design systems for product design and manufacturing.

Teamcenter enabled Nel Hydrogen to centrally track and share critical product data, increasing the company’s productivity and enabling it to quickly fulfill orders. Now, Nel Hydrogen is in a perfect position to further digitize its operations, such as by adding real-time monitoring to production lines and tracking equipment performance over its full lifespan.

IKEA: Leveraging Augmented Reality to Drive Online Sales

Swedish furniture giant IKEA has traditionally relied on its vast warehouses to attract customers and boost sales. However, in the digital age, competition from online-first marketplaces and retailers like Amazon and Wayfair has pushed the company to reimagine its business models. 

As part of its digital transformation journey, IKEA launched a mobile app in 2019 that allows customers to browse and order products while receiving AI-powered personalized product recommendations. For in-store shoppers, the app offers additional features like scanning items for detailed information or saving them to a wishlist. 

To enhance the customer experience even more, IKEA introduced augmented reality (AR) tools that let customers visualize furniture in their homes. By capturing an image of a room with their phone, users can digitally position IKEA products to see how they fit and look in the space.

These innovations have significantly contributed to IKEA’s online growth. E-commerce sales skyrocketed from $2 billion in 2017, when AR was first introduced, to $10.4 billion in 2023. 

UPS: Optimizing Fleet Management with Machine Learning

As e-commerce sales boomed, UPS faced the challenge of delivering more packages without significantly increasing costs or its carbon footprint. The company turned to digital technology to improve its business processes and efficiency.

In 2012, UPS launched a custom fleet management system optimized with machine learning. The platform analyzes millions of potential routes for each driver, identifying the most efficient options to minimize distance and fuel consumption. Famously, it eliminated most left turns to reduce idle time.

To complement this fleet management system, UPS equipped vehicles with GPS devices that provide turn-by-turn directions while simultaneously feeding data into the company’s route optimization algorithm for continuous improvement.

Thanks to this digital transformation success, UPS saves an estimated 3.3 million gallons of fuel and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 31,000 metric tons annually. During the peak holiday shipping season, the company boasts an industry-leading on-time delivery rate of 97.5%.

CED: Automating Insurance Claims Handling with Low Code Automation

CED is a European insurance claims manager that handles more than €2.5 billion in claims annually. The company faced growing pains as it took on more claims because its processing pipeline relied heavily on manual processes and physical paperwork rather than digital workflows.

With the help of CLEVR and Mendix low code software, CED created an intuitive app for employees to input claims quickly. The company also developed an Automatic Damage Settlement Platform to digitize the claim-handling process.

The new system eliminated CED’s reliance on paper forms and reduced the time needed to settle claims by 50%.

In addition, CED has offered its Automatic Damage Settlement Platform as a software-as-a-service solution for insurance claims management. This represents a new line of business for CED, generating revenue that can be used to support further digitization efforts.

Mayo Clinic: Using the Cloud to Increase Clinician Capacity

The Mayo Clinic—a leading healthcare system with hundreds of hospitals, specialty healthcare facilities, and primary care clinics across the US—has faced rising healthcare demand and a shortage of qualified providers.

To address these challenges, the Mayo Clinic launched several digital transformation initiatives to enhance its capacity, improve patient outcomes, and ensure a high-quality employee experience.

In 2019, the Mayo Clinic partnered with Google Cloud to store medical data securely in the cloud. The move enabled providers across the system to access Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-protected patient records without delays. This helped simplify business processes and improve care coordination.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mayo Clinic turned to the cloud to host telehealth appointments, which allowed providers to see more patients and safeguarded patient and provider health. Between 2020 and 2022, the healthcare system increased telehealth appointments by 500%.

Cloud computing has also enabled the Mayo Clinic to run AI-powered analyses of medical data to assist in early diagnoses. For example, its AI tools evaluate electroencephalograms (EEGs) to detect Alzheimer’s disease early, when treatment is most effective.

These digital transformation efforts have solidified Mayo Clinic’s reputation as a leading hospital system in many states it serves.

Final Thoughts on Digital Transformation Examples

These digital transformation examples highlight the incredible potential of technologies like AI, low code, PLM, cloud computing, mobile apps, and augmented reality to transform business processes. They also demonstrate the far-reaching impact of digital transformations across diverse industries.

Want to learn more? Explore CLEVR’s customer success stories for additional examples of digital transformation strategies and discover how low code development can help your business thrive.

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