MCK - Retail Ops 2020 - FullIssue RGB Hyperlinks 011620 PDF

Future of retail
operations: Winning
in a digital era
This compendium explores the breadth of change
and risk throughout the modern retail industry.
January 2020
Cover image: Copyright © 2020 McKinsey &
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Contents
Same-day coverage of relevant population,1 Amazon vs d
Store operations
5 A transformation in storefashion retailer
omnichannel
by type of competition, %
Brick-and-mortar retail stores need to up their game.
Technology could give them
28 stores acrossa Germany,
significant boost.
covering 5 of Ongoing testing an
Germany’s 20 biggest cities ship-from-store ca
Reta
Competition area Area at risk mon
(Amazon and retailer) (Amazon only) (reta
Hamburg
11 Smarter schedules, better budgets: How to improve

Population
store operations 22 16
Berlin Through activity–based labor scheduling and budgeting,
retailers can become more efficient while improving customer
Purchasing
23 17
power satisfaction.
service and employee coverage
1
Relevant population areas defined as high density (>750 inhabitants/k
coverage defined as area within 30 minutes driving time from respecti
16
Cologne Bending the cost curve in brick-and-mortar retail
Source: Alteryx; BKG; ESRI ArcGIS; MB-Research; McKinsey analysis
Retailers can achieve next-generation store efficiency
by breaking down silos and optimizing total cost across the
value chain.
Viable market coverage for same-day
delivery via ship from store1
%
60
Supply chain
Munich 22 Supply chain of the future: Key principles in building
an omnichannel
50 distribution network
As omnichannel shopping is becoming the new norm,

consumer and retail
40 companies must be ready to deliver fast,
impeccable omnichannel service. Doing so requires a new
supply chain network approach.
30
31 A retailer’s guide
20 to successfully navigating the race
for same-day delivery
Same-day delivery:10 Consumers’ expectation for same-day
delivery is rising and putting pressure on retailers’ supply
chains.
0
0 10 20
38 Better service with population

connected
1
Relevant areasinventory
defined as high density (>750 inhabitants/k
coverage defined as area within 30 minutes driving time from respecti
It is not just the customer experience that manufacturers
and retailers enhance by extending their reach to the entirety
of stocks in the market.
1
Supply chain
(continued) 44 The invisible hand: On the path to autonomous
planning in food retail
It’s not news to food retailers: sometimes your stocks are too
high, sometimes they’re too low. Advanced planning now gives
them entirely new options for solving the expensive problem—
and cuts costs in the process.
50 Automation in logistics: Big opportunity, bigger

uncertainty
As e-commerce volumes soar, many logistics and parcel
companies hope that automation is the answer. But as this
second article in our series on disruption explains, things
are not so simple.
62 Next–generation supply chain—transforming your

supply chain operating model for a digital world
In a digital age, most supply chains run on old principles and
processes. A few leaders can show us how a new operating
model can answer the demands of today—and tomorrow.
Procurement
67 Beyond procurement: Transforming indirect
spending in retail
If retailers treat indirect costs as an opportunity for business
transformation rather than just a procurement matter, they can
boost return on sales by as much as 2 percent.
76 Rethinking procurement in retail

For retailers, procurement is no longer solely a matter
of negotiating “A” brands. Private labels and verticalization
are trending. Advanced approaches and tools help get
procurement in shape for the future.
82 Six emerging trends in facilities management

Outsourcing, workplace strategies, and technology innovations
hold immense potential for companies seeking to reduce costs
and improve productivity in facilities management.
Tech
94 The end of IT?
Retailers who want to stay ahead of the pack and drive
business results through technology innovation are rethinking
the setup of their IT departments.
2 Future of retail operations: Winning in a digital era January 2020

Introduction
Heightened customer expectations, massive advancements in technology, and the rise of omnichannel
commerce are just a few of the trends reshaping the world of retail. In an industry already known for thin
margins, these changes can increase cost pressures and uncertainty for retailers—all while opening the
door to significant opportunities. Traditional approaches will no longer work in the face of change; now is
the time to clearly define new aspirations, make fundamental changes to operating models, and rethink
retail. Those
McK Retailthat make moves now
compendium 2020may enjoy a sustained advantage for decades to come.
Introduction
In this publication we examine some of the most pressing challenges retailers face and the transformative
Exhibit
journeys many are on right now. You will find a range of new perspectives across retail operations,
including, store operations, supply chain, procurement, and information technology (IT). As the rules of
retail are being redefined, these fundamental areas of retail operations are in need of fresh thinking.
Retail operations
Store operations Supply chain Procurement
Information technology (IT)
We provide a new take on store operations—while flashy technology attracts and engages customers
in the “store of the future,” the make-or-break technology is actually behind the scenes. That’s the
technology that gathers and connects data for a seamless customer experience. In our own “store of the
future” this includes dwell sensing, RFID, heavy investments in the data lake, and the logic needed to map
the customer journey. But technology is only one piece of the puzzle; solving the operations equation also
involves analytics, new store processes, and upskilling the store team. Such a transformation can add
several points of profitability to the average store.
Introduction 3
In supply chain, we identify the measures successful companies have taken, which include fundamentally
transforming their supply chain to enable a true omnichannel experience, taking more agile approaches
when designing their supply chain network, building new capabilities, and adjusting their operating model.
We take a look at how retailers can keep up with customer expectations as omnichannel shopping becomes
the new normal—including building and maintaining a connected inventory strategy, which increases
transparency and access to stock wherever it sits in the supply chain to better fulfill customer needs.
In procurement, we explore the unrealized opportunity in indirect spending—spend on goods or

services not for resale. Companies can and should take a closer look at indirect spending and embed
new processes and ways of working—including using more sophisticated analytics tools, strengthening
supplier collaboration, and taking a broader, business-level view of indirect spend, rather than making it
simply a procurement issue. Retailers that elevate indirect spending initiatives can cut costs, capture more
value, and uncover cash that can be reinvested as part of a broader business transformation.
We recognize that today, nearly every change a retailer makes depends on technology solutions—and
they often fall short of expectations. With an entrenched divide between the IT department and the rest
of the company, many brick-and-mortar retailers struggle to get value out of their IT investments—or get
started at all. Retailers must become technology-driven organizations, and that will require upending
the status quo. In the end, transforming mind-sets, capabilities, and ways of working is critical not only in
established IT areas like application development and infrastructure but in core commercial divisions like
sales, merchandising, supply chain, and marketing.
Through our research and analysis, we seek to identify opportunities, provide insight into how to act on
them, and learn from those that have forged ahead. We hope these perspectives on retail operations aids
your organization in embracing change and realizing a new vision for retail.
Praveen Adhi Karl-Hendrik Magnus Frank Sänger

Partner, Chicago Partner, Frankfurt Senior Partner, Cologne

S T O R E O P E R AT I O N S
A transformation
in store
Brick-and-mortar retail stores need to up their game. Technology
could give them a significant boost.
by Praveen Adhi, Tiffany Burns, Sebastien Calais, Andrew Davis, Gerry Hough, Shruti Lal, and Bill Mutell
© EyeEm/Getty Images
A transformation in store 5
Now should be a great time in US retail. Consumer Retailers are already wrestling with omnichannel’s
confidence has finally returned to pre-recession demands on their supply chains and back-office
levels. Americans have seen their per capita, operations. Now they need to think about how they
constant-dollar disposable income rise more than use emerging technologies and rich, granular data
20 percent between the beginning of 2014 and on customers to transform the in-store experience.
early 2019. The rewards for those that get this right will be
significant: 83 percent of customers say they want
Yet despite the buoyant economic environment, their shopping experience to be personalized in
many brick-and-mortar stores are struggling. some way, and our research suggests that effective
In part, that’s due to the rise of e-commerce, personalization can increase store revenues by
which since 2016 has accounted for more than 20 to 30 percent.
40 percent of US retail sales growth. In our
most recent consumer survey, 82 percent of US Several new technologies have reached a tipping
shoppers reported spending money online in the point and are set to spill over onto the retail
previous three months, and the same percentage floor. Machine learning and big-data analytics
used their smartphones to make purchasing techniques are ready to crunch the vast quantities
decisions. Not surprisingly, younger shoppers favor of customer data that retailers already accumulate.
e-shopping even more: 42 percent of millennials Robots and automation systems are moving out
say they prefer the online retail experience and of factories and into warehouses and distribution
avoid stores altogether when they can. centers. The Internet of Things allows products
to be tracked across continents or on shelves
Meanwhile, the strong economy and record-low with millimeter precision. Now is a great time for
unemployment are increasing wage pressure and retailers to embrace that challenge of bringing
store operating costs. In the last three years, more technology and data together in the off-line world.
than 45 US retail chains have gone bankrupt.
The evolving consumer journey

Retail stores have a real future How will these technologies reshape the shopping
Yet rumors of the physical store’s death are experience? To find out, let’s follow one consumer on
exaggerated. Even by 2023, e-commerce is a journey through the store of future (Exhibit 1).
forecast to account for only 21 percent of total
retail sales and just 5 percent of grocery sales. As Jonathan arrives at his favorite grocery retailer,
And with Amazon and other major internet players the store recognizes him, its systems alerted to his
developing their own brick-and-mortar networks, presence either as his smartphone connects to the
it is becoming increasingly clear that the future of in-store Wi-Fi or perhaps by a facial-recognition
retail belongs to companies that can offer a true technology that he has signed up to use. Once
omnichannel experience. Jonathan agrees to log in, the store accesses the
Several new technologies have reached

a tipping point and are set to spill over
onto the retail floor.

A transformation in store CJ
Exhibit 1 of 3
Exhibit 1
The consumer’s journey is evolving.
Technology powers
shopping convenience
In-store communications not
only help customers finish
their shopping lists but also
provide tailored promotions
and detailed product
information. And they
eliminate checkout lines.
shopping list he’s been building at home by scanning The evolving associate and
items with his phone as he uses them up. As he walks manager journeys
the aisles, smart shelf displays illuminate to show Technology won’t just reshape the customer
the location of those items, while also highlighting experience in tomorrow’s stores: working in retail
tailored offers, complementary items, and regular will look will look very different too (Exhibit 2).
purchases that didn’t make it onto the list.
David works part time as an associate in the store’s
Jonathan is tempted by a new, personalized fresh-foods department, fitting in shifts around his
promotion that pops up on his phone as he studies and family life. He negotiates his schedule
approaches the prepared-meals aisle. But because each week using a mobile app. The store runs a
he prefers organic foods, he wonders about the bidding system, and staff can earn a premium by
product’s ingredients. As he scans the package volunteering for busy or hard-to-fill shifts. The
with his smartphone, an augmented-reality display technology also makes it easy for David to trade
reveals the origin of its contents, along with its shifts when he has a conflict.
nutrition information and even its carbon footprint.
The store rarely struggles to get the people it needs,
His bag full, Jonathan leaves the store. There was however. David loves working there because he
no need to check out: RFID scanners and machine- is passionate and knowledgeable about food. His
vision systems have already identified every item duties include some manual tasks such as stocking
he packed, and his credit card, already on file in the or picking for online orders, but the work is light.
retailer’s systems, is debited as he passes through Sensors on and above the shelves monitor the
the doors. status of stock, a machine-learning system plans
A transformation in store CJ
Exhibit 2 of 3
Exhibit 2
The associate’s journey is also changing.
New tools improve retail jobs

Mobile–based shift planners
let associates manage their
schedules and give them more
detailed, accurate information
so they can have better
interactions with customers.
the replenishment schedule, and items are delivered presentation, and Rebecca spends most of her time
or taken away by robot carts that glide silently and working with colleagues to improve and fine-tune
safely through the store. its offerings. It helps that many previously time-
consuming tasks, such as associate scheduling and
David spends most of his time interacting with reporting, are now handled automatically by artificial-
customers, offering advice on new products and intelligence tools. Her phone alerts her when a
recipes or answering their questions. He has situation needs real attention in real time, such as a
a handheld terminal that he can use to acquire promotion that’s not selling as well as in other stores.
information on each customer’s preferences and This means she can focus her efforts on performance
shopping habits. If a customer can’t find something and service improvements, aided by the store’s
on the shelves, he can pinpoint the location and sophisticated performance-analysis systems.
real–time stock level of every item at a glance or
suggest different items based on that customer’s David and Rebecca already have a pretty good
shopping habits. idea of how the new promotional set will work
because they’ve tried it out in virtual reality using an
Meanwhile, Rebecca, the store manager, is thinking interactive digital twin of the store. Conversations
about plans for a big new promotion that starts next with customers have given them an idea for
week. The project will involve significant changes tweaking the offer’s presentation, and they are
to the range of items on display including setting discussing the possible changes now to boost
new fixturing in the produce area. But that’s nothing sales, rather than rigidly adhering to a formula
new: the store is always adapting its stock and devised and handed down from above.

The financial impact of of labor spend toward value-added and customer-
in-store technology facing work.
There’s another area that is set to look very different
in the store of the future, and that’s the store’s P&L Overall, we believe the store of the future is likely to
sheet. And while our example has been taken from achieve EBIT margins twice those of today, with the
grocery retail, this impact will be noticeable across added benefits of improved customer experience,
the sector. Personalized offerings and optimized better employee engagement, and an easier-to-
assortments will likely raise sales and cut waste, run store (Exhibit 3). The technology necessary to
while opportunities to upsell and cross-sell, either achieve this transformed P&L is available now, and
automatically or in person, can increase basket sizes we calculate that it is ROI-positive.
and conversion rates.
The profile of the workforce will change as well: Are you ready?
skilled and knowledgeable associates will expect The store of the future is still in its infancy, but every
2019 to earn more, pushing hourly rates up by about one of the technologies described above exists
A transformation 20
in percent.
store CJ Total wages are likely to fall, however, as today as a commercial product not just a prototype
Exhibit 3 of 3 automation and technology help shift the balance or proof-of-concept. Retail leaders should act now
Exhibit 3
Technology will likely double store profitability.
1-2% 5-9%
0.5-1%
1-2%
2-4% Increase of
3 to 5
percentage
2-4% points
-2-3%
Current Labor In-store labor Inventory Back-office Customer Future EBIT

EBIT¹ margin headwinds automation and management automation experience margin potential
robotics
20% increase Warehouse- Reduction in 10% reduction Use of in-store Each retailer will
in minimum to-shelf shrink in store- assets to drive decide what
wages automation, by 20% from management sales (electronic portion of EBIT
and benefits next-gen advanced analytics and SG&A² shelf tags, to reinvest
increases cameras, costs consultative into price/customer
supply chain selling tools)
optimization
1
Earnings before interest and taxes.
2
Sales, general, and administrative.
to prepare their organizations for a technology- — Are you already testing and piloting new
enabled revolution in customer experience and technologies in store or across the network?
efficiency. Ask yourself how your organization is
doing: — Do you have the capabilities to ramp up your use
of technology- and data-driven retail innovations?
— Do you understand the level of performance
your network will need to achieve over the In forthcoming articles, we’ll take a closer look at the
next decade? technologies that are shaping the store of the future,
and how they are set to transform retail P&L.
— Have you identified the primary use cases for
technology-enabled improvements to efficiency
or customer experience?
Praveen Adhi and Andrew Davis are partners in McKinsey’s Chicago office, where Gerry Hough is a senior expert, and
Shruti Lal is an associate partner; Tiffany Burns is a partner in the Atlanta office, where Bill Mutell is an associate partner;
Sebastien Calais is an associate partner in the Paris office.
Copyright © 2020 McKinsey & Company. All rights reserved.

Smarter schedules,
better budgets: How to
improve store operations
Through activity–based labor scheduling and budgeting, retailers
can become more efficient while improving customer service and
employee satisfaction.
by Sebastien Calais, Andrew Davis, Daniel Läubli, and Bill Mutell
© Maskot/Getty Images
Smarter schedules, better budgets: How to improve store operations 11

Labor scheduling is an evergreen topic for retail every day (or, better, every hour) of the week, then
operators with tools, processes, and personnel customers would get prompt sales assistance,
demands that are constantly changing. While these shelves would be replenished in a timely manner,
changes bring new constraints and innovations employees would be neither idle nor overworked,
to a well-defined concept, the fundamentals remain. and, in most stores, labor costs would go down.
Companies that have a clear understanding of
the fundamental building blocks of scheduling That is already happening at a few leading retailers.
have an advantage over peers in identifying and Chief operating officers have begun looking closely
operationalizing innovation into store operations. at store activities and taking a more data-driven
The following article outlines the most critical approach to labor scheduling and budgeting. In doing
elements of labor scheduling that hold true in so, they have captured between 4 and 12 percent in
virtually any context. cost savings while also improving customer service—
for example, by shortening checkout queues or
In recent years, retailers have taken steps to “lean having more staff available on the sales floor to assist
out” their processes and gain efficiencies—with customers—and boosting employee satisfaction. This
impressive results. Lean-retailing initiatives have level of impact has been achieved at several different
yielded as much as a 15 percent reduction in types of retailers, from large supermarket chains in
retailers’ operating costs.¹ But with competition the United States and Europe to specialty retailers in
intensifying and customers expecting ever-higher emerging markets.
service levels, many retailers are now looking for new
ways to further improve productivity and enhance A mismatch between supply and demand
customer service. Many retailers use workforce-management
software to generate a weekly staffing schedule
One major area of opportunity is workforce that is unique to each store. This schedule is usually
management: specifically labor scheduling and based on revenue forecasts—more employees
budgeting. Because of the complexity inherent work during hours or days when sales are projected
in creating accurate staffing schedules and budgets to be the highest. Revenue is a sensible criterion
for a large number of stores, even sophisticated for scheduling, but it’s an insufficient one because
retailers find substantial room for improvement in customers’ buying patterns (average basket size,
this area. average purchase price per item, and more) can
vary by hour and by day. A European grocer found,
Off-the-shelf software and solutions—although for example, that manned service counters, such
useful for important tasks such as monitoring as deli and bakery counters, account for a much
employee attendance and managing payroll— higher share of revenues on weekends than they
typically produce generic schedules that don’t take do during the week. On weekends, therefore,
into account store-specific factors and workload the required labor hours increase at a higher rate
fluctuations. The unfortunate results include high than revenues.
labor costs, inconsistent customer service, and
dissatisfied customers. Furthermore, most retailers don’t have a systematic
way to account for store-specific factors that
If a retailer could better predict the number and affect how long activities take—such as the distance
skill set of employees that each of its stores needs that an employee must walk to transport a pallet
from a delivery truck to the storeroom or how many
1
For more on lean retailing, see Stefan Görgens, Steffen Greubel, and Andreas Moosdorf, “How to mobilize 20,000 people,” December 2013,
McKinsey.com.

elevators employees can use for bringing products particularly to retailers that employ 20 or more
to the sales floor. The same activity can be much people per store.
more time consuming at one store than at another,
even if the two stores have equal revenues. Companies have historically used activity-based
techniques (such as activity-value analysis) to
Just as staffing schedules rarely align with a improve processes and reduce costs, but rarely
store’s true labor needs, labor budgets are also have such techniques been applied to labor
often mismatched with a store’s current reality. scheduling and budgeting. In our analysis of labor-
Many retailers decide on labor budgets in an scheduling logic, we identified four prerequisites
undifferentiated top-down manner: for example, for excellence using an activity-based approach:
they mandate that each store’s labor costs must not
exceed a certain percent of sales. Store managers — store-specific workload calculations, which
can then negotiate adjustments based on their are informed estimates of how long it takes
intuition or experience. This simplistic approach to complete certain activities (for example,
relies too heavily on store managers’ judgment; it replenishing one pallet) in a particular store,
also unfairly penalizes some stores. For instance, taking into account predefined service and
a store in which fresh produce contributes a process standards
large fraction of sales will be at a disadvantage
because fresh produce takes more time and care to — reliable forecasts of “volume drivers” (such
replenish than packaged goods. We found that such as revenues per department, per hour, and
differences among stores can lead to labor-cost product flows) for each store, based on
differences of up to 30 percent even if the stores’ sophisticated regression models as well as
sales are equal. A seemingly equitable top-down store-manager experience
directive thus becomes inequitable in practice; some
— a flexible workforce—with a mix of full-time,
stores can provide exceptional customer service
part-time, and temporary staff—that can adapt
and a relaxed pace of work for employees, while
to schedules that may change on a daily and
at other stores, stressed workers struggle to meet
weekly basis
their service-level targets.
— robust performance-management processes
Four prerequisites to an activity-based approach and systems, with clear productivity and
To revolutionize their labor scheduling and service-level targets, to ensure that all stores are
budgeting, innovative retailers aren’t simply on board and comply with the plan
relying on off-the-shelf workforce-management
solutions. Instead they are taking an activity-based All four of these prerequisites can be challenging
approach—one that matches store employees’ for retailers. We’ve found, however, that the
working hours to a changing workload, which means first prerequisite—generating accurate workload
the right employees are working at the right times, calculations—often proves to be the key
performing the right tasks, and spending the least improvement lever.
amount of time required for those tasks. Equally
important, such an approach helps retailers develop How to calculate workloads accurately
accurate annual labor budgets for each store. An The optimal workload calculations set an
activity-based approach can be immensely valuable, expectation for best-practice performance while

also acknowledging each store’s unique context. In Implementation and rollout

activity-based scheduling, the time allotted to each Implementing an activity-based approach requires a
activity is a network-wide standard time that is the tool that can turn inputs (such as revenue forecasts
same for all stores, plus any additional time due to the and customer-footfall estimates) into useful outputs
specifics of each store (exhibit). The network-wide for store managers. Outputs might include the
standard time in effect establishes a best-practice required number of full-time employees per hour
benchmark for all stores. Store–specific time drivers and per day, the specific tasks employees should
can then be measured by observation. be doing during certain hours of the day, and the
associated labor costs.
Some activities will be tricky to model. For
instance, figuring out how long it should take to Retailers typically find it easier and faster to build
ring up purchases at checkout and how many such a tool from scratch and then inject its outputs
cashiers should be working at any one time isn’t a into their existing workforce-management systems,
straightforward calculation—customers arrive at rather than build the tool within their current HR
checkouts randomly. For unpredictable customer- systems. In our experience, it takes approximately
facing activities like these, retailers will need to use six months to develop an Excel-based prototype,
queuing theory.² pilot it in a handful of stores to test the accuracy of
all assumptions and workload calculations, observe
Retailers should focus on activities that constitute its impact on the workforce, and refine it.
a significant amount of store employees’ workload.
On the one hand, developing a detailed model of How quickly the tool is rolled out to the entire store
how long it takes to adjust a shelf to an updated network will depend on available resources, but
planogram isn’t necessary, as this activity typically a store-by-store rollout—whereby an operations
accounts for less than 1 percent of the total workload. “coach” helps store employees learn about the new
On the other hand, replenishment-related activities tool and any new processes—is often most effective.
can take up to 70 percent of the total work hours in a Leadership must ensure that the tool is embedded
store (see case study, “One retailer’s results: Lower into daily work and fully linked to HR planning and
McKinsey on Retail 2020
labor costs, better store managers”). annual budgeting processes. To keep it constantly
Smarter schedules
Exhibit 1 of 1 2
Queuing theory is useful for calculating how many employees are needed at a given time to meet the retailer’s target service level. In the
checkout example, the target could be based on waiting time (for instance, 90 percent of customers will wait in a checkout line for no more than
three minutes) or queue length (for instance, 90 percent of customers will have a maximum of two people in front of them at checkout).
Exhibit
Stores should be allotted the same amount of time for the same task, with some adjustments
based on each store’s unique context.
Time for activity Standard time Store–specific time driver Quantity
Total time for store Target time for an activity; Additional time needed due Number of times the activity is
employees to should be the same for entire to local store characteristics performed; variable (can be
perform a core activity store network (eg, store layout, average derived from historical data)
in a department basket size)

