March 14, 2026 — Düsseldorf, Germany — METRO AG partners with IBM to revolutionize digital marketing using generative AI and centralized customer data for personalized campaigns worldwide.[1] The collaboration, announced on March 4, 2026, involves centralizing data from 10 sources, developing a multichannel marketing platform, and deploying an AI-supported content workbench powered by IBM watsonx.ai.
The partnership enables METRO, an international wholesaler serving over 15 million customers across more than 30 countries, to generate personalized content such as headlines, product descriptions, emails, and SEO texts in multiple languages. This aims to boost conversion rates, reduce marketing team workloads, and scale campaigns globally. A successful proof-of-concept has expanded AI use in marketing operations.
Partnership Details
IBM iX, IBM’s digital agency, integrated customer data management with a new multichannel platform, modernizing METRO’s MarTech landscape. The AI workbench uses pre-configured prompts for editable content variants, combining AI suggestions with human review for consistency across channels, CRM, SEO, and e-commerce. The multi-year project, building on efforts since 2022, supports real-time personalization and standardized success measurement.[3]
METRO AG partners with IBM to revolutionize digital marketing using generative AI and centralized customer data for personalized campaigns worldwide, as detailed in the IBM iX press release. Benefits include faster time-to-market for campaigns, from weeks to days, and over 60 automated processes in 15 markets.
Executive Quotes
“We were impressed by the speed and quality at which IBM iX implemented the AI workbench. It enables us to efficiently respond to the growing demand for high-quality content. This noticeably reduces our teams’ workload and is a real productivity boost.”
— Emirhan Yasdiman, Global Lead SEO at METRO AG [4]
“With the new multichannel platform and centralised customer data management, we make it possible for METRO to deliver high-quality content quickly and in a target-group specific manner—across channels, in multiple languages and efficiently. This allows us to increase conversion rates and sustainably improve customer communication.”
— Oliver Zimmer, Client Partner at IBM iX [1]
Tino Hölters, Vice President Marketing at METRO AG, stated: “IBM iX has become an indispensable partner in the digital transformation of our customer communication.”
Coverage and Context
The initiative received coverage in CIO.de on March 12, 2026, framing it within METRO’s strategy to become AI-native. A German IBM newsroom release appeared February 26, 2026. On X, consultant Florian Lintz shared the CIO.de article on March 13, noting METRO’s use of generative AI for targeted outreach.[5]
METRO AG partners with IBM to revolutionize digital marketing using generative AI and centralized customer data for personalized campaigns worldwide, continuing a partnership initiated in 2023 for MarTech transformation.[6] For related coverage, see SEO Spyglass sitemap.