Case study
One retailer’s results: Lower labor costs, better store managers
A large European retailer, with annual The retailer subsequently tested the operations. Furthermore, the approach
revenue in excess of $20 billion, knew that prototype in six additional stores that were helped expose poor store management.
its stores’ labor scheduling and budgeting quite different from one another to ensure For example, one store was perceived
processes weren’t rigorous enough. that the tool’s outputs would be relevant in the company as being well managed
At every store, both the standard weekly to the entire store network. Along the because it had notably low labor costs.
staffing schedule and the annual labor way, the retailer discovered and quickly But bottom-up calculation of the store’s
budget were based primarily on revenues implemented a number of best practices annual labor budgets showed that the low
and managerial judgment. and process improvements. labor costs were entirely due to favorable
store specifics, such as short distances
Seeking a more data-driven approach, the The new staffing schedules and labor for transporting products and shelves that
retailer decided to pilot activity-based budgets yielded an efficiency improvement were relatively easy to stock. Once labor
labor scheduling and budgeting in two of along with an improvement in customer costs were adjusted for those specifics,
its stores over a four-month period. The service—gratifying results, particularly the store was shown to be among the least
effort involved calculating the timing of in light of the fact that the retailer had efficient in the network. These and similar
65 activities and building an Excel-based recently undertaken a successful lean- insights allowed the retailer to better
prototype of a new labor-scheduling and retailing transformation and in many evaluate and train its store managers.
budgeting tool. ways already had best–practice store
up to date and relevant, retailers should consider changes in service levels or process standards. And in
setting up a scheduling team of people who have the the event that labor budget cuts become necessary,
requisite analytical skills and who are familiar with management teams—instead of just imposing top-
store operations. The team would be responsible for down percentage cuts—will be equipped to lead
maintaining and updating the tool and adjusting the practical and detailed discussions about which store
workload calculations to new processes. activities could be speeded up or eliminated entirely,
or where service-level targets could be relaxed.
In this way, they will be able to ensure sustained
improvements in store productivity, customer service,
An activity-based approach can reveal opportunities and employee satisfaction, all while keeping labor
for improving store processes. In fact, it can serve costs firmly under control. In future publications, we
as the backbone for a continuous-improvement will outline some of the unique elements that can
program; ideally, the new scheduling and budgeting drive variation in labor scheduling.
tool would be able to run “what if” analyses for any
Sebastien Calais is an associate partner in McKinsey’s Paris office, Andrew Davis is a partner in the Chicago office,
Daniel Läubli is a partner in the Zurich office, and Bill Mutell is an associate partner in the Atlanta office.

Bending the cost

curve in brick-and-
mortar retail
Retailers can achieve next-generation store efficiency by breaking
down silos and optimizing total cost across the value chain.
by Praveen Adhi, Vishwa Chandra, Karl-Hendrik Magnus, and Aneliya Valkova
© Noel Hendrickson/Getty Images

Making money in retail—particularly in physical for 40 percent of retail growth in the United States
stores—is becoming harder and more complex since 2016. A recent McKinsey survey found that
each year. Many retailers around the globe have 82 percent of US consumers reported spending
addressed many of the possible efficiencies in money online over the preceding three months,
labor productivity and process automation. It is and 42 percent of millennials report they prefer
time to consider the next generation of thinking to shopping online to shopping in store.² Still, the
make a meaningful difference in brick-and-mortar in-store experience is far from obsolete. McKinsey
economics and remain competitive in an ever- projects e-commerce will constitute just 21 percent
changing retail environment. of total retail sales and 5 percent of grocery sales
by 2023.
Our colleagues have discussed how an integrated
view on cost can help consumer-goods companies Second, brick-and-mortar stores are contending
optimize operations costs across the value chain.¹ with increasing SKU complexity; in a world of ever-
In this article, we take a closer look at how retailers shorter product cycles and rapid innovation, SKUs
can benefit from a similar end-to-end perspective. have proliferated rapidly.
The goal is to help traditionally siloed departments,
from store operations to supply chain to merchan- Third, stores are facing increased customer service
dising, understand the total cost of each SKU by and experience expectations, requiring both more
disaggregating the product’s journey from end to time dedicated to customers and better-trained
end. This understanding can enable retailers to make frontline staff to serve today’s highly digital, well-
better decisions about what products to purchase, informed customer. In addition, the proliferation
when to transport them, how to display them, whether of omnichannel experiences is changing the
to offer a sale—and, all along, how to make best use very purpose of a physical store.³ Stores are
of their employees’ time. increasingly expected to offer a variety of omni-
channel services, including in-store fulfillment and
While traditional store efficiency programs returns of online orders.
focused on in-store labor productivity can save
5 to 10 percent in overall costs, in our experience Finally, retailers’ traditional labor pool is dwindling
a more comprehensive cost approach can enable due to low unemployment and rising labor costs.
retailers to realize two to three times more savings, For example, the United States is experiencing
bending the cost curve more toward meaningful record-low unemployment.⁴ And to date, states
impact than the traditional incremental approach. that account for 30 percent of US workers have
committed to phasing in a minimum wage increase
that will ultimately reach $15 an hour—more than
Case for change: External environment double the federally mandated wage of $7.25.⁵
Even retailers with stable balance sheets face
mounting cost pressure due to several factors,
including decreased foot traffic, increased SKU What retailers can do
complexity, higher customer expectations, and To remain viable in this environment, retailers
rising labor costs. must constantly improve their store economics
by simplifying, eliminating, or automating routine
To start, consumers shop from the comfort of activities. Most retailers have implemented several
their couches rather than traveling to the nearest rounds of lean cost-improvement programs, such
shopping center; e-commerce has accounted as automating simple activities (reporting and
1
Philip Christiani, Sebastian Gatzer, Daniel Rexhausen, and Andreas Seyfert, “How to untap the full potential: An integrated—not isolated—view
on cost,” September 2019, McKinsey.com.
2
Praveen Adhi, Tiffany Burns, Andrew Davis, Shruti Lal, and Bill Mutell, “A transformation in store,” May 2019, McKinsey.com.
3
Raj Kumar, Tim Lange, and Patrik Silén, “Building omnichannel excellence,” April 2017, McKinsey.com.
4
“Employment situation summary,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, October 4, 2019, bls.gov.
5
Chris Marr, “States with $15 minimum wage laws doubled this year,” Bloomberg Law, May 23, 2019, bloomberglaw.com.
Bending the cost curve in brick-and-mortar retail 17

scheduling) and streamlining their inventory stocking discontinued. Further, a deeper understanding of
processes. However, most still take a narrow view net margin and labor implications in distribution
of what costs they can optimize, focusing on activities centers and stores can inform decisions about
the store can influence and accepting upstream whether to add or remove shelf space from a given
activities and decisions as constraints. SKU. The extra labor cost required to stock the
shelf between less frequent deliveries may be
To reach the next level of cost efficiency, retailers offset by transportation cost savings.
must expand their focus outside the four walls of the
store. Only the most advanced look for efficiency at A comprehensive view of cost can also inform
the intersection of store operations, merchandising, investments into enhanced capabilities such as
supply chain, and transportation to adopt a total-cost automation. For example, if a distribution center can
view—that is, the sum of cost components across be outfitted to build custom pallets that match a
the value chain (Exhibit 1). By considering underlying store’s layout, frontline staff would spend less time
costs, from how products are chosen to how they’re sorting products and moving between aisles.
stocked, in our experience retailers can expand the
scope beyond costs addressed in their brick-and- It is important to recognize that these efficiencies
mortar stores by 50 percent. These underlying costs will lower costs in some departments but
are also more likely to yield efficiency because they may be cost-neutral or increase costs in others;
have not been scrutinized as much as in-store costs. accounting for these cross-functional effects
will be critical to success.
A total cost approach can reveal a host of
unrealized efficiencies (Exhibit 2). For example,
with input from store operations, merchandising Success factors for bending the
can adjust the store’s promotional calendar by cost curve
category and product to incorporate both the Four primary factors are crucial to bending the cost
expected incremental margin as well as the curve through a total-cost approach: governance
store labor required to change price tags and and executive alignment, cost transparency, data and
build promotional displays. Given this more analytics capabilities, and key performance indicators
comprehensive view of cost, some promotional (KPIs) and incentive alignment.
activities will be seen as unprofitable and thus
To remain viable in this

environment, retailers must constantly
improve their store economics by
simplifying, eliminating, or automating
routine activities.

Exhibit 1
Cross-functional collaboration to understand total cost of handling can lead to a host of

unrealized efficiencies.
Cost decrease
SO Store operations SC Supply chain M Merchandising Neutral
Cost increase/
margin decrease
Category and product promotional Extra shelf space is added for fast-moving Product is purchased from vendors,
profitability is adjusted to account for SKU A to enable stocking all product at shipped, and stocked in shelf-ready
store labor costs to replace price tags and once. The store labor savings are greater packaging, which makes it easier for
build promo displays. This makes some than the lost margin from removing SKU stores to handle and outweighs the extra
promotions unprofitable, and they are B’s shelf space. vendor costs.
discontinued.
SO SC SO SC SO SC
M M M
The store receives less frequent deliveries The business case on whether to invest Promotional displays are built upstream in
to optimize transportation cost—the in distribution-center automation is the distribution center or at the vendor,
savings outweigh the extra labor needed amended to include store savings from reducing the time it takes store employees
to manage bigger shipments. stocking product that arrives in better- to set up.
organized pallets.
SO SC SO SC SO
M M SC M

Exhibit 2
The total cost of handling a product is determined by considering cost at each step of the
value chain.
Introduce to
Review category Create planogram Plan demand distribution center Receive and stock
and prepare to ship
Example New SKUs to Number of facings Safety stock Location in the Store processes
decisions introduce distribution center for stocking
Shelf depth Minimum for new SKU
Number of stores presentation
Space for category Placement of
for new SKU quantity Mode of shipping overstock (eg,
introduction to the store (case back room vs top
or individual) shelf vs elsewhere)
Frequency of
store delivery
Impacted cost Cost of goods sold, Store labor cost to Distribution center Store labor cost from Store labor cost
components write-offs, shrink replenish between picking cost based stocking full cases to stock product
shipments based on amount of vs individual units on shelves and
on shelf capacity product shipped return overstock
to back room
Inventory holding
cost of safety
stock and minimum
presentation
Governance and executive alignment Cost transparency

It starts from the top. Senior-level, cross-functional Retailers often struggle to calculate their total cost
alignment and sponsorship are required to of handling for two simple reasons: they either lack
communicate change and ensure it sticks. Given the a full understanding of cost components or don’t
sensitive nature of cross-functional savings—some have the data to quantify each. For example, many
departments will see a cost increase, while others will retailers do not have a clear sense of how much
see a disproportionate cost decrease—each function labor is used per unit of product in the store, starting
needs to be confident that senior leaders support with unloading it from a truck to placing it on the
them and that every function adheres to the same shelf, refilling the shelf between deliveries, checking
new standards. for out-dates, mounting promotions, and beyond.
In addition, the business owner of this new process Each SKU’s journey should be mapped and
should be selected with care. Ideally, they should broken down into cost-component steps. Each
reside outside of functions that own a meaningful step includes multiple iterations based on how it
number of cost components; finance is often a good is executed. For example, in–store labor cost is a
option because it lacks a direct stake in where costs component with at least two iterations based on
are incurred. Store operations is another viable how a product is stocked—as a full case or individual
option, as it is furthest downstream in the process. units. Identifying where a product goes and stocking

a full case all at once requires much less labor per areas. However, many parts of the organization
unit compared with stocking individual units and have narrow P&Ls that don’t account for cross-
searching for the correct spot on the shelf after each functional effects. As such, end-to-end costs must
one. These cost estimates should be periodically be embedded in the reporting and KPIs of each
refined to reflect changes in cost structure. function. For example, a merchandising decision to
remove shelf space from the planogram of a fast-
Data and analytics capabilities moving SKU should consider more than the lost
Establishing cost transparency should result in the margin and vendor funding. The decision should
creation of a central data repository with access to also consider whether less shelf space may negate
multiple sources of data at the SKU and store levels, the benefit of shipping full cases to the store. In that
including all cost components across sales, cost, case, the SKU in that planogram will incur the extra
margin, safety stock and presentation requirements, cost from being shipped as individual units from the
promotional calendar, planogram versions, and distribution center and the additional cost of having
shipping quantities. Typically, these data sources are to be restocked between shipments if its shelf
not tied to each other, requiring additional work to capacity is decreased.
build a 360-degree view of each SKU.
Once the data are assembled, sophisticated data

and analytics capabilities are needed to simulate the Brick-and-mortar retail will continue being
different scenarios based on variable factors—such challenged to deliver on multiple fronts at once,
as how a product is shipped from the distribution including customer experience, omnichannel
center, in what quantity, and how often. An advanced services, and cost excellence. While initially impactful,
decision-engine algorithm needs to be put in place traditional lean levers employed by store operations
to determine the lowest-cost path through the limit the scope of opportunity by ignoring 50 percent
system and estimate the cost savings should all SKUs of cost controlled by other functions, including
follow the optimal path. Identifying the scenario that merchandising and supply chain. To bend the cost
matches the current state and comparing it to the curve and reach performance excellence, retailers
optimal state can illuminate the concrete savings should take an end-to-end view of cost. With a
gained by moving from the traditional to the proposed data–driven decision engine and senior leadership’s
approach. Savings can be realized both initially, when support, retailers can realize significant opportunity
the decision engine is put in place, and continuously across the organization and make better long-term
as the algorithm becomes embedded. operating decisions.
Key performance indicators and

incentive alignment
While advanced analytics can enable decisions that
optimize total cost across the organization, some
areas of the organization may experience relative
cost increases that permit bigger decreases in other
Praveen Adhi is a partner in McKinsey’s Chicago office, where Aneliya Valkova is an associate partner; Vishwa Chandra is a
partner in the San Francisco office; Karl-Hendrik Magnus is a partner in the Frankfurt office.

S U P P LY C H A I N
Supply chain of the

future: Key principles in
building an omnichannel
distribution network
As omnichannel shopping is becoming the new norm, consumer and
retail companies must be ready to deliver fast, impeccable omnichannel
service. Doing so requires a new supply chain network approach.
by Manik Aryapadi, Ashutosh Dekhne, Wolfgang Fleischer, Claudia Graf, and Tim Lange
© NicoElNino/Getty Images

The consumer product and retail landscape this article, we focus on building block number
continues to evolve as companies race to catch up two, the network and ecosystem of the future, and
with leading e-tailers. Traditional brick-and-mortar describe the principles that can guide companies’
retailers such as Macy’s, Nordstrom, and Walmart are approach to omnichannel network design in an
expanding their online offerings and introducing new increasingly complex environment.
models, such as in-store fulfillment of online orders.
Online players such as Amazon and Zalando are
opening their own brick-and-mortar stores. Vertically The current e-commerce landscape
integrated players such as Bose, Burberry, and While apparel trails industries such as electronics
Nike are strongly pushing their direct-to-consumer and sporting goods in e-commerce penetration, the
business through both online and new physical number of people shopping for clothes and shoes
stores. And players of all kinds are complementing online is rising rapidly. This trend is true across
their physical stores and e-commerce offerings with regions. From 2014 to 2017, online apparel purchases
innovative applications and social media to mount a grew at a CAGR of 24, 15, and 14 percent in Southern
truly omnichannel presence. Europe, North and Western Europe, and Central
Europe, respectively. In the United States, online
However, many players still struggle with apparel sales grew 18.5 percent in 2018 alone,
omnichannel success given the requirements it to more than one-third of all apparel sales that year.²
places on their supply chains—especially in terms This growth far outpaced total apparel sales
of speed, complexity, and efficiency. Customers growth of 5.3 percent that same year. In China, total
expect to receive their products anytime and online retail spending grew 27 percent in 2018,
anywhere with a very short time between order with 24 percent of retail sales taking place online.³
and delivery, with excellent service and high
convenience. Our research shows that service Companies of all kinds, not only in apparel, are
represents the primary factor that brands and racing to meet customer needs—and adapting their
retailers can use to differentiate themselves and supply chain is often one of the primary hurdles.
“delight” omnichannel shoppers.¹ Traditional supply chain networks are often not
built for same-day delivery with excellent service.
Companies that succeed, in our experience, master This is an issue especially when fierce competition
seven key building blocks of the omnichannel offers shorter delivery times with a great customer
supply chain (see sidebar, “The seven supply chain experience; for example, Amazon continuously
building blocks for omnichannel excellence”). In redefines delivery standards.
Traditional supply chain networks are

often not built for same-day delivery
with excellent service.
1
Holly Briedis, Tyler Harris, Megan Pacchia, and Kelly Ungerman, “Ready to ‘where’: Getting sharp on apparel omnichannel excellence,” August
2019, McKinsey.com.
2
April Berthene, “Ecommerce is more than a third of all apparel sales,” Digital Commerce 360, July 23, 2019, digitalcommerce360.com.
3
Satish Meena et al., “Forrester Analytics: Online retail forecast, 2018 To 2023 (Asia Pacific),” Forrester, May 15, 2019, forrester.com.
Supply chain of the future: Key principles in building an omnichannel distribution network 23
McKinsey on Retail 2019

The seven supply chain building blocks for omnichannel excellence
Distribution network design
Exhibit 1 of 2 supply chain of the
The omnichannel Companies that achieve omnichannel
future has seven key elements that success master seven key building blocks.
combine best practices with digital The essential questions to ask for each
opportunities (exhibit). element are listed below.
Exhibit
The omnichannel supply chain of the future has seven key elements that combine best
practices with digital innovation.
Customer–centric supply chain strategy
Starting point to design an omnichannel

supply chain that meets customer needs
along all channels.
Network and ecosystem of E2E planning and information
the future flow
The supply chain’s backbone— Key information flow capabilities

provides required speed and that access the right products in
flexibility, leveraging information, the right place at the right time—
and partner assets and real-time—to deliver according to
capabilities. customer expectations
Operating model and change Omnichannel fulfillment: Node

management operations
Key organizational enabler for the Key physical flow capabilities that
company and its people—captures ensure competitive cost
supply chain potential and delivers structures and reliable quality
exceptional customer value. while managing complexity.
Digitization and process Omnichannel fulfillment:

automation Transportation and LSP
management
Key technology enabler that uses
available omnichannel data, Key physical flow capabilities that
analytics, and supply chain provide reliable, fast service to
systems along the end-to-end all customers where it matters,
value chain—and includes while ensuring competitive
ecosystem partners. transport costs.
Customer–centric supply chain strategy How can we differentiate ourselves — Sustainability: How can we create a
from competitors? sustainable supply chain using best
— Supply chain strategy and
practices, such as supporting the
segmentation: How many supply — Assortment and complexity
circular economy and using sustainable
chain segments are required to deliver management: How can we tailor the
raw materials and packaging?
the supply chain mission? What is assortment to a retailer or to a channel
the objective of each supply chain (for example, online only)? How is the
segment—responsiveness versus product portfolio managed? Network and ecosystem of the future
efficiency? — Risk management: What are the key — Supply network: What is the physical
— Customer–backed service aspirations: supply chain risks? How can we best flow of goods through the network?
What is the customer offering across prepare for supply chain disruptions? What are the different product–supply
different segments? Where does speed What are the best proactive mitigation speed models, and what is the impact on
matter versus flexibility and services? strategies and contingency plans? the supplier and production footprint?

The seven supply chain building blocks for omnichannel excellence (continued)
— Supplier management and product supply with customer demand Omnichannel fulfillment: Transportation
collaboration: How are suppliers in stores, DCs, and with partners? and logistics service provider (LSP)
managed and integrated to support Ensure the right amount of capacity management
an agile upstream supply chain that along the different segments of the SC? — Transport management: What is
responds quickly to changes, as — Sales and operations control tower: needed to manage transport operations
required by the omnichannel customer? How can we align the different efficiently in an increasingly demanding
— Distribution network: Is the distribution organizational entities and plans at world? How do we keep transport cost
network designed for each channel key milestones? Manage and decide under control? Create end-to-end
individually or is an omnichannel on trade-offs? Allocate and prioritize transparency of product flows?
network beneficial? customers, channels, and orders in — Logistics service provider sourcing
What is the right composition of case of constraint? and management: What are the right
distribution centers (DCs), new node — Distributed order management: How logistics partners for the different
types, and partner locations? can we ensure real-time visibility and supply chain segments? How do we
— Inventory-sharing concepts: How accessibility of inventory across all best source and manage LSPs to get
can inventory be shared across channels and locations? Find and competitive rates and services?
channels? Does each channel have access the right fulfillment node to
its own inventory? What is the best fulfill customer orders efficiently? Operating model and change
governance and business model for management
these concepts? Omnichannel fulfillment: Node — Processes: How do we design supply
— Customer collaboration: What are key operations chain processes to support omnichannel
areas for customer collaboration that — Warehouse management: How can optimization? How can digital innovation
could improve information exchange we achieve warehouse excellence in a be integrated in the process design?
and product flow along the value chain? more complex environment? Leverage How do we accelerate decisions?
Where should partners be employed to automation to increase speed, quality,
drive and access innovation? — Structures: How can we adjust the
and efficiency? Should DCs be organizational structure to capture
operated in house or outsourced? cross-channel benefits and make
End-to-end (E2E) planning and — Return flows and processing: How can change happen? Avoid silos between
information flow we manage returns in an efficient and channels? Use zero-based thinking in
— Demand planning: What are the effective way? Optimize return flows organizational sizing?
different demand signals in the across the network? Which decisions — Capabilities and mind-set: Which
omnichannel environment, and how can on flow of goods can be made by which additional skills are needed to enable
they be captured to predict demand parts of the value chain? the future organization? Where
potential by leveraging advanced — In-store operations: How can we enable should an agile way of working be
analytics? How can we combine them the whole downstream supply chain used and how? How can we best
into an E2E marketplace perspective? for omnichannel? Optimize in-store address the cultural change toward
— Inventory management: What is the layout and processes to enable local omnichannel behavior?
optimal inventory level at each stage of fulfillment while securing a great — Performance management: How
the value chain—DCs, stores, partners, customer experience? should performance of the E2E
etc.? How can we actively manage supply chain be measured? How
inventory to increase availability and can we incorporate the omnichannel
keep cash requirements under control? dimension, measuring the joint
— Supply and replenishment planning: performance rather than individual
How can we best synchronize the channels? Adjust incentives to enable
the right behavior?
The seven supply chain building blocks for omnichannel excellence (continued)
Digitization and process automation integrated? How do we integrate into the Internet of Things be deployed?
an ecosystem with our partners? What are the key benefits of these
— Foundational software: What is the
technologies, and how can they enable
required software and tooling needed — Analytics strategy: How can we
omnichannel optimization?
to enable the omnichannel supply contextualize data to conduct
chain? Which optimization decisions relevant analyses? Is operational data
need special tool enablement? consolidated and accessible by the right
decision makers? How can we best
— Data strategy: How can we capture
visualize data and analytics to make
data and use it along the value chain?
them accessible to decision makers?
Build the omnichannel data lake to
link the data from different platforms — Process automation: How can
and systems? How are legacy systems advanced digital tools such as robotic
process automation, blockchain, and
In addition, e-commerce fulfillment is much more Put the customer’s needs first
complex than traditional brick-and-mortar or To start, companies need to adopt a granular
wholesaler fulfillment. When customers can order perspective of what the customer really wants, today
24/7, demand is less predictable and more difficult and in the future. This understanding will inform
to shape. Order sizes are significantly lower, and which channels to serve, which products and services
the number of products offered continuously rises. to offer, and where to offer them. For example, a
The increase in speed and complexity drives up young adult living in a large city, such as London
fulfillment costs. In our experience, an online order’s or New York City, wants to purchase and receive a
cost per unit can easily be four to five times higher newly launched sneaker that a celebrity presented
than traditional brick-and-mortar replenishment on Instagram that same day. However, the customer
and ten times higher than wholesale fulfillment. All does not know where she will be in a few hours, so it is
the while, customers demand a seamless important that she can track the delivery and reroute
omnichannel journey. it at any time. If, for example, she goes to a café, the
shoes are rerouted (via an app) to be delivered there.
Building out the omnichannel experience can bring
huge value for retailers, e-tailers, and vertically Developing this detailed understanding of
integrated players with direct-to-consumer customers requires harnessing customer data. This
business; our research has found that customers information should be combined with customer-
shopping online tend to buy more, and customers behavior insights culled from customer interviews,
that pick up online orders in store often make observations, and the latest research from market
additional in store purchases.⁴ With the seven experts, as well as analyses of competitors’
building blocks of a successful omnichannel supply e-commerce offerings. Advanced analytics can be
chain in mind, the following principles should be used to process all this information and gain a clear
top of mind while working to build the network and understanding of customer expectations.
ecosystem of the future.
4
“Employment situation summary,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, October 4, 2019, bls.gov.

In an ever-volatile environment, speed
of implementation and efficient use of
resources are crucial.
In addition to understanding the customer today, the service offering. This generally involves a rather
companies must also look to the future and rigid and time-consuming approach: three months
stay flexible as the market rapidly changes. For of data collection, six months of modeling, and three
example, while next-day service was novel just months of decision making before implementation.
a few years ago, it is common today. How future This traditional approach leads to a onetime strategy
incumbents and disrupters will shape the market and long implementation times. However, in an
is still unknown. As such, serving the customer of ever-volatile environment with constantly changing
the future requires unprecedented agility—quickly customer needs, evolving partnerships, and newly
adapting to changing customer expectations. developing competition, reacting quickly is critical to
ensure that the supply chain network is responsive,
Forget one size fits all flexible, and efficient.
A deep understanding of customer desires should
be the foundation of defining the strategy and Therefore, companies should remain agile in their
building various customer segments based on thinking and assemble a cross-functional team.
preferences, product categories, and locations.⁵ One best practice is to develop the future supply
This segmentation recognizes that a one-size-fits- chain network in a workshop-based environment.
all approach is a waste of resources. A segmented In practice, this means determining the fulfillment
approach enables the company to prioritize specific options suitable for each customer, product, and
services for each customer group—for example, location segment and defining the required
which speed of delivery to offer for each segment and product flow. Starting with the segment that has
which differentiated services to offer or not. While the most demanding lead time, the best fulfilment
the London customer may expect same-hour service, option needs to be found for each segment while
customers living in remote areas might not mind considering operational needs, such as costs to serve
waiting a few days. Developing this understanding and volume constraints. Once a solution for each
to undergird the strategy is crucial to avoid common segment in each location is defined, it must all be
mistakes, such as offering convenience at a premium combined into one comprehensive service network.
to customers that care more about price or building
offerings that quickly become outdated. Seek partnerships and share resources
In an ever-volatile environment, speed of
Be fast and collaborative implementation and efficient use of resources are
In the traditional supply chain model, companies crucial. Therefore, it is necessary to take advantage
often choose a purely quantitative approach to of existing infrastructure, such as warehouses and
model the perfect fulfillment network needed for retail stores, as well as resources available in the
5
Raj Kumar, Tim Lange, and Patrik Silén, “Building omnichannel excellence,” April 2017, McKinsey.com.
market. Leading companies are actively seeking a city holding inventory and delivering products to
partnerships, not only along their own value chain customers who order via an app. Products could
but also with players from other industries. Sharing also be manufactured right where the customer is
infrastructure brings synergies—costs and risk are with, for example, 3-D printing techniques. The main
split, for example—and enables better customer advantage of these fulfillment options is proximity
service and faster delivery times. For instance, a to the customer; however, operations are less
player operating department stores may offer efficient and more costly, and they require additional
in-store pickup services to e-commerce companies, capabilities. Indeed, retailers have several elements
and e-commerce companies can offer online order to weigh when considering the variety of fulfillment
fulfillment to department stores. The partners would options available to them (Exhibit 1).
establish commercial terms for compensation,
such as sharing the margin. Connected inventory is Think early about new capabilities and never
another example of using existing partner resources, stop learning
enabling players to offer products that are already To enable the identified solutions, companies must
close to the consumer rather than putting additional carefully consider the new capabilities required to
inventory into the market. This can increase the run their future network and understand how to
availability of certain products with minimal effort build them. Those capabilities include physical flow
from the retailer.6 ranging from operating new node types, such as
dark stores and pop-up nodes, to managing new
Look for innovative fulfillment options transport flows and partners, such as last-mile
When identifying existing assets within a company services. Information flow capabilities such as
and their partners’ networks, it is important to planning demand and inventory, stock visibility in
consider innovative fulfillment options. The types the decentral node network, and distributed order
of fulfillment options a player regards as suitable management should also be implemented (see
depend on the specificities of the market and the sidebar, “The seven supply chain building blocks for
company, but customer orders can be fulfilled omnichannel excellence”). For example, a new
in a variety of ways. Shipping products from a fulfillment solution such as shipping from a dark
warehouse or distribution center is the most store requires new operational processes and
traditional and cost-efficient way. Warehouses systems to run a small-scale node efficiently and
typically have a higher level of automation, handle an agile and efficient structure that supplies it with
significant volumes, and seek locations that small quantities at a high frequency. In addition,
incur low operating costs, such as rural areas or the planning landscape needed to have the right
industrial areas outside of large cities. inventory in the dark store requires new capabilities,
such as demand sensing, dynamic supply allocation,
However, rising customer expectations for faster and capacity planning at each location. Finally,
delivery have triggered the development of more the dark store requires real-time and accurate
innovative fulfillment options. Thus, one should inventory visibility combined with a distributed order
consider that products can also be shipped management system that makes the stock available
directly from the production facility or dark stores— and accessible.
noncustomer-facing miniwarehouses usually within a
city, where products are stored, picked, and shipped This connected fulfillment network should be
directly to consumers. Pop-up nodes are another deployed along an agile road map to enable quick
option; for example, a container placed at a major testing and learning of different node types that
sports event or a truck, van, or bike driving around include capabilities in various locations rather than
6
For more, see “Better service with connected inventory” in this compendium.

Distribution network design
Exhibit 1 of 2
Exhibit 1
It is crucial to consider all elements when weighing fulfillment options.

Fulfillment option Different operational modes Description
Ship from Ship inventory Ship from Ship from Ship from Ship from Consumer
factory in transit warehouse or dark store retail store pop-up node
distribution
center
Offshore factory Central DC Ship from own Mobile node Returns utilization
operated by store
Nearshore factory Temporary node
retailer Ship from partner Market production
Decentral DC store 3-D printing
operated by Ship from
retailer or 3PL wholesale-
Decentral DC partner’s store
operated by
partner
Decentral DC
operated by
wholesale partner
Shipment from Products shipped Shipment from Shipment from Shipment from Shipment from Customer returns
factory/ to destination warehouse/ noncustomer- retail stores using nonstandardized used to fulfill new
production facility based on specific distribution center facing back-of-house or node, used on orders
in offshore or customer order or miniwarehouse— in-store inventory as-needed basis
Operated
nearshore country demand sensing small scale, not (eg, special
internally, by Fulfilling walk-in
Typically located automated events)
partner, customer
in low-cost wholesaler, or Located in or purchases Examples:
countries 3PL close to a city/ truck/van/bike,
Can be own
densely populated etc carrying a low
stores, partner
area quantity of
stores, or
products that
wholesaler stores
shoppers order
via app; temporary
DC with a
plug-and-play
concept
Lead time
High Low
Degree of productivity
High Low
Volume-handling capacity
High Low
Inventory-holding capacity
High Low
Cost of operation (eg, wages and rent)

Low High
Case study
A global brand’s omnichannel success
This global brand is becoming a strong The company then defined the supply chain The key to success was going beyond
omnichannel player and serving its own network to serve the customer segments. modeling and quantitative analysis to
retail stores, wholesale stores, and The company used the existing brand’s involve a cross-functional team that
e-commerce customers alike. Due to player’s and its partners’ infrastructure made sure all relevant elements were
strong past growth—overall revenue grew to integrate traditional fulfillment options, considered. For example, marketing
by 9 percent and online penetration by such as central and decentral warehouse ensured that customer expectations
158 percent from 2012 to 2016—it was shipping. At the same time, it was important were always prioritized, the supply chain
necessary to rethink the entire supply to be very close to the customer and team assessed operational feasibility
chain and work in cross-functional teams replenish retail stores fast, which is why of fulfillment options, the logistics team
to define an omnichannel strategy of the solution included innovative fulfillment played devil´s advocate on transportation
the future. options, such as shipping from a dark costs, and the commercial team expanded
store, retail store, or temporary node. The the partner network.
The company first conducted intensive fulfillment network consisted of various
market research, including interviews individual solutions per location; for example, The implementation road map was built in
with end customers, store visits, and the company identified a partner e-tailer an agile way to allow for fast testing and
competitive analyses to understand with spare room for additional inventory learning. Individual elements could be
customer expectations of omnichannel in a German warehouse close to major piloted and evaluated quickly to decide if a
shopping and delivery. Customer cities, whereas in Southern Europe it was fulfillment option should be scaled or taken
segments were defined and tied with necessary to establish a partnership with a off the solution space.
specific services and delivery times. department store and use its wider network
of warehouses and stores.
the traditional approach that initiates only when future, see sidebar, “Case study: A global brand’s
all node types and capabilities are fully developed. omnichannel success.”
Building these required capabilities should also
be planned in modular sequence. Regardless of
how the omnichannel distribution network looks, it
is important to stay flexible and adjust to any road Enabling a truly end-to-end omnichannel
map changes, such as an increase in customer experience requires a new way of supply chain
requirements or new logistics service offerings— thinking. The supply chain needs to be readjusted
for example, delivery solutions for fast last-mile based on changing market conditions, and players
delivery. Testing, learning, and adjusting quickly should pursue an agile approach that enables them
should be the credo. to adjust quickly to changing trends, options, and
customer expectations. These principles can help
For an example of a retailer that found success determine the approach to building the network
in building a network and ecosystem of the and ecosystem of the future.
Manik Aryapadi is an associate partner in McKinsey’s Cleveland office, Ashutosh Dekhne is a partner in the Dallas office,
Wolfgang Fleischer is a consultant in the Munich office, where Claudia Graf is also a consultant, and Tim Lange is a partner in
the Cologne office.

A retailer’s guide to
successfully navigating the
race for same-day delivery
By Manik Aryapadi, Tim Ecker, and Julia Spielvogel
A “new normal” has emerged when it comes to the delivery speed that
customers expect in ordering online. The standards have been re-set by
the likes of Amazon and several other market leaders, placing increasingly
more pressure on incumbent players to respond accordingly. We
conducted a broad effort in which we took stock of the current situation,
focusing on Europe and particularly, Germany, from both a market and
consumer perspective. Our analyses show that although the pressure
on incumbent players may appear to be overwhelming, we believe that
retailers have a strategic asset they can leverage in the future: their
dense store network, which provides them proximity and (potentially)
quick access to their customers. But to fully benefit from their network,
omnichannel retailers will need to consider changing gears in four
areas: the local fulfillment network, quick and integrated IT systems, new
store layouts and processes, and a rethink of business economics.
A retailer’s guide to successfully navigating the race for same-day delivery 31

Same-day delivery:
Ready for takeoff
In the past 20 years there has hardly Amazon’s free delivery time
been any business success story like >9 days ~8 days ~5 days ≤2 days
e-commerce. And as online sales have
surged, shipping durations have gone down. 2,945
1,546
775
343
100
0
1994 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020F
US e-commerce market size

Index (2000=100)
46%
Today, people expect to receive their Customers who did not purchase
parcels by the next day. And their an item online due to long
35%
shopping decisions increasingly delivery times
depend on shipping time.
abandoned a shopping cart due to a

shipping time that was too long or not
provided
of respondents
Source: UPS
But consumers are still not satisfied. General willingness to pay extra for same-day delivery
Up to half state a general interest in Share of consumers in percent, n=4,700 respondents 100%
same-day delivery, despite limited
willingness to pay > €1 surcharge
United 53
States
for that service. 20
Germany 34
10
Willingness to pay > €1 surcharge

for same-day delivery China 34
19

Especially attractive segments that are Urban More time-constrained
young, urban, and time-constrained are
demanding same-day delivery. +4 p.p. +5 p.p.
willing to pay €3 extra for willing to pay €3 to €5
Younger
same-day delivery
+13 p.p.1
extra for same-day
base delivery choice delivery
mainly on speed and
reliability
1
Percentage point difference vs
overall sample of 4,700 survey
respondents across the United
States, China, and Germany.
For this reason, e-commerce super-

giants Alibaba, JD.com, and Amazon Testing Scaling Market standard
are committed to pushing same-day
delivery into the mass market now. Same-day delivery promise
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Alibaba
China
JD.com
Western Europe Amazon
United States Amazon
It is the next building block in their bid to

win consumers on selection, price, and
convenience.
Product selection by delivery speed Relative pricing

Number of SKUs for 3 exemplary product categories Out of 122 products analyzed
Competitors Amazon cheaper

458
Batteries cheaper
67
Non-same-day
226 15 46
on Amazon
Screw guns
145
93 Amazon same-day
Sanding Same-day
9 52
machines 136 Top 3 competitors— on Amazon
non-same-day
Source: Amazon; McKinsey analysis

Retail stores: The return

of a strategic key asset
The one central requirement for same-
day delivery is simple, yet challenging:
a dense network of warehouses. In
Germany, for example, it would take
11 well-placed warehouses that stock the
Hamburg
same assortment and are able to move
it from click-to-ship in two hours or less
to cover all tier-1 and tier-2 cities.
Berlin
Cologne
Warehouse
coverage
Inhabitants
>1,000,000
Munich
>500,000–1,000,000
>200,000–500,000
Amazon has a very dense delivery network, putting the industry leader far ahead of almost all other major Western retailers with
their same-day offering. For these retailers to catch up, the obvious option would be to invest hundreds of millions of euros or
dollars to match Amazon’s footprint one to one.
Retailer same-day offering

in top 20 cities
Amazon vs top 20 non-food
and top 13 grocery retailers
Amazon’s same– The average

day shipping large retailer
promise covers all covers only 2
20 of Germany’s
largest cities

But there is a better and much cheaper option for today’s fast-growing Store location
but still moderate market volumes: retailers should shift the rules of
the game and use their existing store networks for same-day shipping.
Same-day coverage of relevant population,1 Amazon vs disguised

omnichannel fashion retailer
by type of competition, %
28 stores across Germany, covering 5 of Ongoing testing and buildup of
Germany’s 20 biggest cities ship-from-store capabilities
Retailer
Competition area Area at risk monopoly area
(Amazon and retailer) (Amazon only) (retailer only)
Population 22 16 7
Purchasing
23 17 7
power coverage
1
Relevant population areas defined as high density (>750 inhabitants/km²) and/or high income (purchasing power >€21,900 per capita); viable market
coverage defined as area within 30 minutes driving time from respective retail location.
In Germany, connecting 30 stores to the

Viable market coverage for same-day grid would be enough to reach almost
delivery via ship from store1 half the population and come close to
% matching Amazon’s current service offer.
60
50
46%
Top 30 stores could reach
40
30
20
of German population
10
0
0 10 20 30 40 50
Stores
1
Relevant population areas defined as high density (>750 inhabitants/km²) and/or high income (purchasing power >€21,900 per capita); viable market
coverage defined as area within 30 minutes driving time from respective retail location.
This strategy—using existing stores rather than new warehouses—

could be the entry gate to same-day delivery for aspiring retailers.

Innovation road map:

Four areas for shifting gears
Omnichannel retailers who follow this 1. Local fulfillment networks
strategy will need an upgrade in terms
of not only fulfillment but also IT and Urban fulfillment locations within 90 minutes drive time from customer
store design, as well as a fundamentally
different mind-set in terms of economics. Optimized E2E click-to-ship in two hours or less
Strong set of last-mile partners that allow for seamless processes
2. Fast, integrated IT systems
Full inventory transparency across all warehouses and stores
Direct transfer of order data between web shop and (in-store) fulfillment
Prioritized picking logic to allow fast-tracking of same-day orders
3. New store layouts and processes
Dedicated and clearly signed collection and return areas
Easy-to-navigate back room set up in line with product demand and characteristics
Sufficiently trained, equipped, and incentivized store staff
4. Rethinking economics
Willingness to bear initial extra costs that can exceed €10 per shipment
Pressure-tested make vs buy logic along the entire supply chain
Clear upside aspiration, eg, CLV increase and/or subscription income

Entering the race for same-day delivery Estimated same-day vs next-day delivery costs
can be hard. Most retailers would initially EUR/shipment, non-food retail example, Berlin area1
fall way short of the volumes required for
at-scale operations and more than triple Same day Next day
their delivery bill when compared to
today's next-day standard. 15.17
Last mile 2.75
More than
3x
Intranode 4.40
7.35
2.75
4.45
Fulfillment 8.02 0.87 1.40
0.69
3.73
2.36
Retailers’ current At scale Current market

standalone volume=at scale
market potential
1
Includes costs of own warehousing and fulfillment and third-party transport
and delivery.
Subscription models can cross-finance shipping costs but require high customer
relevance and a broad set of benefits. Retailers that adopt same-day delivery need to
explore various paths to monetize their convenience leadership.
Amazon1 Zalando Other retailers

>1,200
~550
~250 ~120
? ?
Customer GMV
EUR p.a. Non-prime Prime Non-plus Plus Regular Subscribers
Customer orders
10–15 >25 4–5 ? 1–3 ?
p.a.
Membership fee
110 19 ?
EUR p.a.
Member benefits Same-day shipping2 Same-day shipping2
Selected examples Video streaming Early promotion access
Music streaming Return pickups ?
Online data storage Personal style advice
1
US market example. All values converted from USD to EUR at FX $1=€0.91 (rounded).
2
In selected regions. Otherwise premium next-day shipping.
Source: annual reports; press research; Statista
Manik Aryapadi is an associate partner in McKinsey’s Cleveland office, Tim Ecker is an associate partner in the Frankfurt office, and
Julia Spielvogel is a partner in the Vienna office.

Better service with

connected inventory
It is not just the customer experience that manufacturers and retailers
enhance by extending their reach to the entirety of stocks in the market.
by Ashutosh Dekhne, Tim Lange, Karl-Hendrik Magnus, Isabell Scheringer, and Simon Vincken
©Hero Images/Getty Images

Consumers are very familiar with the scenario: Not only do connected inventories increase the
the T-shirt they have set their heart on is no longer availability of individual products, they also broaden
available in their local store or their preferred online the product range. Delivery times decrease, too, as
shop. Or it can’t be delivered on time. The customer goods can be dispatched from multiple points close
could of course go to another retailer, brand store, to customers. Ideally, transport costs thus decrease
or online shop. But that is often a time-consuming as well. There are also further benefits for consumers.
option or at least inconvenient. In the end the Any outlet or boutique operated by the partner
customer buys another product—or none at all. companies directly or by franchisees can serve as
a potential pickup point. That gives more options to
That’s unquestionably a frustrating outcome for buyers, who can lower their environmental impact by
all parties. At best, the customer experience is picking up their goods at the nearest store rather than
tarnished, and in the worst case, the customer is having them sent home.
lost. Wouldn’t it be great to have direct access to all
inventories available in the market—regardless of The two greatest benefits for companies are self-
what company is stocking them? In fact, available evident. First: by connecting their stocks, companies
stock levels are typically perfectly sufficient, but can interlink customer journeys in online and off-line
they are distributed among a growing number of channels and thereby increase their chances of
network nodes: at retailers, at vertically integrated winning new customers and holding on to existing
companies with direct-to-consumer business, at ones. Second: the improved availability of products,
e-tailers and wholesalers, in stores, in warehouses, the faster delivery, and the better consumer
or in transit (Exhibit 1). experience enhance the overall likelihood of making
a sale.
In response, some companies are beginning to
connect their inventory. This rarely leads to mutual Other merits: Thanks to the linked customer
assistance between direct competitors. Therefore journeys, the partners can now also collect more
it is unlikely to soon see a store of a sports goods information about their customers. Participating
retailer providing FC Barcelona soccer jerseys to a companies can offer faster delivery times without
neighboring department store with sold-out stock. having to increase the volume of stocks in the
But why shouldn’t the department store place market. In addition, the optimization of inventory
orders directly with an outlet or warehouse of the levels across the entire network avoids excess
respective sports article manufacturer? After all, stocks. That results in a higher sell-through at full
it is in its interest to offer an outstanding customer price, which means less discounts and inventory
experience, irrespective of the sales channel. markdowns at the end of the season. In turn,
working capital is kept low and the overall costs
across the supply chain decrease.
Everybody benefits
When two or more companies systematically share
their inventory, they essentially construct a network Five networking models
of fulfillment nodes and form a pool of stocks that But just how complex is cooperation? Who owns
is larger than what each individual partner had the goods? Who gets what commission when?
previously. As a result, customers get a better Or in short: how does connected inventory work
buying experience, but the companies involved also in practice?
benefit directly.
Better service with connected inventory 39

Connected inventory
Exhibit 1 of 3
Exhibit 1
Goods are distributed to end customers over a growing number of network nodes.
Inventory nodes of retailers and manufacturers
Transport
from factory
Manufacturer’s
Wholesaler’s central
warehouse warehouse
Customer
Manufacturer’s
Online retailer’s distributed ware-
warehouse house/stores
Retailer’s Retailer’s
warehouse stores
Inventories can in fact be linked up in a variety be extended to provide retailers access to products
of ways. The simplest model involves shedding that they do not normally stock (along the lines of
transparency on intracompany inventories, an “endless aisle” concept). More complex, but
assuming they are not transparent already. With also more advantageous, are bilateral partnership
transparency in place, the mildest form of connected arrangements in which both partners get access
inventory between two companies is a unilateral to their respective inventory. Ideally, what results
partnership: the manufacturer assists retailers is a virtual inventory pooling several retailers and
faced with out-of-stock articles by delivering the manufacturers. Such a pooling model allows, for
items ordered. Such partnership arrangements can instance, a retailer in Frankfurt to transact a jeans

order by a customer in Cologne through a partner — Repurchase model. Ownership of the inventory
retailer that delivers the jeans from the inventory it is transferred from the party that manages
holds in its Cologne warehouse (Exhibit 2). it when it is sold to the party that transacts
the sale to the customer. Commission is paid
Underpinning the commercial basis of these as compensation to the party that originally
models are several sales concepts. These concepts managed the inventory.
are marked by specific ownership structures.
— Joint venture model. The stock is owned by a
— Commission model. The stocks are owned by joint venture founded by the partners seeking
McK Retail compendium
the company that manages them and that can to network inventory. In this model, the partners
Connected inventoryhandle fulfillment. This company processes jointly bear the risks and share the benefits,
the order and pays commission to the partner which makes the model particularly appealing.
Exhibit 2 of 3
company that concludes the business, whether
online or in a brick-and-mortar store.
Exhibit 2
Inventory can be interlinked in a variety of ways.

Connected inventory models
>2 5: Virtual inventory pool
Number of
3: Endless-aisle partnership
participating companies 2 4: Bilateral partnership
2: Out-of-stock partnership
1 1: Internal connected inventory
Unilateral Bilateral
Transparency of inventory
1: Internal connected inventory 2: Out-of-stock partnership 4: Bilateral partnership

A company connects the inventory in its central Manufacturers and retailers reciprocally Manufacturers and retailers reciprocally make
warehouse together with its local distribution disclose their respective stocks of products their inventory transparent so that they can
centers and stores. When a customer orders a that the retailer regularly sources from the take care of each other’s fulfillment as needed.
product online, the most efficient dispatch manufacturer. If the product is out of stock at When a customer places an order in a partner’s
point measured by time and cost is selected or the retailer, the customer can still complete the online shop, the product is sent from the best
a store is suggested for personal pickup by purchase because the manufacturer can send possible distribution point.
the customer. Sales clerks in stores can also the article directly.
check at a click if a sold-out product is
available elsewhere.
3: Endless-aisle partnership 5: Virtual inventory pool

In the endless aisle model, the manufacturer Several retailers and manufacturers connect
provides the retailer virtual access to its entire their inventories. The pooled inventory is held
inventory, including products that the retailer by a neutral entity (eg, a joint venture) to which
does not have in its product range. The retailer every partner has access. A customer order is
can thus offer an extended product range in its always fulfilled from the best possible
online shop that is then directly handled by the distribution point.
manufacturer.

Determinants of success: From The location of inventory in the market can also
incentive systems to delivery slips have legal and tax implications (e.g., import duties).
Regardless of the model that the partners choose: Consequently, an advanced assessment should
building a connected inventory concept inevitably be conducted to determine the extent to which a
requires new solutions in sales, the supply chain, specific networking model might be restricted by
and IT that are by no means simple. Furthermore, it is antitrust law in one or several jurisdictions.
important that all parties have sufficient incentives In addition, the partners should enter into clear
to keep goods in stock. Otherwise, the natural agreements in order to offer customers a seamless
tendency is to keep one’s own inventory as low as consumer experience—regardless of which
possible in a bid to lower the risk of excess stocks. company executes the order. The partners need
In addition, it has to be clear who owns the stocks in to align an array of details, such as their delivery
the pool—specifically, who owns the stocks in which and gift packaging, delivery slips, or conditions for
phase of the fulfillment process and at what points returning goods.
ownership—and the associated risk—is transferred
to another partner.
Success stories in other sectors
Transparency is also key to success. It has to The associated complexity of requirements is
be clear at all times which product is where and most certainly one reason why the concept of
in what quantity. This requires a distributed connected inventory is only just beginning to take
order management system capable of interlinking root—although there are already some high-profile
the various nodes in the network and instantly initiatives (Exhibit 3). Other sectors have made far
determining the optimal dispatch point. more progress in this regard.
McK Retail compendium
Furthermore, to have the right quantity of the
Connected inventory Take the aerospace industry, for example, where one
right product in the right place, integrated planning
Exhibit 3 of 3 that factors in the inventory levels and forecasts of supplier of replacement parts has set up a program
all partners is also needed. for sharing inventory. Aircrafts have expensive
Exhibit 3
Connected inventory is still the exception in retail—although there are prominent early adopters.
Amazon, Procter & Gamble As early as 2013, Amazon and Procter & Gamble (P&G) joined forces to sell products, such as diapers and toilet
paper directly from P&G’s warehouses, where Amazon set up on-site distribution centers to deliver goods directly
to customers.
Zalando, adidas In 2015, Zalando and adidas launched a pilot project in which one of adidas’ distribution centers was linked up to
Zalando’s inventory system. As a result, not only do Zalando’s customers have access to a larger offering of adidas
products, but adidas can fulfill orders of products that Zalando no longer has in stock.
L’Oréal The cosmetics company L’Oréal offers its customers the option of checking whether a product is available
at an online retailer. If so, customers are directed to the corresponding web shop to make their purchase directly.
YOOX NET-A-PORTER, In 2017, online fashion retailer YOOX NET-A-PORTER (YNAP) and the luxury label Valentino unveiled their Next Era
Valentino program, which provides customers access to both Valentino and YNAP products on a shared platform. The
program is also intended to allow both companies to reciprocally use each other’s logistics infrastructure spanning
central warehouses, fulfillment centers, and boutiques.
Source: Fox; L'Oréal; The Street; YOOX NET-A-PORTER; Zalando

replacements parts that nevertheless have to be contribution toward improving product availability
available everywhere and at all times to enable fast and the customer experience while reining in costs
repairs. The planning system ensures the best- and capital intensity.
possible warehousing of parts by drawing on linked
forecasts of requirements. Everybody benefits Key statements
from the program: The replacement parts supplier
can hold on to its inventory and also gain access to — The first retailers and vertically integrated
the stocks of participating airlines. The latter can players with direct-to-consumer business
then source replacement parts directly from the are beginning to intelligently connect their
supplier but also generate revenue from their own inventories in the marketplace
inventory by selling it to partner airlines. In addition,
the cooperation arrangement allows the airlines to — Everybody involved, including consumers,
adjust their inventory programs to ensure the local benefits from the advantages of connected
availability of parts while avoiding excess inventory. inventory: greater availability and faster delivery
of goods, greater delivery convenience, and
Similar initiatives in retail seem only a matter of lower environmental impact.
time—particularly as the same-day or even hourly
delivery pervasive in online retail is setting a pace — Retailers and vertically integrated players
that can likely only be maintained with the backing that enter into corresponding partnership
of powerful partnerships. Against this backdrop, arrangements attract more customers, secure
connected inventory can make a substantial higher conversion rates, and benefit from an
array of additional advantages.
Ashutosh Dekhne is a partner in McKinsey’s Dallas office, Karl Hendrik-Magnus is a partner in the Frankfurt office,
where Isabell Scheringer is a consultant, Tim Lange is a partner in the Cologne office, and Simon Vincken is a consultant
in the Brussels office.

The invisible hand: On

the path to autonomous
planning in food retail
It’s not news to food retailers: sometimes your stocks are too high, sometimes
they’re too low. Advanced planning now gives them entirely new options for
solving the expensive problem—and cuts costs in the process.
by Manik Aryapadi, Ashutosh Dekhne, Tim Lange, Markus Leopoldseder, and Karl-Hendrik Magnus
© seng chye teo/Getty Images

Supply chain planners in food retail today are and machine learning. At the same time, advanced
not to be envied. They have to please customers planning enables an ever-tighter integration of stock
who have never made more exacting demands on management, procurement, logistics, marketing, and
availability, freshness, and range. And they ignore sales, leading to greater efficiency improvements and
such expectations at their peril: the competition is sales growth. This approach makes manual transfers
relentless, driving all market participants to seek between systems things of the past—process chains
out improvements incessantly. Those who stick to are no longer interrupted, and data remain consistent.
their legacy processes can only make comparable
progress at the cost of mounting stocks, increasing
write-offs, and an increasingly complex supply chain. Areas of application across the entire
supply chain
Internally, planners are often struggling with Food retailers can apply advanced planning to
outdated IT systems that are isolated from each practically all activities along the value chain
other, unreliable sources of information, and in (Exhibit 1), with a focus on improved demand
some cases, largely manual and poorly coordinated forecasting, which allows better planning of store
processes. Forecasts are commensurately processes or a sustained increase in the quality
inaccurate and personnel expenses high. Externally, and shelf life of fresh produce:
on the other hand, decision makers are faced with
an increasingly unfathomable offering from digital — Better demand forecasting. Leading retailers
service providers that—although they can process have already created algorithms with which
huge volumes of data with their solutions—cannot software can automate order processes by
give retailers any advantages of relevance as long as “learning” from data—also without having
they leave their operating models unchanged. to rely on rules-based programming. This
entails determining and continually optimizing
A look at online retail already reveals the shape of all parameters that influence replenishment
things to come: leading companies are developing management—individually at article and store
highly integrated planning systems that already levels. Often, more than 50 parameters are
use the most advanced analytics and machine- factored into the analysis, among them prices and
learning solutions available today. These high-tech sales promotions (including those of competitors),
methods, also referred to as “advanced planning,” cannibalization, local weather conditions, store-
will, in the future, take control of steering in food opening times, and holidays—and at a far greater
retail as well. And they set exacting requirements level of detail than standard systems. This results
on companies: they entail tapping the entire wealth in more precise demand forecasts and more cost-
of transaction data along with external parameters effective orders. On average, retailers with such
as sources. Retailers need a completely different planning systems report a 25 percent reduction
process landscape, new capabilities, more in stock shortages in their fresh-produce
computing power, and advanced algorithms. assortment, at least a 10 percent decrease in
write-offs, up to 9 percent higher gross margins,
Those who do a particularly good job of establishing and a better inventory range. At the same time,
advanced planning in their organizations stand to the cost of inventory planning decreases by as
reap big rewards. Like an invisible hand, the system much as 30 percent due to the higher degree of
works autonomously, effectively, and efficiently. automation.
Planners only have to intervene in exceptional
cases to check and make corrections. More than — Better store processes. Advanced planning
that, the system improves forecasting accuracy, as also improves store-labor planning. That is
not only does it draw on multiple data sources, it because the system shows how much labor will
also interconnects them using artificial intelligence actually be needed in a specific period of time—
The invisible hand: On the path to autonomous planning in food retail 45

Autonomous planning food retail
Exhibit 1 of 2
Exhibit 1
The future of planning builds on award–winning advanced analytics with real-time,

action-based recommendations for all core functions.
Demand planning
Sales and operations

planning Pricing and promotion Planogram Inventory management
Continuous business Optimized pricing and Optimized space Optimized inventory

planning based on real- promotion allocation allocation (potentially by management among
time information, scenario across network store) to ensure correct channels to maximize
planning, and cross- (potentially by store) stock facings and profitability and growth
functional collaboration one-touch replenishment
Supplier Warehouse Logistics Grocery store

More accurate volume SKU location and space allocation Higher accuracy on Minimal human interaction
forecasts for ad hoc adapted based on expected sales; volume per road, in replenishment process
problem solving optimal inventory levels (especially increased fill rates, and accurate information
with suppliers safety stock levels) across and reduced kilometers of workload, with
distribution-center/store networks day/hour granularity
at all times
for instance, at checkouts or packing shelves — Better quality of fresh produce and less spoilage.
in individual store departments. On top of that, Thanks to more precise forecasting, retailers can
precision forecasting helps to lower inventory order their goods from suppliers much earlier and
in the store’s stockroom radically—and in turn, with greater accuracy. Consequently, fewer fresh
reduces movement between shelves and the articles are left unsold. Better forecasting also
stockroom. This effect is amplified when shelf means increased planning reliability for suppliers.
space per article is adjusted to the demand They can collect their harvests to match demand
forecast, effectively turning shelves into and thus reduce the field-to-shelf time. As a
efficient storage space. result, retailers can increase the level of freshness

of their articles and reduce spoilage by up to other way around. This requires the committed
30 percent. support of senior management and of all
organizational functions, in particular. That is
In view of such potential, many food retailers especially the case when initial setbacks create
are showing a keen interest in advanced uncertainty.
planning. However, they are still struggling with
implementation in their businesses. For instance, — Most advanced technology. A central
the topic is frequently only pursued by a single determinant of success is the choice of planning
function acting alone—typically, IT, logistics, or software and its gradual integration across all
procurement. What is lacking is the embedding organizational units. To this end, retailers should
of the new method in the organization’s operating first draft a requirements profile tailored to their
model, along with a corresponding adjustment needs. Pilot projects and experience from other
of all processes. Often, the backing from other stores can then help ease the selection process.
functions is also lacking, as in the immediate term, In other words, the software is at the end of this
they tend to see the introduction of the new system process, not the beginning.
primarily as a disruption to their processes and the
— Rigorous adaptation of the operating model.
corresponding consequences for weekly sales.
The full potential can only be captured when
Such factors make complete implementation of
processes, structures, and employee skills
advanced planning far too protracted and difficult
are fundamentally transformed. To lift the
for most retailers.
operating model to this next level, processes
should be redesigned, metrics reworked,
The make-or-buy question poses another
objectives and employees’ performance
challenge. Many retailers do not have the capacity
dialogues adjusted, new roles created,
and capabilities needed to develop an advanced-
responsibilities along processes reallocated,
planning solution efficiently in house. If the retailer
capabilities needed built up, and specialists
opts for an external solution, it has to negotiate
recruited.
difficult trade-offs. On the one hand, it might be
interesting to choose a smaller, newer service — Intensive change management. A comprehensive
provider with innovative solutions. On the other advanced-planning transformation affects
hand, large and established providers often offer many stakeholders and entails new requirement
pragmatic, if less innovative, solutions with many profiles. Many of those affected often respond
functionalities. Many retailers have a hard time with skepticism or even open rejection. So it is
even coming up with a workable assessment of the especially important to explain to everybody
capabilities of individual providers. involved what the benefits are, to win their
enthusiasm for the new system, and to celebrate
Four determinants of success combined early successes visibly. It is the combination of all
The potential improvements are of such a magnitude four determinants of success that actually allows
that it pays to overcome these problems. And the retailers to make the most of all the technological
experience of the early adopters shows that in food capabilities that advanced planning has to offer
retail, too, advanced planning leads to success, if and thereby unfold the full performance potential
companies can meet four preconditions: (Exhibit 2).
— Clear, comprehensively set course. Optimizing

planning has to be one of the company’s Three steps to success
overarching objectives and be strategically So where should retailers start? A three-step
embedded accordingly. It is the technology that approach has proven successful in practice. The
supports the strategic transformation, not the first step is to analyze in detail the current planning

Autonomous planning food retail
Exhibit 2 of 2
Exhibit 2
All major profit-and-loss items are positively influenced by advanced planning.

Standard profit and loss, illustrative, % of revenue1
100
70
10–20 3
30
13
0–5
Revenue Cost of Gross Labor Logistics Other operating Operating

goods sold margin costs2 profit
10–30 10–30 5–10

2–5 3–5 5–20
1–2 >1.5
Availability, Assortment Inventory Shrinkage Store Logistics-cost Freight-cost Increase in

revenue gain optimization, reduction reduction labor-cost reduction in reduction operating
revenue gain reduction warehouse profit
operation3
Business impact from advanced planning,4 %
1
Varies significantly among retail types.
2
Includes rent and maintenance.
3
Includes labor cost.
4
Impact assumes range of different tools (eg, demand forecasting, inventory management, and workforce management).
process: Who is involved in the process? What changes introduced on the various processes,
tools are they using? How high is the degree of structures, and employees concerned.
automation? Where are there quality problems,
such as with regard to availability and stock In the second step, the use cases have to be
quantities? Once these questions have been assessed by reference to their potential for
answered, it is possible to develop specific use improving revenue, margins, costs, and stocks, and
cases. What is decisive at this stage is a clear the cost of implementation is estimated. Starting
orientation toward business impact, as well as with the preferred use cases, the company then
a precise understanding of the effects of the derives the vision for its advanced planning. The

system’s sustainability then has to be secured with how needed should be built up. The latter point, in
the aid of a stable business case. In this context, the particular, is often underestimated, even though
company should aim for a balanced mix of quick wins recent studies show that these soft factors
and long-term improvements. are more frequently the cause of failures in
digital transformations than are shortcomings in
In the third step, the new planning methods technology or data quality.
are piloted in one or two use cases—for
instance, in fruit and vegetable planning and in Once the pilot programs are completed, the
automated replenishment. The aim is to test the organization is ready for a wider rollout. To this
improvement potential of advanced planning in end, the road map is adjusted to take into account
real-world operations. When designing the pilot the experience gained in the test runs, and the
trials, a pragmatic, test-and-learn approach is new planning mechanism, including the operating
recommended. After all, the objective is not so model, is then applied to the entire assortment.
much to come up with a perfect design on day Organizations can then expect to see measurable
one but rather to reiterate quickly and continually improvements reasonably quickly—often, within
improve processes as experience is gained. In the first 12 months.
parallel, the operating model should be adjusted
to the new requirements, and the digital know-
Manik Aryapadi is an associate partner in McKinsey’s Cleveland office, Ashutosh Dekhne is a partner in the Dallas
office, Karl-Hendrik Magnus is a partner in the Frankfurt office, Tim Lange is a partner in the Cologne office, and
Markus Leopoldseder is a consultant in the Vienna office.

Automation in logistics:
Big opportunity, bigger
uncertainty
As e-commerce volumes soar, many logistics and parcel companies
hope that automation is the answer. But as this second article in our
series on disruption explains, things are not so simple.
by Ashutosh Dekhne, Greg Hastings, John Murnane, and Florian Neuhaus
© Ian Lishman/Getty Images

The history of logistics is also a history of Three cheers for automation
automation, from the steam engine to the forklift At first blush, more automation seems like the
to today’s robotic pickers and packers. So today’s answer to three problems facing contract
fevered interest in new machinery, after a lull logistics companies.
of several years, has plenty of precedent. Many
trends are thrusting automation toward the top Start with a shortage of workers. It’s no secret that,
of the logistics CEO’s agenda, not least these at least in the United States, labor markets have
three: a growing shortage of labor, an explosion in tightened. Unemployment rates are at a 50-year
demand from online retailers, and some intriguing low, and wages are increasing. Some of the largest
technical advances. Put it all together, and the e-commerce facilities currently require 2,000 to
McKinsey Global Institute estimates that the 3,000 full-time equivalents, an order of magnitude
transportation-and-warehousing industry has more than traditional distribution centers employ,
the third-highest automation potential of any and need to add even more workers during the
sector.1 Contract logistics and parcel companies holiday peak season, when labor is most scarce.
(which, for sake of convenience, we will call simply
“logistics companies”) particularly stand to benefit. While many of the jobs that might be automated
(Automation is also on the table at other transport are currently difficult to fill, that’s not to say that
companies, such as trucking companies and port automation will have no effect on the workforce: it
operators. See sidebar “Automating freight flows: will, and companies must reckon with the significant
Changes for every sector.”) costs to their employees and communities. In 2017,
the US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that
Yet for all the excitement, most logistics companies nearly four million Americans work in warehouses
have not yet taken the plunge. For every force as supervisors, material handlers, or packers. That’s
pushing companies to automate, countervailing almost 3 percent of the total labor force; collectively,
factors suggest they should go slowly. We see five they earn more than $100 billion in annual wages.
reasons companies are hesitating: the unusual com- Automation won’t make all these workers redundant,
petitive dynamics of e-commerce, a lack of clarity of course, and many can be reassigned to new jobs
about which technologies will triumph, problems that involve collaborating with and maintaining the
obtaining the new gizmos, uncertainties arising from new machines. But if even a portion of these jobs
shippers’ new omnichannel-distribution schemes, are lost, it will still represent significant upheaval.
and an asymmetry between the length of contracts
with shippers and the much-longer lifetimes of E-commerce, the second trend, is remaking the
automation equipment and distribution centers. entire logistics industry. The inexorable rise of online
sales is well documented. In the United States, for
This is the second in a series of five articles on example, growth has averaged 15 percent annually
disruption in transport and logistics. In the first, we over the past decade, and the range of goods
examined the implications of autonomous trucks. has expanded dramatically. That’s been good for
Automation is no less potent a force. In this article, logistics companies. We estimate that, out of every
we will review the reasons automation is coming to $100 in e-commerce sales, these companies (or
the fore, examine the five factors that are hindering e-tailers’ in-house logistics units) are collecting
investment, and lay out strategies that can prepare $12 to $20, a massive increase from the $3 to
contract logistics companies for an uncertain future. $5 spent on logistics in a typical brick-and-mortar
retail operation. (It’s important to note that, in our
1
Michael Chui, James Manyika, and Mehdi Miremadi, “Where machines could replace humans—and where they can’t (yet),” McKinsey Quarterly,
July 2016, McKinsey.com.
Automation in logistics: Big opportunity, bigger uncertainty 51

estimate, e-tailers are saving $12 to $16 out of to adapt. Many large logistics companies fulfill
every $100 of sales versus their brick-and-mortar e-commerce orders by carving out a corner of
competitors, which explains why their economics warehouses designed for B2B operations. And
work so well.) some logistics companies have at times been willing
to use e-commerce as a loss leader to add business
But even as logistics companies have benefited to their transport divisions. But as volume expands,
from burgeoning volume, the business is not without all such arrangements are coming under immense
its challenges. Many B2B networks are struggling strain. Here, too, automation seems to be an answer.
Automating freight flows: Changes for every sector
Automation will affect the supply chain build automation-ready capabilities rather a longer-term prospect, rail operators and
far beyond the walls of the warehouse and than simply automating old processes. And governments are investing in technologies
sorting center; it will change the way goods they can apply better project discipline that lay the foundation. Positive train control
flow across all modes (exhibit). In the first to ensure that automation investments (PTC) is a long-desired step toward an
article in this series, we addressed the account for all attributes of port operations. automated future: its data links allow for
impact of autonomous trucking, a critical real-time automated control of sets of trains.
automation technology, on roads, rails, Of the remaining transport modes, Several European and US railroads have
and ports. And our colleagues recently automation in ocean and air freight is quite PTC schemes in the works, and a few have
produced a detailed look at other forms possible but will probably not move the fully implemented them.
of port automation. They find that while productivity needle much. In rail, automation
ports are accelerating their adoption of will likely begin in terminals, which offer Over time, railroads will continue to search
automation, they are not yet recouping controlled environments and repeatable for opportunities to automate the main
2019
their costs. Moreover, while operating processes. Intermodal terminals will line, but some limits will persist for the
Automation in logistics:
expenses are falling as expectedBig (by 15opportunity,
to likely seebigger
increaseduncertainty
use of autonomous foreseeable future. For example, trains
35 percent),
Exhibit 1 throughput
of 4 is falling as well hostlers to move containers to and from traveling heavily populated routes or
(by 7 to 15 percent). Port operators can trains. Autonomous cranes are also likely to hauling hazardous materials will likely
take several steps to get the most out of emerge in the near term. While the physics continue to need human oversight.
automation. Among other moves, they can of trains makes automation on the main line
Exhibit
Automation is emerging to varying degrees across the global logistics chain.

Today’s global logistics chain, illustrative
Degree of automation Low High
Port or hub Ocean or long- Port or hub Warehouse, contract

Shipper/origin storage/loading distance transport storage/loading hub, and fulfillment Customer
First-mile Customs/border Customs/border Inland Delivery

transport transport (B2B)

There is a third reason for heightened interest: Five issues are holding the sector back. Two are
automation technology has come a long way. the flip sides of the forces (e-commerce and
Ocado’s new fully automated warehouse has technological advance) that are motivating the
demonstrated the potential of several new renewed interest in automation. Also clouding the
technologies—as seen by a big YouTube audience. outlook are purchasing problems, the potential for
Other companies, such as CommonSense Robotics change in the omnichannel supply chain, and the
(CommonSense), GreyOrange, and XPO Logistics, risks associated with short-term contracts.
are rolling out intriguing new offerings.
Frenemies and ‘coopetition’
These three trends make it seem like more To capture the large e-commerce-growth
investment in automation is a layup. Indeed, many opportunity, any logistics company must meet two
are finding success with it. Some companies’ fundamental requirements: speed and variety. Think
new automated pallet-handling systems cut same-day delivery of any of a million SKUs. To deal
shipment-processing time by 50 percent. And DHL with that, more automation in picking, packing, and
International (DHL) has built almost 100 automated sorting seems like an easy investment call. But the
parcel-delivery bases across Germany to reduce unusual dynamics between logistics companies
manual handling and sorting by delivery personnel. and e-commerce customers hold many logistics
companies back. The risk manifests in a few
In fact, if you squint hard enough, an entirely new ways. One is that e-commerce companies have a
logistics paradigm is coming into view (Exhibit 1). lot of buying power; if they do not like a logistics
Many operations could be automated by 2030, as company’s offer, they can easily shift their business
artificial intelligence takes over the many repetitive to competitors. That tends to keep prices low and
activities that logistics companies perform. may keep logistics companies from making an
We expect to see fully automated high-rack adequate return on a big investment in automation.
warehouses, with autonomous vehicles navigating
the aisles. Managers with augmented-reality Another wrinkle is that most large e-commerce
goggles will be able to “see” the entire operation, companies, such as Amazon and JD.com, have built
helping them coordinate both people and robots. their own logistics capabilities. Indeed, we estimate
Warehouse-management systems will keep track that if Amazon’s logistics unit were a separate
of inventory in real time, ensuring it is matched to company, it would be the fifth-largest third-party-
the ordering system. Three-D printers will crank out logistics company in the world. To be sure, working
spare parts made to order (see sidebar “Automation with these companies can present challenges for
technologies to watch”). shippers. The online giants, with their superior
data and extraordinary scale, can readily offer
white-label products that undercut their shipping
Five reasons for hesitation customers’ offerings.2 But many thousands of
Logistics companies are intrigued by the potential of shippers find the benefits outweigh the risks. The
automation but wary of the risks. Accordingly, they online giants deploy their in-house logistics first in
are investing conservatively. McKinsey research the most lucrative niches, such as parcel delivery
estimates investment in warehouse automation will in dense urban areas, while slowly expanding into
grow the slowest in logistics, at about 3 to 5 percent other areas. As that happens, they threaten to shunt
per year to 2025. That’s about half the rate of logistics companies toward low-margin services,
logistics companies’ customers, such as retail and which may not justify an investment in automation.
automotive (6 to 8 percent) and pharmaceuticals The moves by big e-commerce companies to build
(8 to 10 percent). more warehouses in the last mile, and offer same-
2
Rick Braddock, “To compete with Amazon, big-name consumer brands have to become more like it,” Harvard Business Review,
June 14, 2018, hbr.org.

2019
S U P P LBig
Automation in logistics: Y C opportunity,
HAIN bigger uncertainty
Exhibit 1 of 4
Exhibit 1
A new logistics paradigm is emerging.

10 prominent technologies that could remake warehouse operations
Multishuttle system Analytics tools Optical recognition Conveyor connection Management system
Typically used with an Algorithms that help operators Sensors that scan items (often A connection between Analytic and digital systems that
automated storage and retrieval analyze performance, identify on 6 axes) to apply sortation and 2 disparate conveyor systems integrate analytics, performance
system (AS/RS) that moves trends, and make predictions other logics. Examples include a that often uses decision logic reporting, and forecasting tools,
goods (mostly on pallets) in that inform operating decisions, conveyor’s diverts, laser-guided to affect the flow of items. allowing managers to easily
3 dimensions to store and often using machine learning to vehicles, and camera-based Typically, connections integrate control a full system such as a
retrieve items without human improve over time. movement of drones. different systems of flow, for warehouse.
intervention. example push and pull flows.
Smart storage 3-D printing Swarm AGV1 robots Smart glasses Picking robot
Storage solutions that use Also called additive Autonomous guided vehicles Glasses that augment and assist Systems with robotic arms that
advanced analytics and digital manufacturing, this process that operate freely or on digital reality of wearers—for example, mimic human picking motion.
tools to place and retrieve items creates parts by adding layers tracks to bring items (often from by displaying directions to Picking robots can be fixed (with
in the most efficient way, of a material (metal or plastic, a storage rack) to a picking storage locations for picking— goods brought to them) or mobile
adjusting storage media based typically) to create a desired station based on instructions reducing inefficiencies of (traveling to storage to pick
on the product, picking, and shape. from the order-flow software. searching. items).
order characteristics.
1
Autonomous guided vehicle.
Source: McKinsey analysis
day as well as instant delivery, are a potent step in processed 812 million orders, eight times more than
that direction, and logistics companies will have to on a typical day. If logistics companies are to fulfill
carefully monitor the pace of change. customer expectations during peaks, they will have
significant spare capacity for three-quarters of the
A particular challenge of serving e-commerce year. And if they do not build sufficient capacity for
companies is that demand is very spiky, easily peaks, e-commerce giants have further incentive to
doubling around Christmas or Singles’ Day. On build their own capabilities, as Amazon did after the
Singles’ Day 2017, Cainiao, Alibaba’s logistics arm, 2013 Christmas season.

Automation technologies to watch
Warehouse automation technologies shuttles moving in three dimensions on rails Autonomous palletizers use robotic arms to
can be broadly categorized into devices attached to the structure. build pallets from individual units and cases,
that assist the movement of goods often using advanced analytics to determine
and those that improve their handling. New handling devices automate the picking, the optimal placement for each box.
In the first group, we’ve already seen sorting, and palletizing of goods. Picking
automated guided vehicles (AGVs) that systems typically include a robotic arm Beyond the machines that mimic human
move cases and pallets. New twists are with sensors that can determine the shape hands and arms, other innovations will
the equipment and software needed to and structure of an object, then grasp it. improve the productivity of people in
retrofit standard forklifts and make them Some devices remain fixed and have goods warehouses. Drones are already in use in
autonomous. The new gear can be switched brought to them (often by AGVs). Others the warehouse for inventory management
on whenever needed—peak seasonal travel to the goods and retrieve and move and outside the four walls for yard
shifts, say—and the forklift can remain them at once. Magazino’s new TORU cube is management. We expect to see much
manual when demand is slower. Other an example of the latter. greater adoption of drones for these uses.
recent technologies include swarm robots Exoskeletons augment human motion
(most famously, Amazon’s Kiva robots) With the e-commerce boom, efficient with mechanical power through gloves or
that move shelves with goods to picking sorting has become increasingly important, additional support for legs. The systems
stations and advanced conveyors that can particularly in parcel operations. Advanced feature electric motors that augment the
move goods in any direction. Advanced conveyor systems use scanners that can person’s own strength to allow them to move
automated storage/retrieval systems (AS/ pick up bar codes on any side of a package more goods (for example, heavier items) or
RSs) store goods in large racks, with robotic to determine the appropriate action. move goods more easily and safely.
Technology racing ahead equipment, much of it not fully depreciated, would

We combed the industry and found more than put unlucky investors in a deep hole.
50 technologies that could further automate
some part of the supply chain, including many Purchasing woes
in logistics (Exhibit 2). All are much more than a Even if a logistics company makes a great choice
twinkle in some technologist’s eye, but none are about the automation equipment to buy, it can run
yet in widespread use. The question that confronts into another problem. The leading warehouse-
logistics companies (and warehouse companies) is automation manufacturers have enjoyed strong
simple enough: Which ones will take off to yield the revenue growth of 15 to 20 percent annually since
greatest return on investment? 2014. At many, order books are now full. In 2017, the
order book at Vanderlande Industries reached an
Finding answers is much more difficult, of course all-time high. Our conversations with many would-
(see sidebar “Automation technologies to watch.”) be buyers, especially at parcel companies, suggest
No one wants to buy technology that becomes that manufacturers operating at full capacity cannot
obsolete shortly after acquisition. Not only would even provide them with quotes.
that leave a company less efficient than competitors
that made better choices, it would also leave it Part of the problem is that the manufacturers are
worse off than those competitors that made no not yet at scale. Many companies, including the
investment at all. The cost of removing and replacing market leaders, are focused on a narrow range of

Automation in logistics: Big opportunity, bigger uncertainty
Exhibit 2 of 4
Exhibit 2
Dozens of logistics technologies are under development.

Logistics-technology development
High Technology categories
Broad use Advanced robotics in warehousing
Analytics for transport and

warehousing
Autonomous transport and delivery
Internet of Things/smart-sensor
applications
Virtual- and augmented- reality

Advanced resource- applications
Adoption scheduling system Automation technologies for other
rate1 parts of the supply chain
Exoskeletons
Autonomous trucks
Autonomous
guided vehicles
Small parcel lockers Failure

Low
Vision Technological Innovation Pilot use Selective use Broad use
prerequisites developed (or failure)
developed
Maturity, in stages
1
Speed of innovation adoption based on maturity.
technologies and solutions. That may change: the have seen purchase prices for the same equipment
industry is in turmoil, with significant M&A activity vary by as much as 50 percent.
underway. Notably, large technology conglomerates
are investing in automation start-ups. For example, Rapid change in shippers’ distribution networks
in 2015, Siemens took a 50 percent stake in Brick-and-mortar retailers are reacting to the
Magazino, a start-up that builds automated picking e-commerce onslaught in part by evolving their
robots. Once the dust has settled, some larger distribution networks into omnichannel systems in
companies that are better able to meet demand may which consumers can purchase and receive items
emerge. Then again, such companies will also have through any channel. They might purchase online
stronger pricing power. and take deliveries at home, the classic e-commerce
model. Increasingly, they can order online and pick
A related issue is some confusion at logistics up in stores. Or they might purchase in-store and
companies about which advanced equipment they receive shipments at home, an option that menswear
truly need. Often the equipment on the purchase company Bonobos and other companies offer. And
order is more expensive than it might have been. We of course, they can still go to the store and walk out

The shipper’s perspective
Shippers—the manufacturers and logistics companies that will invest enough of automation investments. Put another
retailers that hire logistics providers in automation to meet their needs. way, logistics companies will seek to share
to move their goods—will also grapple some of the technology upside—and some
with automation in coming years. As Beyond the level of investment, shippers of the risk—with customers.
new technologies come online and and their logistics partners must also
omnichannel delivery becomes more contend with the complexity of omnichannel. Shippers cannot completely outsource
common, most will need to revisit their Take one example: to operate efficiently, the intricacies of automation and the best
long-standing in-house and outsource an omnichannel retailer must either open practices of automated warehouses. To
decisions. Shippers interested in the full inventory system to the logistics be a smart customer requires enough
automation must first determine whether company so that it can route orders knowledge of automation to evaluate bids
they have the capital and know-how to between stores and fulfillment centers or intelligently. Contract logistics companies
invest effectively in automation or whether add steps to the order-routing process to we speak with often see automation listed
it is more economical and easier to determine whether the order remains in prominently, yet typically with sparse
outsource increasingly complex warehouse house or is sent to the logistics company. detail, in requests for proposals. Shippers
operations to a logistics company. The frequently know they want automation but
same uncertainties about omnichannel Supply chain managers should also expect don’t know what kind they need. Getting
that hold back logistics companies’ changes in their negotiations with logistics a fair shake from logistics companies
investments in automation can also partners. As contract logistics players add will require shippers to stay aware of
constrain shippers. However, our analysis more fixed costs in the form of automation, technology trends and understand well
indicates that shippers are investing more their strategic flexibility will decrease. how these might meet their needs.
in automation than logistics companies Shippers should expect their partners to
are, in large part because they cannot find seek contracts in line with the life cycle
with their purchases. On top of that, consumers more frequent tendering and have sought greater
demand ever-faster delivery, which requires more flexibility to respond to rapid changes in customer
local storage capacity, further driving complexity. demand. The trend has exerted significant pressure
Building a supply chain to support an omnichannel on logistics companies. Because they typically
system is highly complex (Exhibit 3). develop sites with a particular customer in mind,
they need to calculate carefully the investment
With all this complexity comes a lot of uncertainty: required to add a new customer. With a significant
Where should new fulfillment centers be built? What initial investment required, logistics contracts are
share of B2C orders should they accommodate? often not profitable for two years. That leaves only
And perhaps the biggest question: How much and a year or so of profit before renegotiations begin.
what kind of automation are ideal? Shippers are Big investments in automation would push the
asking the same sorts of questions (see sidebar break-even point back further, leaving logistics
“The shipper’s perspective”). companies at even greater risk that a customer
would change providers, which would leave the
Too-short contracts facility empty and automation equipment unutilized
Most logistics contracts run for about three years, while the third-party-logistics company searches
sometimes longer. That’s much shorter than for a new customer.
in the past. Shippers have tried to cut costs by

Automation in logistics: Big opportunity, bigger uncertainty
Exhibit 3 of 4
Exhibit 3
To fulfill omnichannel orders, shippers are redesigning their supply chain.

Supply chain Strategies
Vendor
E-commerce Omnichannel
fulfillment center fulfillment center Hub and Logistics Retail Omnichannel
spoke clusters infrastructure infrastructure
Network strategy Network strategy Network strategy Network strategy
• Use segmented • Locate near hubs • Rely on own • Build smaller
approach to place and competitor footprint of brick- e-commerce
inventory in larger facilities to benefit and-mortar stores fulfilment centers
(regional) and from availability close to customer close to customer
Consolidation in Dark Store with cross- smaller (local, of labor and • Train store
logistics cluster store trained workforce metro) sites collaborative associates to serve Applicability
transportation both e-commerce • For geographies
Applicability and store visits with high population
• National/regional Applicability density
• For low volumes Applicability (metropolitan areas)
• Reduced capital- • For areas around
expenditure retail footprint
investment • Reduced capital-
Customer locker expenditure
or drop box investment
In the future, contract planning might get even more Contract logistics
difficult. E-commerce requires dense networks, The big changes we’ve discussed—the simultaneous
especially in urban areas. But no single customer rise of e-commerce, omnichannel supply chains, and
has the scale to support a full-scale network. new automation technologies—present contract
Logistics companies must therefore build fulfillment logistics with a great opportunity to sharpen its value
centers and purchase automation technology proposition, which has historically relied on one of
before demand is known, let alone contracted. two factors:
— Superior services. To meet the needs of small

Strategy under uncertainty shippers, which typically lack the capabilities or
In these murky waters, what should contract scale to set up and manage complex fulfillment,
logistics companies do? As the previous discussion contract logistics companies offer heavily
illustrates, there is no single automation strategy customized services, such as differentiated
that guarantees a company will thrive. In the packing, effective returns management, and
following sections, we offer some guidance that we high-speed fulfillment.
hope can start the thinking process.

— Efficiency through scale. By serving multiple So how can contract logistics players make the most
customers, contract logistics companies build of this opportunity? With specialized equipment
the scale and expertise needed for warehouse proliferating—more than 20 logistics activities
efficiency—for example, shift planning during could soon see mechanized help—almost every
peak hours and seasons. For many shippers, logistics customer now needs guidance in picking
large and small, these capabilities were the key the optimal equipment for its purposes, procuring it,
reason they outsourced their warehousing. fitting it into the warehouse layout, training workers
on it, and maintaining it. With contract logistics
In our view, automation is not (yet) very helpful in companies’ scale and experience, they can meet the
delivering value-added services, which are often need and become true partners to their customers,
quite complex. Consider what happens when a offering expertise, better rates of procurement,
worker checks whether a returned pair of sneakers and deep operating knowledge. But to get there,
is ready to be reshipped. Reliably unpacking the logistics companies must do two things:
shipment (customers often use whatever they can
get their hands on, such as supermarket plastic — Be at the forefront of understanding and
bags), recognizing the condition of the returned item, deploying automation (for example, by partner-
and then selecting the correct next processing step ing with automation providers to test new equip-
is not a job easily performed by a robot. ment). Scale will help with this requirement,
especially in segments that use specific types
However, a lot of automation equipment is well of equipment (for example, to handle small items
suited to drive efficiency, the first factor, in three or returns).
ways. Start with the jobs of putting away and picking,
especially of high-velocity items. Automation can — Get sharp on the marketing strategy, including
reduce the dependency on an ever-tightening labor a definition of the market segments they can
market. Second, automation can enable higher serve well, discipline in targeting clients in these
throughput in a smaller space. Given the tight segments, and clear communication of the value
market for warehousing real estate, especially near proposition to them. With the rise of equipment
city centers, the business case for automation is comes a greater need for companies to specialize
improving significantly. Large manufacturers and in activities common to a given industry, as most
start-ups such as CommonSense have identified machinery is not as versatile as human labor. It will
this advantage of automation as a core value driver. become tougher to serve every client out of the
And of course, automation can help during peak same warehouse setup. Contract logistics players
times. Business cases for automation often rely need to shape and communicate a clear benefit
on average throughput, or the base load. Even for each customer industry.
on those terms, automation can succeed, but it
means that a lot of equipment sits idle much of the Delivering the best service at the lowest cost in a
year, as it is only used for one or two shifts a day. given market segment will create a strong value
During peak times, this idle capacity can easily be proposition. The expertise gained by doing this
unlocked through a third shift without adding large may also help to mitigate some of the contract
numbers of part–time warehouse employees—who issues: the deep relationships formed by becoming
are harder to find during the Christmas season, for a true partner and adviser will likely also lead to
example. From an efficiency standpoint, automation stable contracts that can accommodate longer
has a lot going for it right now. payoff periods. Some customers will still leave, of

course, but when they do, the logistics company’s as it cannot handle the large items, but it is
expertise and market-leading role should attract significantly cheaper to install and often even
replacements, lowering the risk of equipment to operate.
obsolescence. Therefore, logistics companies
should avoid equipment that is specific to only To decide, companies must review two pieces
one customer if that customer is not willing to help of data: the historical mix of parcel sizes and the
shoulder the burden. growth rate of each size. If the data do not yield
a definitive answer, it may make sense to create
Yet superior expertise and support may not be a flexible base capacity of large equipment
enough to make all contracts profitable over their and then add smaller sorters to accommodate
duration. Contract logistics companies should also e-commerce peaks.
get smart about pricing. The power of incentives,
such as adding attractive terms to extend contracts — Which process steps should be automated?
or penalties if contracts are terminated before The most obvious candidate is sorting in the
customized equipment is paid off, is not to hub. The labor-cost savings, especially in the
be underestimated. developed world, make this a relatively clear
case. Unloading and loading in the hubs are
Parcels more complicated. Over the past five years,
For parcel companies, the strategic considerations more equipment for these activities has been
are a little simpler. Increasing demand is a given, developed. Some providers say their gear can
as are rising requirements for speed and reliability. increase the productivity of one employee
Considered that way, there can be little question to more than 3,000 items unloaded per hour,
that parcel companies need to automate. And in from the previous 700 to 1,000 items per hour.
fact, many already have. DHL invested about €750 In our experience, however, this equipment
million in its German parcel network, and United often struggles with the different shapes
Parcel Service (UPS) has announced a long-term and especially the packaging of today’s
plan to invest even more. e-commerce parcels. Plastic bags are the worst
nightmare of many parcel-hub engineers.
But within that imperative, parcel companies face
some subtler questions: When it comes to to the automation of loading,
large parcels are extremely difficult. Just
— What kind of equipment should be installed? imagine a 50-pound sack of dog food landing
Parcel companies around the world have two on a small, delicate box of LEGO toys. The child
choices. One is to install large equipment that who receives the latter will not be happy with
can handle the vast majority of parcels, say its condition. For smaller items, automation
those up to 120 by 60 by 60 centimeters. This has been in place for years, but reviews are
approach puts a high value on flexibility to mixed. Parcel companies are well advised to ask
accommodate a wide mix of parcels. Other manufacturers to showcase their solution with
companies have focused on equipment the company’s parcel mix.
designed for smaller items, as e-commerce
fulfillment features lightweight (less than 5 Apart from hubs, some parcel companies, such
kilograms) items that are typically smaller than a as DHL, have started to automate delivery
shoebox. This kind of equipment is less flexible, bases. Key advantages of this model are more

sorting “depth”—that is, less manual sorting— focusing on investing in growth, many players
and easier same-day deliveries that are fulfilled are trying to get more out of their existing
close to a city and then sorted to the route in automation equipment—for instance, by
the delivery base. Automating in this way allows introducing new products with different
a company to outcompete some low-cost speeds that allow for sorting through the entire
services offered by rivals. day. This will initially postpone the question
of installing new capacity, but ultimately, all
— How much capacity should be installed? parcel companies need to find the right balance
E-commerce growth, and the volatility of its between yield and growth.
volumes, make this a vexed question. Many
companies seem to have chosen not to
overinvest in growth. The US operations of
FedEx and UPS as well as Japan’s Yamato Despite the uncertainty, logistics companies can
Holdings are only slowly expanding capacity. make informed decisions. We hope this article
There are two reasons, which we raised offers clarity on a complex situation, and together
previously, for being cautious and not rushing with the entire series of articles, provides logistics
to capture all the growth: e-commerce players executives with a useful perspective on how their
such as Alibaba and Amazon are investing in industry is changing—and how they can change
their own delivery systems, and e-commerce ahead of it.
volumes tend to be low margin. Instead of
Ashutosh Dekhne is a partner in McKinsey’s Dallas office, Greg Hastings is an associate partner in the Charlotte office, John
Murnane is a senior partner in the Atlanta office, and Florian Neuhaus is a partner in the Boston office.
The authors wish to thank Knut Alicke, Tom Bartman, Alan Davies, Mark Staples, Adrian Viellechner, and Markus Weidmann for
their contributions to this article.

Next–generation supply
chain—transforming your
supply chain operating
model for a digital world
In a digital age, most supply chains run on old principles and processes.
A few leaders can show us how a new operating model can answer the
demands of today—and tomorrow.
by Manik Aryapadi, Ashutosh Dekhne, Christoph Kuntze, Tim Lange, and Andreas Seyfert
© Jorg Greuel/Getty Images

Whether they choose to be faster, more innovative, their supply chain operating model—its processes,
or closer to customers, it’s becoming increasingly structures, and people—resulting in it being unable
difficult for manufacturers and retailers to launch to sustain changes once focus has shifted to
new products and better services that react flexibly another area.
to shifting demand, while still maintaining (or even
improving) their profitability. A next-generation model stretches far beyond
the mere organizational design of structures and
It’s no surprise that leading players are focused on workflows—it defines the ways and means by which
improving their supply chain—especially when it a company operates its supply chain (see sidebar,
comes to enhancing service levels, cutting costs, or “New supply chain operating model challenges all
optimizing inventory levels. An illustrative analysis dimensions of the supply chain”).
of a retailer’s income statement supports this
approach, showing that practically every element is
affected by the supply chain’s performance (exhibit). New trends, new challenges
To succeed in the digital age companies need a
Many companies have tried to optimize their next-generation model for their supply chain. They
warehousing and shipping processes, improve must rethink their operating model, particularly in
McK Retail Compendium 2020
their planning, and develop other core supply chain light of three dominant trends:
Next gen manufacturing
topics—but often with only modest success. And all
Exhibit too often operational improvement initiatives have First, customer preferences have changed as the
failed to make any real impact on the P&L or balance influence of digital sales channels has increased.
sheet. Why? Organizations have neglected to evolve
Exhibit
A close look at an income statement shows the impact of supply chain performance.
Income statement of superstore, illustrative Supply chain’s impact
Net sales 1 1. Supply chain’s service level largely determines

the availability of goods on store shelves
COGS¹ 2
2. Good supplier relationships help reduce COGS
Gross margin
3. Markdown amounts are primarily determined by delivery
Markdowns 3 terms and planning accuracy
Income from merchandise 4. Shipping and warehousing are among the largest cost items
Logistics costs 4
5. Delivery significantly influences personnel expenses for
Personnel expenses 5 stocking and replenishing shelves
Other operating expenses 6. Precise volume forecasts increase returns on marketing

investment
Selling expenses 6
7. Branch and warehouse size can be reduced by cutting
Contribution margin inventories
Rent 7 8. Right-sizing helps optimize depreciation and write-

downs on warehouse and branch equipment, as well as
Amortization, depreciation, 8 on fleet vehicles
and write-downs
Operating profit
1
Cost of goods sold.
Next–generation supply chain—transforming your supply chain operating model for a digital world 63
New supply chain operating model challenges all dimensions of the supply chain
The strategic objective is clear: more revenue, lower costs, satisfied customers.
To get there, companies must align their operating model with the demands of the digital world, entailing scrutiny of all dimensions of
the supply chain: structures, processes, and people. By asking core questions along these dimensions, it is possible to determine the
cornerstones of a next–generation operating model.
Processes Structures People

— Process design. How should we — Roles and responsibilities. Who is — Skills. What skills do our people need
design functional, cross-sector, and responsible for key processes and to do their job and how should we
support processes? How can we best individual process levels? fill any gaps—M&A, recruitment, or
integrate innovations? How can we internal capability building?
accelerate decisions? — Organizational structure. What
organizational form ensures stable — Corporate culture. What elements
— Performance management. What day-to-day operations, yet agile of the corporate culture promote
are our most important KPIs? How do development and innovation? How willingness to change—how can
we set and track targets? How do should reporting lines run? we foster openness and tolerance
we encourage decision orientation of mistakes?
and collaboration? — Ecosystem. Which capabilities
are core competencies to keep — Resource distribution. How many
— IT systems and technologies. What in house, and which ones can we employees and managers do we need,
technology infrastructure does the source from current partners or other where, and what qualification profiles
company need? What is the ideal IT external providers? How should the should they have? How can we deploy
organization and governance in an age corresponding network be organized? resources systematically?
of big data and analytics?
Consideration is the increasing pressure on supply and can concentrate on value-adding activities.
chain functions in terms of cost and productivity. McKinsey studies have shown that current
New market conditions frequently result in a growing technologies could automate an average of
number of products, warehouses, and logistics 45 percent of human activities.
service providers, requiring more frequent and more
detailed planning. This also creates calls to scale However, innovative technologies and methods
up personnel resources in indirect functions like place new demands on the capabilities of employees,
scheduling and distribution management. management, and IT infrastructure along the supply
chain: all three elements need to be continually
Finally, the use of new digital technologies and realigned to reflect the latest trends. Companies
advanced analytics also affect supply chains that do not respond to these challenges by radically
design, creating both opportunities and challenges. reshaping the structures and processes of their
Advanced analytics allow more precise planning, supply chain will extract few of the benefits that the
and efficiency and effectiveness also rise when transformation promises.
planners are freed up from repetitive tasks

Seven steps for tomorrow’s global, level. In more recent years consumer
operating model electronics players have also followed this
To realign their supply chain operating model, leading method. Centralization efforts optimize volume
consumer goods companies are following seven flows across countries and regions, as well as
guidelines that could be beneficial for others. allowing organizations to bundle resources
and build centers of excellence to introduce
1. Challenge unconditionally. Successful advanced analytics.
companies challenge all processes in their
4. Assign technology development to project
planning and logistics management and are
teams. Digital forerunners like Amazon and
not afraid to radically reinvent them. Predictive
Zalando have long pursued a policy of stacking
methods like machine-learning forecasting or
commercial process ownership and technology
supply-scenario planning will only reach their full
development. Similarly, companies seeking
potential if the entire planning cycle is shortened.
to build a next–generation supply chain
operating model should assign the development
Digitization enables a deeper integration of
of new technology solutions to small, high-
planning and management steps—e.g., joint
performance product teams, rather than central
optimization of tactical production planning and
IT departments.
operational scheduling: not only does that lead
to better planning results, it also makes it easier
With cross-functional staffing, such units can
to automate processes end to end. As part of
take responsibility for driving the evolution of
the review, the individual value contribution of all
innovative solutions, allowing new technologies
processes should be challenged, removing any
to be developed and implemented far more
steps that don’t add value.
efficiently. Using this approach, one retailer was
2. Deploy cross-functional teams. For years, able to take an order management module that
tighter specialization of supply chain processes— had been plagued with delays, and complete it
from requirement planning to inventory within budget in eight weeks.
management—was considered a determining
5. Accelerate decisions. The flexible testing of
factor of success. However, each unit attempting
digital supply chain innovations in pilot projects
to optimize its own operations was often at the
requires fast decision and release processes.
expense of others.
Fast-track procedures are typically premised
on business cases or risk assessments
Leading companies have put an end to this
with a reduced number of criteria. In return,
overspecialization. They bundle responsibility for
implementation of agile principles is associated
all supply chain processes throughout the value
with continuous control of progress made
chain, from suppliers to customers, in cross-
along with clear decisions to continue or abort
functional teams. They aim to ensure end-to-end
the project.
responsibility for supply chain performance,
while holistically optimizing service, costs, 6. Adopt a zero-based approach. Changing
and inventories. Team affiliation (be it sales, organizational structures and redistributing
production, or supply chain management) resources is not an easy undertaking;
becomes irrelevant, as the whole group makes vested interests and resistance are often
autonomous decisions and performance is prevalent. Applying zero-based principles
assessed and incentivized as a whole. helps to objectively assess which structures,
competencies, and capacities are needed. By
3. Centralize. For many years, forerunners like
reducing organizational components to the
Procter & Gamble or Unilever have been
bare minimum for continued existence and
centralizing their planning and logistics
then adding on the tasks, skills, and resources
management at a regional, sometimes even
that have a clear added value and that meet
Next–generation supply chain—transforming your supply chain operating model for a digital world 65
the digital requirements, companies can identify Following these seven guidelines can help
the most important roles in the company and manufacturers and retailers get their supply chain
staff them with the right amount of talent. operating model in good shape for the future. A next-
generation model creates the right preconditions to
7. Build up dynamic capabilities. Capabilities optimally benefit from the opportunities associated
and role profiles should be aligned to the with digitizing the supply chain. Companies can thus
requirements of new technologies and obtain a lasting competitive edge.
processes; particularly critical are data
scientists (experts in the development of This article is adapted from a version that originally
analytical solutions and algorithms) and appeared in Akzente.
digital translators (employees at the interface
between business and analytics). Yet not
all capabilities can be built up internally—
partnerships can generate best-of-best
solutions, allowing internal resources to
be concentrated on company-specific
competence areas, such as the development
of forecasting software for special product
groups or markets.
Manik Aryapadi is an associate partner in McKinsey’s Cleveland office, Ashutosh Dekhne is a partner in the
Dallas office, Christoph Kuntze is a partner in the Miami office, Tim Lange is a partner in the Cologne office, and
Andreas Seyfert is a senior knowledge expert in the Berlin office.

PROCUREMENT
Beyond procurement:
Transforming indirect
spending in retail
If retailers treat indirect costs as an opportunity for business
transformation rather than just a procurement matter, they can boost
return on sales by as much as 2 percent.
by Stefon Burns, Ella Burroughes, Steve Hoffman, and Alexander Merklein
© Natee Meepian/Getty Images
Beyond procurement: Transforming indirect spending in retail 67

PROCUREMENT
For retailers seeking to cut costs and generate In doing so, retailers are shaving as much as 10 to 15
cash for growth investments, indirect spending can percent off their annual indirect spend, capturing
be a big untapped opportunity. Indirect costs—the impact worth 1 to 2 percent in return on sales, and
goods and services that retailers purchase but seeing a more than 15-fold return on the cost of their
don’t resell—are equivalent to 10 to 15 percent of NFR-sourcing team. We’ve found that the value at
sales on average, and most retailers know that their stake is remarkably consistent across retailers—
indirect spending is far from optimized. But while even at those that have been working on reducing
recognizing the potential is easy, capturing it has indirect costs for a long time, whether in-house or
proven stubbornly difficult. with external support.
The challenges aren’t new. They include a lack of

spending visibility, fragmented ownership and spend A business transformation
authority, a dearth of incentives to reduce indirect To capture maximum value from a cost-reduction
spend, and a siloed approach to procurement of program, retailers must be deliberate about the
not-for-resale (NFR) categories. In addition, indirect program’s scope and ambition level. A broad scope
procurement typically focuses on negotiations with and high targets are indispensable elements of a
suppliers over price, rather than on higher-impact transformative effort.
opportunities to optimize what and how the retailer
buys. Our research has also shown that capabilities Historically, retailers have cut costs primarily
and resourcing for NFR procurement in retail are by reducing store labor or travel expenses. Few
significantly weaker than in many other sectors: retailers have tapped into the full potential of
NFR goods and services are viewed as much less optimizing NFR spending (Exhibit 1). Furthermore,
important than goods for resale, so the NFR-sourcing even retailers explicitly seeking to reduce
staff tends to receive less management attention and indirect spending sometimes classify certain cost
less investment in talent. Furthermore, even NFR- categories as “not addressable.” For instance,
sourcing professionals typically have little expertise some retailers consider marketing expenditures
in NFR categories. Rare is the procurement team out of scope; their rationale is that marketing
that has deep knowledge of, for example, elevator is critical to the core business of retail. Other
maintenance or marketing–agency overhead costs. retailers don’t bother trying to lower rents because
they assume that they can’t renegotiate terms
Visionary retailers, however, are taking a radical unless they’re in financial distress. Some indirect
new approach to indirect spending—and achieving costs—such as supplier-managed logistics—
radical results. These retailers aren’t viewing remain unchallenged because they’re “hidden”
indirect costs as a concern only for the procurement in cost of goods sold. And some retailers look for
function. Instead, they’re looking to transform cost-reduction opportunities only in operating
indirect spending across the entire business. They’re expenses, leaving all capital expenditures
overcoming the challenges by leveraging three untouched—even though the latter often has
new ways of working: a cross-functional approach higher savings potential (as a percentage of costs).
that incorporates category–specific demand levers,
the use of digital and analytical tools, and stronger In bypassing these categories, retailers forfeit more
supplier collaboration. And they’re taking specific than half of the potential impact and miss out on the
actions to bring about lasting change in mind-sets synergies that a large-scale program could bring. To
and behaviors. achieve transformative change in indirect spending,
nothing is off limits.

Beyond procurement
Exhibit 1 of 3
Exhibit 1
By addressing the full cost base, a retailer can double the scope and savings of its
indirect-costs program.
Typical breakdown for a €10 billion retailer, € million
300 2,000
100
200 Capital
Supplier- expenditure
300 Private-label managed
packaging costs
200
Rent
900 Marketing
Typical indirect Total scope

costs scope
Typical savings, % 10–15 8–17 0–5 12–24 10–15 10–20 10–15
Another must-do for a transformation program: set A cross-functional approach incorporating

stretch targets that inspire creativity and out-of- category–specific demand levers
the-box thinking. To set its NFR targets, one retailer Transformation of indirect spend will require the
first conducted a fact-based diagnostic that was involvement and commitment of more than just
championed by senior leaders. This exercise helped the procurement staff. A cross-functional team
the organization understand that the program was can break down silos, pose tough questions about
a priority, adopt a transformational rather than an what the business really needs, and make balanced
incremental mind-set, and focus on how to achieve trade-offs.
the targets rather than on trying to change them.
A cross-functional team can pull the basic supplier-
management levers (such as competitive bids and
New ways of working supplier consolidation) that affect who the retailer
Seeing an NFR effort as a business transformation is buys from and at what price. The team can also pull
a crucial first step. To maximize NFR savings, retailers process-management levers, which influence how
then need to adopt three new ways of working. a retailer buys: if the various functions comply with

PROCUREMENT
procurement policies and use only preferred vendors, and reports to help category managers monitor
maverick spending will be reduced or even eliminated. spending. One retailer had recently streamlined
Savings across the organization can be more easily its headquarters organization but found
tracked. The retailer can better negotiate vendor through AI-supported spend mapping that
payment terms and cycles to its benefit. many of the costs had crept back in through
the use of contractors and temporary labor.
Most important, a cross-functional team will be Once the retailer generated the spend cube
better placed to pull category-specific demand- using an agreed taxonomy, it could lock down a
management levers, which influence what the baseline and see how much it was spending on
retailer buys. In our experience, these levers deliver contracted versus uncontracted vendors.
as much as half of the potential savings—or even — Consumer insights. A retailer used digital
more for mature companies because negotiating consumer surveys and crowdsourced competitor
for lower prices yields diminishing returns over benchmarks to understand, address, and retest
time. The biggest opportunities are often in areas consumer perceptions of store cleanliness.
that many retailers consider out of scope, such Which areas of the store did consumers notice
as marketing (by using a return-on-investment most? Which areas did they hardly notice at
approach, for instance) or logistics (using levers all? Analysis showed that the parking lot and
such as inventory reduction or network redesign). the sidewalks were perceived as clean enough,
so instead of hiring a cleaner to do a thorough
A retailer seeking to optimize logistics spending cleaning multiple times a day, the retailer cut
tasked a cross-functional team with redesigning back to once a day, with store associates doing
its distribution network. The team was able to spot checks every few hours. The surveys
reduce end-to-end costs by selectively increasing also revealed places—such as fitting rooms
certain logistics costs. For example, it switched and the shoe department—where the retailer
some deliveries from sea to air in order to gain sales could invest in more frequent cleaning to boost
and reduce markdowns. It also increased delivery customer satisfaction. The business-insights
frequency for some products and stores while team then measured the exact impact of these
decreasing it for others. adjustments on the retailer’s sales.
The use of digital and analytical tools — Design to value. A retailer reduced the cost
Digitization has revolutionized every business of its paper shopping bags by 25 percent by
process and will continue to do so; indirect sourcing redesigning them. Through digital analysis of
is no exception.¹ Today, leading retailers are using basket size, product dimensions, and data from
digital and analytical tools in the following areas to cashier surveys, the retailer determined the
achieve dramatic reductions in indirect costs: ideal dimensions of a shopping bag based on
the distribution of physical volume and weight
— Spend visibility. Advanced digital solutions, of products. Further digital analysis—along with
powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and input from cashiers, baggers, and vendors—
machine learning, enable retailers to rapidly helped the retailer arrive at the substrate
and accurately map the relevant spend base composition that would give the shopping
into granular categories, shedding light bags the right levels of puncture strength and
on exactly who spends how much on what. tensile strength.
Cutting–edge digital procurement solutions — Clean sheeting. Digital clean-sheeting
can pull purchase-order (PO) and invoice tools can reduce indirect costs by as much as
data from multiple systems to create a “spend 40 percent in a category. Such tools typically
cube,” automatically generating benchmarks feature algorithms for determining costs
on pricing and specs, as well as dashboards in various NFR areas, dynamic databases
1
For more on digital solutions in procurement, see Pierre de la Boulaye, Pieter Riedstra, and Peter Spiller, “Driving superior value through digital
procurement,” April 2017, McKinsey.com.

of input costs (such as raw–material index especially in store–related NFR categories.
prices), and a sophisticated calculation engine. Determining the appropriate budget for each
Through a clean-sheeting exercise, one retailer store and then tracking adherence to that
discovered that it was paying much more budget can yield significant savings.
than the “should cost” for water-bottle labels
(Exhibit 2). Closer collaboration with suppliers
— Spend control. Digital procure-to-pay tools Retailers should work with suppliers on cost
give retailers better spend control by enforcing improvements and innovations. Suppliers can
more discipline in how suppliers are set up and be great idea generators because they know a
approved, and by supporting a more rigorous retailer’s bad habits better than the retailer itself
PO-approval process. does and would rather help change those habits
than lose the business. Retailers can also invest in
— Zero-based budgeting (ZBB). Using digital improving supplier capabilities in ways that will pay
tools (and enabled by increased spend visibility), the investment back several times over. Among the
McK Consumer and Retail Compendium 2019
retailers can easily build detailed bottom-up benefits of stronger supplier relationships: better
Beyond procurement
budgets, detect the exact drivers of variances, product quality and availability, faster responses
Exhibit 2 of 3
and take swift action to close gaps. ZBB, to market needs, less administrative effort, greater
which first gained traction in consumer-goods efficiency, and lower total cost.
companies, can be powerful for retailers,
Exhibit 2
Through clean sheeting, a retailer saw that it was paying more than the ‘should cost’ for labels
on its water bottles.
Key assumptions
l Profit of 5% included in price l Interest rate of 3%

l Batch size of 2 million pieces (est.) l Selling, general, and administrative (SG&A) costs of 5%
l Yearly volume of 6 million pieces (est.) l Range of labor rates in local currency depending on skill level
l Manufacturing location: Eastern Europe l Selling tax and value-added tax not included
Label costs for 500ml bottle

15%
Materials Value add Overhead and profit
Outbound
SG&A, Profit logistics
Overhead, R&D
Batch other
setup, manufactur-
Machinery scrap,
ing
Inbound Labor
tooling costs
logistics
Raw and Landed Direct Total Target price Target Quoted

purchased material manufacturing manufacturing price,
material costs costs including
outbound
logistics

PROCUREMENT
To sustain behavioral change,

retailers must use all four parts of
the ‘influence model.’
The elements of successful supplier collaboration story is communicating why savings are needed
include focusing on a limited number of suppliers to and what they will be used for. Allowing business
deliver the highest return on investment, establishing units or functions to reinvest part of the savings
a robust value-sharing agreement at the outset, can increase motivation. (One initiative leader at a
creating a dedicated supplier-collaboration team retailer put it this way: “Half goes to the CFO, but
separate from (but aligned with) category managers, the other half we get to keep.”) The head office
and building a disciplined performance-management should, of course, have enough visibility into the
and benefits-tracking system. reinvestments to ensure they align with corporate
priorities and generate strong returns.
One retailer, when retendering its contracts for
outsourced warehousing, required suppliers to Intelligent target setting also helps foster
submit proposals for improving the joint warehousing understanding across the organization. Targets
operation. Based partly on these proposals, the should be based on detailed diagnostics, including
retailer reduced its supplier count to two, allowing benchmarking against a relevant peer set.
for closer collaboration while maintaining some Otherwise, stakeholders will reject the targets
competitive tension. The retailer built continuous- as arbitrary; there’s also a risk of damaging the
improvement targets into the contracts, with business by pushing it into “slash and burn” cost
gainsharing incentives for the suppliers. It also cutting. The diagnostics should yield not just
invested in a “lean warehousing” team that works a single target—such as, $100 million in cost
closely with the suppliers to build capabilities. savings—but also a set of quantified initiatives.
Targets should include cost ratios (for example,
logistics spending as a percent of sales) rather
Getting it done than just absolute numbers to ensure that cost
Retailers must embed these new ways of working efficiency genuinely improves even when the
into daily tasks. To sustain behavioral change, they category experiences tailwinds. (For example, a
must use all four parts of the “influence model” decline in logistics costs due to a decline in sales
(Exhibit 3).² isn’t really an improvement.)
Fostering understanding and conviction Because indirect sourcing is typically perceived as

Leading retailers should lay out a clear case for a backwater and procurement staff can feel they’re
change and help each stakeholder connect to it on performing thankless work, external visibility can be
a personal level. An important aspect of the change highly motivating. When retail CEOs publicize their
2
For more on the influence model, see Tessa Basford and Bill Schaninger, “The four building blocks of change,” McKinsey Quarterly, April 2016,
McKinsey.com.

Beyond procurement
Exhibit 3 of 3
Exhibit 3
Retailers can use a range of tactics to change mind-sets and behaviors.

The influence model’s four building blocks of change
UND
ERS
TA
NG N DI
LI NG
DE
O
AN
M
D
LE
• Cross–functional • Case for change
CO
RO
steering committee • Intelligent target
NV
• Senior sponsorship setting
I CT
of initiatives • External visibility
ION
• Early wins • Test and learn
• Program leader • Personal targets

and team • Weekly program-
• Initiative resourcing management rhythm
• Category experts • Implementation-
S
• Training level tracking
TA
ISM
L
EN
AN
TA
N
CH
D E
SK M
IL L AL
S RM
FO
NFR initiatives and targets, the people involved in the Reinforcing with formal mechanisms
initiatives see that their work matters and even has Company goals should be translated into personal
the power to influence their company’s stock price. targets. One retailer created a simple timeline of
when initiatives were expected to deliver impact,
Along the NFR journey, there will be times when using the top end of the impact range estimated for
stakeholders resist change for fear of negatively each initiative. The resulting quarterly figures became
affecting sales. A test-and-learn culture can targets for the relevant executives, whose bonuses
overcome this. A first step can be to show mock- were partly dependent on hitting those targets.
ups or samples of proposed changes. One retailer’s
procurement team recommended using thinner, To follow up on progress against targets, many
cheaper paper for marketing materials. It overcame retailers instinctively go for a monthly cadence
resistance from the marketing department by of follow-up meetings. But, in our experience, a
having samples printed on the thinner paper weekly program-management rhythm is much
and using blind testing to demonstrate that the more effective for driving the pace of initiatives and
materials were just as effective. bringing about cultural change. During the weekly

PROCUREMENT
meeting, the team reviews all initiatives but focuses equivalents (FTEs) working for 12 months. Company
on only a few, either on a rotating basis or to help leadership had to stop or pause other initiatives to
those that need additional support. create the required capacity. While 40 FTEs might
sound like an enormous investment, the retailer
Initiatives should be tracked not only against recouped the cost of those employees’ yearlong
milestones but also on progression through “imple- efforts about 50 times over in recurring savings.
mentation levels”: an initiative begins as an idea,
matures to a business case, becomes an approved Neither the program leader nor the team members
decision, gets implemented, and is ultimately can be expected to have all the relevant category-
converted to “money in the bank.” The expected specific expertise. Our research shows that
impact of initiatives can be appropriately “discounted” retailers have eight times the indirect spend per
when they are in earlier stages. Implementation- procurement professional compared with other
level tracking gives the program leader and sectors, which means their level of expertise in
steering committee a more accurate picture of any particular category will be relatively shallow.
when impact will be delivered and which initiatives Therefore, tapping into internal and external
need what kind of support. Linking this tracking to category experts is crucial. One grocery retailer
ongoing budgeting, forecasting, and performance- discovered that one of its project managers
management processes yields greater transparency had been a refrigeration engineer for 25 years.
in profit-and-loss performance. The company brought him into a team tasked
with reducing the life-cycle cost of refrigeration,
Developing talent and skills heating, and cooling assets by 30 percent in two
An NFR program needs a capable program leader years. The team achieved the goal in six months
and a supporting team. The program leader, and did so with simple solutions—for example,
who will likely come from a line role, should know changing the type of price tags used in refrigerated
the business well and have the respect of top shelves so that the tags wouldn’t fall off and clog
management. Given this individual’s talent and the drain. This change saved the retailer more than
leadership skills, it won’t be an easy decision for $600,000 a year.
senior executives to free him or her up to lead the
program. But the sacrifice will pay off. Capability building is also key. The best companies
use a combination of classroom training, e-learning
Still, without sufficient resources for each initiative, tools, and on-the-job coaching. In our experience,
the program will struggle. Colleagues from each many NFR professionals who receive functional
function or cost category will need to dedicate and category-specific training and mentoring
10 to 20 percent of their time to the effort. For one immediately double or triple their effectiveness.
$10 billion retailer, delivering $200 million in savings A phased train-the-trainer approach—in which
required a program leader and about 40 full-time the sourcing team receives training during a pilot
Many NFR professionals who receive

functional and category-specific
training and mentoring immediately
double or triple their effectiveness.

phase, applies the learnings to an initial set of Helping to secure—and then celebrate—early wins
categories, then trains others in the next phase— is also a form of role modeling. It lets the entire
has proven effective in many cases. organization see that senior leaders are committed
to ensuring the NFR program’s success and that
Role modeling they recognize its impact.
The CEO, CFO, and the rest of the management team
must work together to communicate the case for
change and role model the desired mind-sets and
behaviors. Working as a cross-functional steering Most retailers have significant opportunities
committee, they can remove roadblocks, surface and to reduce indirect costs. The first step is to
capture cross-functional opportunities, and allocate acknowledge that the potential exists, then conduct
enough resources to them, thereby sending an a thorough diagnostic to quantify it. Though
unmistakable message to the organization about the challenging, a transformation in indirect spending
importance of these initiatives. can yield greater profitability, funding for growth,
and competitive advantage.
Another powerful role-modeling lever is senior
sponsorship of initiatives. Senior leaders can serve
as coaches for the owners of individual category
initiatives, whether those owners are within or
outside the senior leaders’ respective functions.
Stefon Burns is an associate partner in McKinsey’s New York office, Ella Burroughes is an associate partner in the
London office, Steve Hoffman is a partner in McKinsey’s Chicago office, and Alexander Merklein is an associate partner in
the Vienna office.

PROCUREMENT
Rethinking procurement
in retail
For retailers, procurement is no longer solely a matter of negotiating
“A” brands. Private labels and verticalization are trending. Advanced
approaches and tools help get procurement in shape for the future.
by Patricio Ibáñez, Alexander Merklein, and Daniel Rexhausen
© Monty Rakusen/Getty Images

The days in which brick-and-mortar retail procurement organization. New team structures
monopolized customer touchpoints are gone. and skills are needed, as are new approaches
Alongside internet retailers such as Amazon and tools.
and Zalando, and start-ups such as the
beverage-delivery service Flaschenpost, brand
manufacturers are increasingly seeking to gain Priorities are shifting
direct access to consumers—whether online or For years, procurement officers in the retail
through ultramodern flagship stores in premium sector primarily focused on premium brands
city-center locations. Aside from pioneers like and their suppliers; little effort was dedicated
Apple, many categories are encroaching on the to the procurement of private labels, which was
final consumer business, from coffee brands sidelined as an activity of less importance. That
(such as Nespresso) through to cosmetic lines is fundamentally changing with the emergence of
such as Kiehl’s and NYX Professional Makeup by new competitors and sales channels. Meanwhile,
L’Oréal. As a result, traditional retailers not only the share of private labels in the portfolio of many
face intensified pressure on margins but also brick-and-mortar retailers is very close to 50
unrelenting pressure to innovate. percent. Private labels have long since outgrown
their original function as entry-level products. Today,
The retail sector is mounting a response. By private labels assume quality leadership positions
increasing its share of private brands, it is (take for instance REWE Feine Welt, Tesco Finest,
endeavoring to win the loyalty of customers and set or President’s Choice at Loblaw), address popular
itself apart from the growing competition. Some niches such as organic food and vegan cosmetics,
retailers, among them the French sports equipment or serve special customer groups (consider
discounter Decathlon, are already aiming to children’s brands at Tesco like Fred & Flo baby care
increase their share of private labels to 100 percent. and Tesco Goodness for kid’s food, or at Asda like
Those who can afford it pursue verticalization Little Kids food and Little Angels baby care). In the
and set up in-house production facilities for their meantime, there is barely any market segment that
private labels. Leading grocery retailers such as the retail sector has not conquered with its in-house
Edeka, Migros, Morrisons, and Kroger have long products—through to the branding of complete
produced much of their assortment themselves— categories such as EDEKA zuhause, under which
from beverages to meat to baked goods. Even the retail chain sells its home products.
coffee roasters, ice cream factories, or potting-soil
producers have since been added to the vertically As they expand their portfolio of private labels,
integrated portfolios of retail chains. retailers are not merely focusing on securing their
position in the face of often limited supply sources.
These trends do more than simply change the Particularly in the premium segment, their aim is
face of retail: they are also making a deep impact to systematically improve margins and strengthen
on procurement management. The procurement their negotiating position against brand suppliers. At
function is now not solely fixated on annual the same time, their high-quality in-house products
negotiations with manufacturers of “A” brands. set a counterpoint to the design-to-cost programs
Instead, the focus is increasingly turning to the of many “A” brands that seek to improve their own
procurement of private labels and purchasing margins with cheaper components and packaging.
of raw materials for in-house production. At the Against this backdrop, the private label is set to
same time, this approach is changing the entire become an unprecedented strategic competitive
Rethinking procurement in retail 77

PROCUREMENT
advantage—vis-à-vis brand manufacturers but also — Capabilities. Agile procurement teams need a
other retailers. broader range of competencies. Negotiation
tactics are no longer such a decisive factor;
As verticalization increases, so too does the more important are analytical skills, especially
importance of procuring resources and raw materials. in the disciplines of advanced analytics and
Retailers with in–house manufacturing capacity can machine learning, coupled with an extensive
no longer simply pass on prices to their customers. understanding of products.
Instead, they have to ensure the supply and capacity
utilization of their production facilities. Not only does — Tools. Retailers have long operated with sell-
that make the task of procurement more demanding, off and margin analytics that ideally also factor
it also involves far more complex processes. in additional agreements such as advertising
subsidies. However, that’s not enough in the
current environment: procurement officers
need a detailed understanding of how much
Agile work structures are needed
value can be created with each product and
The new trends have a wide-ranging impact on the
what prices are actually feasible in the market,
procurement function. Established power plays
including for well-established products beyond
in negotiations with brand suppliers have become
their “brand bonus.” Also needed are highly
more difficult. Indeed, as retailers have lost their
professional requests for quotations for product
ability to monopolize touchpoints to customers,
development, manufacturing, or collaboration
they have also lost their most powerful negotiation
agreements with suppliers. This is only possible
argument in some areas. Brand manufacturers have
with the assistance of digital processes and a
known how to take advantage of this opportunity:
toolbox that supports procurement in the retail
they have professionalized their customer
sector with new procedures and technologies.
management and today have access to data–based
customer knowledge that had long been exclusively
controlled by the retail sector. In contrast, many
retailers have changed little in the way they manage New tools for every purpose: From
their procurement activities and are seeing their the parametric cleansheet to the
past negotiation power dwindle. In order to restore negotiation cockpit
the level playing field with manufacturers, they As they seek to optimize their procurement
have to revolutionize their procurement functions at functions, today’s retailers have at their disposal a
multiple levels simultaneously: large spectrum of methodological approaches and
digital analytics tools—not just for the procurement
— Organization. Conventional procurement of private labels but also for products produced in
management dependent on a few core house, for nonretail goods, and for the procurement
suppliers is no longer enough. Clever retailers of industrial brands. Some of these tools should
set their procurement organizations on a far be standard equipment in every retailer’s toolbox,
broader footing and, in particular, endow them given that they provide the fact base needed for
with greater agility. Category specialists are making the best possible procurement decisions.
replaced by agile, cross-functional teams that Such tools include analytics tools for determining
link procurement to other functions, such as spending and price variance, a supplier positioning
product development, category management, matrix, and the cleansheet—an essential tool
and supply chain management, and that set the for shedding transparency on complex product
foundations for successful procurement based categories. Beyond that, tried-and-true tools
on sprints. are also used as needed, such as guidelines for

optimizing negotiation tactics or contractual terms quickly calculate the costs for hundreds of products
and conditions, presentation playbooks, or aids for and thereby determine competitive pricing.
global procurement (Exhibit 1).
Another helpful approach to improve internally
A closer look at a cleansheet analysis helps manufactured brands in particular is the design-
illustrate the benefits of using digital tools. It to-value (DTV) method. Innovative tools such as
sheds light on the dense undergrowth of product ethnographic consumer research or industry-wide
components and specifications: it is not unusual design trend analytics today provide even more
for categories to have an excess of 1,000 stock- detailed insights into what truly drives customers’
keeping units (SKUs) and a correspondingly large purchase decisions and what designs are in demand
number of suppliers. That said, many articles within in the market. Equipped with these and other DTV
a category are often manufactured and assembled tools, retailers can boost sales, optimize prices, and
in similar ways—suggesting that considerable simultaneously reduce costs—thus ratcheting up
savings potential lurks below the surface, and a value creation for each and every product.
parametric model could help uncover it. Such a
model would help combine similarly manufactured Generally speaking, no procurement officer
Insights 2019 products into clusters and transpose the cost looking for the best product at the best price can
Rethinking procurement
informationin on
retail
individual parts to all others within afford to bypass advanced analytics anymore.
Exhibit 1 of 2 the product cluster. In this way, the retailer can Take for instance today’s grocery sector, where
Exhibit 1
For each step in the procurement process, there are approaches and tools for optimization—
both digital and classic ones.
Overview of key tools along the purchasing value chain
Create a fact Conduct Generate Prepare Document Monitor

basis request for ideas and and conduct and follow up changes and
quotation derive negotiations on negotiation measure
positioning results impact
● Spend ● Request for ● Defining ● Global sourcing ● Negotiation ● Performance

analysis quotation specifications notes tracking
● Negotiating
● Price-variance ● E-auction ● Linear tactics
analysis performance
pricing ● Contract
● Supplier terms and
profiles ● Internal idea conditions
generation
● Cleansheet workshop ● Playbook for
presentation
● Supplier ● Global sourcing
positioning
matrix ● Supplier workshop

PROCUREMENT
algorithm-based machine learning is used to can use to predict the purchasing prices of wheat,
develop complex demand forecasts or agronomic for instance.
predictive models, compile global cost curves, or
Insights 2019 analyze market conditions based on geodata. To Many tools touched on here can be used both
Rethinking procurement in retail
this end, the tools combine an array of data on in contract manufacturing and in the in-house
Exhibit 2 of 2 market trends or developments in the weather and production of private-label goods. However, they
commodities markets that procurement officers differ in terms of their range of influence. They
Exhibit 2
Cleansheet analysis reveals high cost-savings potential—especially in procurement of

commodity products.
Cleansheet cost calculation for a high-volume candle (private label), € per piece
Basic • Profit of 5% included in the price • Paraffin cost: €0.794/kg

assumptions • Batch size of 10,000 pieces • Interest rate: 2% assumed
• Tender volume of ~15,000 pieces • SG&A¹ costs: 3%; no R&D costs
• Manufacturing location: Germany • Labor rates: €23.6 to €27.03 depending on skill level
Materials Value add Overhead (OH) and profit
Material (raw/purchased) 0.59
Inbound logistics 0.03
Landed material 0.61
Labor 0.05
Machinery 0.01
Batch setup, scrap, tooling 0.02
Direct manufacturing cost 0.69
Manufacturing OH, other related cost 0.04
Total manufacturing cost 0.73
SG&A, R&D, other on-top cost 0.02
Profit 0.04
Target price 0.80
Outbound logistics 0.01
Target price after outbound logistics 0.80
Quoted 1.13
–29%
1
Sales, general, and administrative expenses.
Source: McKinsey analysis

offer the greatest leverage effect for in-house difference between the determined target price and
production, as they can impact the selection of raw the supplier’s offer was almost 30 percent (Exhibit 2).
materials, the manufacturing process, and even
the deployment of personnel. A number of levers Cost savings can be captured in the medium term
are also available for the procurement of private by combining procurement sources, switching to
labels. For instance, DTV can be used to manage a other suppliers, or adjusting volumes. By contrast,
product’s exact specifications, while procurement changing the content or packaging requires more
tools and e-auctions help find the best suppliers. time, although it can likewise prove an effective
means of long-term savings.
Why the effort pays: Big The effort is certainly worth it. After all, the
savings potential costs of procurement or manufacture of articles
A closer look at the levers in procurement clearly make up as much as 75 percent of the retail
shows that private labels offer procurement officers price. Professional procurement management
substantially more opportunities for influencing the with advanced method-ologies and smart tools
product than industrial brands. Accordingly, there can make a substantial contribution toward
are greater opportunities for reducing costs and cutting these costs—by more than 10 percent in
widening margins. It is possible to capture quick the case of private labels. Retailers should not
savings through the procurement price alone. A miss this opportunity to stretch their margins
cleansheet analysis again helps determine the extent and maneuver into a stronger market position—
of the potential: in the procurement of a mass article— because the competition does not sleep.
in the illustrated example, a candle for home use—the
Patricio Ibáñez is a partner in McKinsey’s Cleveland office, Alexander Merklein is an associate partner in the Vienna office,
and Daniel Rexhausen is a partner in the Stuttgart office.

PROCUREMENT
Six emerging trends in

facilities management
Outsourcing, workplace strategies, and technology innovations
hold immense potential for companies seeking to reduce costs and
improve productivity in facilities management.
by Stefon Burns, Ella Burroughes, Steve Hoffman, and Alexander Merklein
© making_ultimate/Getty Images

For companies with distributed operations— The evolution of facilities
retailers, manufacturers, transportation and management strategy
logistics—facilities management can represent When facing ongoing pressure to reduce operating
10 to 25 percent of total indirect spending. costs, companies tends to look for savings
Several recent developments, including fears without giving much thought to the long-term
of a recession, trade conflicts, tech disruption, repercussions. This dynamic makes facilities
and rising wages, have made cost cutting a management a particularly ripe target. During
higher priority in this area. But business leaders challenging economic times, companies trim
must strike a tricky balance to reduce noncore facilities-management budgets; once the outlook
costs without affecting the performance of rebounds, spending levels often remain low. This
core operations. pattern can lead to deteriorating conditions of
buildings and equipment, potentially costing more
Companies have no shortage of options at their in the long run.
disposal to optimize facilities-management
expenditures. Outsourcing is a well-established Over the years, industries have accepted outsourcing
strategy that’s on the rise thanks to an influx of as a viable option to noncore operations, including
vendors, while integrated approaches to facilities facilities management. Companies typically follow
management, workplace strategy, and technology a progression that begins with outsourcing noncore
all hold promise. The global market for in-house activities at individual locations (Exhibit 1). The
and outsourced facilities management is estimated consolidation, standardization, and bundling of
to reach $1.9 trillion by 2024. The outsourced these tasks across facilities over time results in
segment accounts for more than half the total and the outsourcing of a comprehensive set of noncore
has attracted a growing number of vendors with services and management to third parties.
new service offerings. Still, charting a clear path
forward—one that enables companies to extract Several economic factors have made outsourcing
the most value—is an increasingly complex task. more relevant for facilities management. Growth
is slowing across several large countries as they
How should companies proceed? As a first step, reach the tail end of the current economic cycle.
executives must familiarize themselves with Far–reaching global trade conflicts have created
how six emerging trends could reduce facilities- unexpected changes in commodity and finished
management costs and improve productivity. product prices. Meanwhile, increased tech
The first three involve the application of existing disruptions in a handful of industries are pushing
strategies and approaches; the second three legacy companies to free up cash for technology
involve using technology to transform the way investments. Last, lower unemployment rates are
companies complete tasks. However, these trends pushing wage rates higher for the best talent. Thanks
aren’t plug and play; companies must have the right to these developments, the total market for facilities
strategy and capabilities to get the most from them. management (both in-house and outsourced) is
Facilities management and sourcing leaders should expected to grow at more than 6 percent a year from
focus on several immediate steps to mobilize their 2018 to 2024, hitting nearly $1.9 trillion (Exhibit 2).
organization and pursue these trends.
Companies have no shortage of

options at their disposal to optimize
facilities management expenditures.
Six emerging trends in facilities management 83

PROCUREMENT
Exhibit 1
Typical evolution of facilities management (FM) over time.

Savings
Integrated
FM
Bundled
Standardized
Full outsourcing of
wide range of
Consolidated noncore services
Bidding out
multiple and management
Outsourced services in
Alignment of One partner per site
service levels same RFQ with that typically
In house across sites to opportunity for performs major
Pooling of
lowest acceptable one supplier to services with own
volumes across
level, which also deliver more staff
sites, which is
Outsourcing of treats employees than one service
tendered by the Synergies in
McK on Retail 2019 noncore tasks on central alike in exchange for
delivery and
Own staff trends case-by-case
Six emerging procurement
extra rebate
management
Levers
performing basis
Exhibit 2 of 3 function
noncore services
Exhibit 2
Companies are increasingly outsourcing facilities management (FM).

Global market outlook (in-house and outsourced FM spend), USD billions
6.2% p.a.
1,884
1,599
1,314
1,134
972
846
2009 2012 2015 2018 2021E 2024E

Facilities management is ripe for disruption: it 1. Outsourcing facilities management
lags behind other functions such as production Organizations are evaluating their operating model
equipment maintenance by both digital maturity to maximize value creation. Before they outsource
and penetration of technology. Although technology facility management to third parties, however,
is available for facilities management, several they review the appropriate mix of insourcing and
obstacles have inhibited adoption, such as a lack of outsourcing based on capability, cost, and coverage.
digital skills within the function, other priorities for Several factors are altering the equation.
leadership, and a focus on continuous cost cutting.
— Growth in outsourcing. Outsourcing has now
These factors have made the facilities management
surpassed 50 percent of the total facilities
outsourcing market attractive for leading vendors
management market in several regions,
that were already engaged directly or indirectly with
including Europe, the Middle East, and North
this function. Several incumbents have developed an
America.
integrated facilities management offering in an effort
to capture a greater market share. — Industry-based adoption. In manufacturing
companies, soft services such as landscaping
and janitorial are preferred categories for
Six emerging trends outsourcing. Hard services such as utility
We have identified six trends that offer cost savings equipment maintenance are typically still
or productivity-improvement opportunities now or insourced. Meanwhile, retail, banking, and other
that could transform facilities management over nonmanufacturing industries are looking to first
the next decade. Since the attractiveness of each optimize their operating model by balancing
trend will depend on an organization’s needs and insourcing and outsourcing. If the benefits they
capabilities, the trends are presented in a manner to achieve are not significant, some players in
facilitate evaluation and comparison. these industries have opted to fully outsource
facility management.
Case study
© Visoot Uthairam/Getty Images
One large retailer was seeking to prioritize be handled through a shared-services specifications and then selected suppliers
tasks that could be handled more cost- model with high utilization of internal labor. that best matched the retailer’s needs. This
effectively by a third-party vendor. Its Outsourced categories were defined by approach reduced facilities-management
team compiled a list of categories that current specifications and, separately, spending by 15 percent, which was
should be kept in house as well as those by the essential level of service for the reallocated to support the organization’s
to outsource. In-house categories were organization. It put out an RFP for the investment strategy.
determined based on which tasks could outsourced categories with two types of

PROCUREMENT
— Penetration of integrated facility management 2. Integrated value and related services

(IFM). IFMs are capturing increased market Companies are exploring the integration of facilities
share in outsourcing, particularly in North management and related services in an effort to
America, where IFMs are close to 20 percent of streamline management and improve performance.
the outsourced category. This offering can include the following functions:
— Real estate. This category includes all services
Implications
related to transaction management, project
— Cost: Is your operating model optimized, and do management, and other services.
still have better cost performance?
— Facilities management. All of the tasks that
— Competitive advantage: Does facilities are involved in maintaining a facility, such as
management provide a competitive advantage equipment maintenance and building services.
over peers?
— Energy management. Activities focus on the
— Organizational capability: Does the company conservation of energy, including retrofits and
have experienced personnel in facilities procedural changes.
management with intrinsic knowledge of the
— Production maintenance. The maintenance of
location as well as highly efficient internal
production equipment comprises areas such
technicians that would be challenging for a third
as assembly stations, process equipment, and
party to match?
testing stations.
— Employee services. Services for employees
could include mailroom, fitness center, and
cafeteria and food.
© Watchara Kokram/EyeEm/Getty Images
Case study A global financial institution was techniques, and invested in stakeholder
spending $450 million annually to maintain management. With the insights gained
its thousands of locations around the world. from this process, the company was able
Its fragmented supplier base included to consolidate its facilities-management
more than 10,000 vendors across about a spending from dozens of suppliers to just
dozen categories. To assess opportunities one vendor, while standardizing business
for outsourcing, the institution undertook a processes and service quality. Adopting
scoping and prioritization exercise, sought integrated facilities management helped
to gain greater transparency into spending reduce costs by more than $150 million
categories, applied advanced sourcing over three years.

Implications 3. Workplace strategy
Workplace strategy is becoming a key tool to
— Decision making is easier, as fewer people
enhance employee engagement and retention. It
are involved.
includes several different categories:
— A comprehensive view of all services with
— Modular work space. Work spaces can become
fewer providers eases the management of
more modular and activity-based to increase
these categories.
agility and flexibility with the changing workforce
— Suppliers that provide integrated services can while decreasing total square footage.
become strategic partners for organizations.
— Coworking. Coworking provides flexibility
in selecting the type of space and period of
Factors to evaluate if the organization should pursue
occupancy, which can offer cost savings.
an arrangement with an outsourcing integrator:
— Lifestyle amenities. Lifestyle amenities such as
— Cost: Are costs higher than benchmarks
yoga, meditation, day care, recreation rooms,
for peers?
and nap areas have become common features to
— Geographic portfolio: Does the company have enhance employee experience.
a diverse geographic footprint?
— Wellness designs. Companies can invest in
— Property portfolio: Is the property work spaces with appealing acoustics, lighting,
portfolio diverse? furniture, and flooring, among other features.
— Organizational capability: Does the real estate
function have limited capacity or capability?
Case study
One energy company sought to trim or reception. It also created “hoteling”

its real estate costs while implementing zones, where employees could secure work
© Luis Alvarez/Getty Images workplace strategies that would maximize spaces on an as-needed basis.
its use of space and accommodate evolving
employee needs. It pursued a range of Through these approaches, it increased
densification initiatives, including doubling the number of available seats by
up offices for employees of specific nearly 60 percent without expanding
positions, converting excess conference its footprint. As important, an internal
rooms to offices, and reducing office sizes survey found that employees viewed
for certain functions, such as accounting this reconfiguration favorably.

McK on Retail 2019
Six emerging trends
PROCUREMENT Exhibit 3 of 3
Together, these categories form options along the Exhibit 3

continuums of space and well-being (Exhibit 3).
Space
Notably, trends in this category can increase
facilities management costs (for companies that
Fixed
choose to invest more in workspace design), but
they could also indirectly compensate for these Traditional cubicles
outlays with higher employee productivity. Modular work space
Coworking
Implications
— When considering workforce strategies, Flexible
companies need to balance employee
engagement and workplace investment.
— Organizations are increasingly looking for Wellbeing
suppliers that are capable of maintaining an
Not explicitly considered
evolving workplace.
Traditional setup
Factors to help organizations determine if revamping
the workplace is the right choice: Lifestyle amenities
Wellbeing designs
— Geographic portfolio: Is the geographic
portfolio of facilities fragmented and Addressed through REFM
consistently changing with customer location?
— Employee productivity: Is current employee
productivity lower than peer benchmarked
levels, and would wellness design and lifestyle
amenities have an impact?
Case study
© yoh4nn/Getty Images
A mining company sought to increase rig tenance for each component. To support Its efforts paid off handsomely: the company
uptime and reduce maintenance spending, a predictive maintenance deployment, the created an end-to-end system with
which accounted for 25 percent of operating company focused on five building blocks: real-time data collection, storage, and pro-
expenses. An analysis determined that cessing to enable predictive maintenance.
— Strategy
top drive and pipe handling accounted for These capabilities enabled it to reduce
— Technology
40 percent of all downtime and 10 percent of maintenance spending by 27 percent while
all maintenance spending. It then conducted — Capabilities increasing revenue from services thanks to
a thorough “digital teardown” to estimate — Organization higher reliability.
specific opportunities in predictive main- — Processes and procedures

Through these approaches, it increased the — IoT security. Security is lagging behind the
number of available seats by nearly 60 percent development of IoT devices and platforms.
without expanding its footprint. As important, an
internal survey found that employees viewed this Implications
reconfiguration favorably.
— Companies have to upgrade or retrofit legacy
systems before facilities can benefit from the IoT.
4. The Internet of Things (IoT) evolution — Lingering skepticism about the IoT’s impact
A number of trends and developments are means that organizations will have to develop
spurring the adoption of equipment enabled by multiple use cases to demonstrate the impact of
the IoT by facilities management across a range of these technologies on occupant experience.
applications.
— Companies should consider partnering with
— Energy efficiency. The implementation of IoT suppliers that have an end-to-end vision of the
devices, such as motion sensors for lights and IoT and the capabilities required to convert this
automated temperature controls, enabling more vision into reality.
visibility into energy usage and management.
— Occupant experience. This factor could be a Executives should consider the following factors to
contributor to the adoption of the IoT. determine if now is the right time to adopt the IoT for
facilities management:
— Computing. Data transmission costs are
determining whether edge, cloud, or hybrid — Cost: Is the cost of IoT conversion in facilities
computing approach will prevail. comparable to current expense of maintenance
and operations?
— Stack ownership. Companies are trying to
own multiple layers of the IoT stack. Hardware — Change champion: Do IoT initiatives have C-level
infrastructure and software are emerging as sponsors beyond the CIO?
preferred ownership models.
Case study
© Westend61/Getty Images
Leading companies are in the process among other tasks. The promise of such
of integrating robotics into their facilities- robots is threefold: beyond the opportunity
management operations for tasks such as to reduce operating expenses, these
floor cleaning, window washing, and power machines could free up existing staff to
washing. Innovations in early stages of focus on higher-value activities while
development include robots for security mitigating some of the risk associated with
patrol, lawn mowing, and snow removal, these tasks.

PROCUREMENT
— Device compatibility: Can systems be retrofitted Implications

with IoT technology?
— Applications of robotic process automation are
— System compatibility: Is the building- still in the early stages for facilities management.
management system (BMS) capable of
— Repetitive and hazardous facility-management
integrating with devices and software? Does the
tasks are prime for disruption by robots.
organization have the data management and
security capabilities necessary to support devices — Organizations can pilot robots for repetitive
equipped by the IoT? tasks or partner with suppliers that have
expertise in the deployment and maintenance
of robots.
5. Advent of robots
Robotic automation is well suited to take over
Factors to evaluate if now is the right time to invest
repetitive and hazardous tasks. Thus far, Asian and
in robotic automation:
European companies are leading in the adoption
of robotics for services such as cleaning and — Cost: Is the cost of owning or leasing a robot less
security; widespread adoption could occur within than current costs?
the next decade. — Market support: Has a service supply chain for
— Repetitive tasks. Activities that follow the same the equipment been established?
process every time, such as sweeping a floor, — Effectiveness: Is the quality of work similar or
are prime opportunities to integrate robots into better than current processes?
operations. Several companies are currently
designing and building robots to automate — Technology maturity: Will current technology
repetitive tasks such as power washing and change dramatically in the short term?
lawn mowing.
— Hazardous tasks. The use of robots for certain
jobs—for example, security patrol or HVAC
duct cleaning—could enable companies to
reduce costs and risk.
Case study
Companies are experimenting with

various applications of AR to support
workers in selected tasks. A remote
assisted maintenance tool kit, for example,
includes endoscopic and thermal cameras,
a microphone, and a portable computer.
With these tools, the equipment operator
can connect remotely to an expert, who
can guide him through the maintenance
procedure. AR maintenance also offers
operators support through an integrated
helmet with special glasses and software
that details proper maintenance procedures.
© Westend61/Getty Images

Technology players are developing
end-to-end AR solutions that have
the potential to transform facilities
management.
6. Augmented reality Implications

Technology players are developing end-to-end
— Augmented reality is still in the early stages of
AR solutions that have the potential to transform
development for facilities management.
facilities management.
— Organizations would have to coordinate across
— Hardware. Smartphones and tablets are
several functions to use AR effectively.
dominant in the hardware market, while wearables
are still in low levels of market penetration. — Companies should work with partners that
are actively engaged with AR providers and
— Content source. Information is limited to content
pilot technology when the market is ready with
pulled from maintenance manuals and through
a solution.
user interaction. Content sources from devices
based in the IoT are also in the early stages
Factors to evaluate if now is the right time to
and would ideally be enhanced further by data
implement AR:
collected from IoT sensors.
— Market support: Has the service supply chain
— Interaction. Information can be visual,
of hardware, software, and content been
instructive, or interactive. Technologies are
established?
developing across all areas, but visualization is
currently the most mature. — IT infrastructure: Has IT infrastructure been
developed to support AR on a few controlled
— Mapping. While mapping is still limited to spatial
applications?
tracking, marker-based and shape-imposition
technologies are being developed. — ROI: Does technology have a good ROI when
considering technician time, number of visits,
— Software development kit (SDK). SDKs are well
safety, and ease of process use?
developed for consumer applications such as
gaming but are still in the early stages for facility — Workforce skill level: Is the current workforce
management applications. sufficiently technology savvy?

PROCUREMENT
Actions companies can take now Assess the organizational maturity and
Facilities management leaders can’t simply flip a capabilities needed to manage vendors and
switch to harness these trends. Some companies support digital technologies
will need to adjust their strategy, organizational Capabilities, both from a relationship and content
capabilities, and culture. And considering that a few standpoint, are important. Vendor relationships
of these trends are still in their infancy, executives can be built by acting on stakeholder satisfaction
should focus on laying the foundation. Several surveys, organizing joint meetings with suppliers,
actions can help. and managing supplier performance as a team.
Organizations can develop content-based
Elevate facilities management to a C-level capabilities by introducing supplier-led training
priority (with a focus on COO/CFO engagement) on digital technologies and investing in external
Many industries have traditionally kept facilities expert trainings. For instance, a client set up
management on the back burner, but this category a meeting cadence between suppliers and
can be a gold mine of savings. One company, for stakeholders to identify and address issues
example, was under pressure to reduce costs, but every quarter.
the procurement team was skeptical of addressing
facilities management because of sensitivities Build the business case for investment in
within the organization. The indirect procurement selected trends
team asked for support from the CPO and COO to Companies can support the adoption of emerging
back a transformation of facilities management, technologies by doing controlled pilots. Projects
and this support created an actionable pipeline of that apply AR to simple tasks and experiment
savings for the next three years. with the IoT can get the organization acclimated
to technology. Successful pilots can provide the
Establish a cross-functional team business case for scaling; a similar rationale can
True cross-functional collaboration between be used for opportunities to integrate robots. The
procurement and operations is required to create hotel industry, for example, is adopting robots for
sustainable impact. Companies should form a bell service and housekeeping through pilots in
team that includes the COO, CIO, a facilities- certain hotels.
management leader, a strategic-sourcing leader
(for facilities management or innovation), and a Partner with IFMs, and set up a robust
project–management office leader, among others. governance mechanism
Without alignment, facility-management initiatives A company can view IFM suppliers as a partner to
face a difficult path. One company’s procurement achieve savings and manage portfolio, but it must
team identified savings during the RFP process and first establish a robust governance mechanism
moved to adopt integrated facilities management, to maintain trust with suppliers. A regular auditing
but some stakeholders were not on board. During cadence can ensure that any savings are contributing
implementation, an operations team found that to the bottom line. In addition, companies should
the prescribed specifications were not aligned make decisions collaboratively with IFMs on
with its equipment. Within a few months, the IFM topics such as specification standardization and
contract was nullified after disagreement between computerized maintenance management system
procurement and operations. In another company, (CMMS) technology. At one manufacturer, a factory
procurement leaders were adamant about pursuing manager set up a regular auditing cadence to
IFM. Although it was the right strategy, they first review IFM initiatives with the finance team to ensure
sought to gain alignment and support from the that savings flowed to the bottom line.
operations team before the process kicked off.

Design an implementation road map Traditionally overlooked, facilities management
Companies should develop a comprehensive, long- is on the cusp of disruption. Companies that
term category strategy to incorporate all facilities- track emerging trends and invest in the right
management trends. A sequencing exercise can help organizational capabilities will be well positioned
companies prioritize initiatives. Since technologies to reduce costs and increase the impact of their
will continue to evolve, facilities management leaders facilities-management spending.
should establish a regular strategy review process of
all categories to refine and hone their vision.
Stefon Burns is an associate partner in McKinsey’s New York office, Ella Burroughes is an associate partner in the London
office, Steve Hoffman is a partner in the Chicago office, and Alexander Merklein is an associate partner in the Vienna office.

TECH
The end of IT?

Retailers who want to stay ahead of the pack and drive
business results through technology innovation are rethinking the
setup of their IT departments.
by Marcus Keutel, Gautam Lunawat, and Markus Schmid
© julief514/Getty Images

“The IT is the problem—as usual!” This complaint and innovate aggressively. Over the last few years,
is a constant refrain whenever retailers with leading retailers such as Walmart, Tesco, Kroger,
brick-and-mortar beginnings realize that and John Lewis have significantly boosted their
desired process improvements or (tech) product technology investments in response. However, many
innovations will be delayed, must take a different retailers still continue to devote less than 1.5 percent
form than planned, or won’t be realized at of revenue to developing their technology assets.
all. Usually this statement is true and false in
equal measure. It’s true because today nearly While higher investment is essential, stationary
every change a retailer might make depends on retailers cannot close the gap to the industry’s
technological solutions—and they often fall below technology leaders by simply throwing more money
expectations. But it’s false as well because the on the table. Choosing the right digital model and
business side often is the root cause. In fact, a joint continuously developing it in a test-and-learn
study by Oxford University and McKinsey of more process are far more important. The company must
than 5,000 IT projects identified three reasons build a modern technology organization supporting
behind most failures: inadequate management the delivery of the best business results. In the end,
of the many people involved, investment that transforming mind-sets, capabilities, and ways of
is not aligned to business needs, and a lack of working is critical not only in classical IT areas such
transparency regarding the project portfolio. as application development and infrastructure
but also in core commercial divisions like sales,
merchandising, supply chain, and marketing.
The biggest stumbling block:
Silo structures
Invisible trenches between the IT department Paths to a modern technology
and the rest of the company constitute one of organization
the main reasons why brick-and-mortar retailers When it comes to organizing IT, stationary retailers
often struggle far more with technology than might look to digital pioneers such as Amazon or
their digitally grown counterparts. Many decision Zalando. They are good role models based on one
makers in traditional companies still see IT as an organizational commitment in particular: for them,
administrative function positioned somewhere joint responsibility for commercial processes and
below the CFO, far away from the operative technology development has always been the rule.
business owners. IT departments like this tend
to be places where countless people toil on large Retailers can consider this basic idea and optimize
monolithic projects and political criteria rather than their technological performance in six steps:
arguments that help determine how resources
are allocated. Business-side practitioners and 1. Entrust responsibility to small, effective
developers seldom share ideas directly. As a result, product teams
this type of IT function is generally unattractive The modern technology organization is not
for digital talents, and commercially successful a large IT department organized by systems
retailers often struggle to build the internal anymore. Instead, small teams of developers
technology competence that they need. provide technical support for specific business
processes, known as “products.” For example,
The technological shortcomings that result from individual teams could be built around various
this silo structure can threaten retailers’ very products, such as assortment planning (in
existence—especially as the demands they face sales or purchasing), promotions and pricing
multiply dramatically in the age of digitization, and (marketing), or inventory management (supply
the digital disruptors like Amazon continue to invest chain). The individual products are defined
The end of IT? 95

TECH
at such a granular level that a small team of teams, shows just how differentiated the new
developers can support the process from structure can be (Exhibit 1).
beginning to end. This approach obviously
enables “tearing down the walls” between 2. Set up “tech chapters” as new structures
business and IT. The granular structure also within IT
creates an opportunity to connect each of The establishment of product teams usually
these products and development teams requires a change of the classical IT structures
with a counterpart from the business. This with leaders at the division, department, and
type of connection typically increases the team levels. One option that is currently used
effectiveness of the product teams. Thanks by many companies is to replace the classical
to their cross-functional staff, such teams can structure with so-called “tech chapters” that
drive further manage the professional development of
McK Retail compendium 2020 development independently and
be measured against the concrete business employees in the product teams and recruit new
End of IT
results of their work. An overview from one tech specialists. Typically, chapter leads do not
Exhibit 1 of 2
retailer, which has been transforming toward influence the content of product development
such a structure with approximately 90 product (the “what”). They focus on the methodology and
Exhibit 1
The end of centralized IT: small, effective product teams handle technological development in
each business unit.
Allocation of product teams to a retailer’s commercial units
1st level 2nd level Allocated IT product teams (selected)
Customer Acquisition
Product search and advising Product presentation Electronic price display
Recommendation engine Web landing pages
Checkout
Product search Product configurator
Service
Loyalty
Products and services Assortment management

Pricing
Sales forecasts Order management
Supplier management
Demand planning Availability management
Inventory management Replenishment Stocktaking
Supply chain Warehousing

Transport
Service fulfillment
Support Finance
IT security Identity management
HR
Data warehousing and User support
IT platform reporting Development support
Analytics

technology (the “how”). In large IT organizations team has its own set of KPIs linked to business
(1,000 employees and more) retailers typically performance. This ensures that developers are
break up the tech chapters, as otherwise the incentivized in the same way as their colleagues
resulting organizational units would become in the corresponding business area. For the
too big and thereby the responsibilities would marketing team, for example, a KPI could be
become unclear. One possibility is to break transaction cost per website visitor, for the
the tech chapters into domains. For example, search team, the share of search results that
one doman, titled “customer,” focuses on all result in a purchase, for the recommendation
customer-facing products. This is an effective team, sales due to recommendations. By setting
way to create meaningful groups of employees targets for indicators like these, retailers ensure
that benefit the most from knowledge sharing. that the team’s objectives are in line with those
of the company as a whole. The KPIs themselves
3. Assign product ownership to the business are not new, but using them to explicitly evaluate
Instead of throwing requirements from the the content of technology development inspires
business over the wall to the IT department, in a much stronger commitment to them—they
this model each product team has a product essentially become the currency that product
owner in one of the business divisions, such as teams use to both prioritize their activities and
purchasing, sales, or finance. He or she leads demonstrate their usefulness.
the content of the team’s work and, in contrast to
most of today’s models, is not limited to defining 5. Add sponsors at the top management level
requirements. They determine what their teams Ideally, each business division will have a sponsor
work on and initiate the development of further on the executive board whose involvement
technological solutions that can improve the includes setting priorities for his or her area. This
company’s performance in their respective close connection to top management helps
business area. In concrete terms, this means that resolve cross-divisional conflicts regarding
the head of sales, for example, is responsible development priorities early on and reduce the
for the checkout product team or the head of need for coordination at the expert level. Another
purchasing has responsibility for the demand welcome side effect: technological questions
planning/forecasting product team. Product and their prioritization become consequential
owners work with their product teams using not only for product owners but for nearly every
agile methods. In such a modern technology manager in the company.
organization, product teams and tech chapters
work together as needed: product owners 6. Implement a state-of-the-art tech stack
directly drive development with a business mind- To realize the maximum benefit from such
set, while chapter leads contribute technological a transformation, it is crucial to enable the
know-how (Exhibit 2). product teams by reviewing and updating the
tech stack in the company. Typically, the result
4. Specify KPIs as standards of success for is a rather intensive modernization with a higher
each team degree of modularization. To ensure scalability
Binding KPIs let product owners and their teams and allow for rapid change, a shift to cloud
know how their performance is measured and platforms and SaaS solutions is inevitable.
where it needs to improve. Digital retailers have Further, most companies are working on
long used this approach to steer their teams: breaking up their monolithic architecture and
instead of a single target for everyone based on moving to microservices with a clear API-first
an indicator like overall sales development, each strategy. This will at the same time decrease
The end of IT? 97

End of IT
Exhibit 2 of 2
TECH
Exhibit 2
The technology-driven organization lives from the close interplay between product owners,
which determine “what” development will entail, and the tech chapters, which determine “how”
it will be done.
Target structure of a technology–based retail company, illustrative example
Product teams Product owner Product owner Product owner
Tech chapter Agile coach
UX¹ designer
Architect
Developer
...
1
User experience.
the need for manual operations and pave New organization, new challenges
the way to migrate to a DevOps setup, where Tearing down the walls between business and IT by
most product teams are responsible not implementing the transformation steps described
only for developing their products but also for here can unleash vast potential. Experience shows
running them. that the resulting setup enables companies to
develop and use new technologies much more
In general, we see two alternatives for how efficiently (see sidebar, “Suddenly fast and reliable:
companies have implemented a modern How two retailers benefit from restructuring their
technology organization: IT setup”). At the same time, it frees the classical
IT function to focus exclusively on cross-cutting
“Big bang” refers to changing the full setup all at technology topics. Central-expert teams therefore
once. This approach has the advantage of a short coexist alongside the tech-chapter leads to
implementation timeline; however, it also requires a make decisions on system architecture, ensure
huge amount of preparation and bears a high risk of data security, and manage relationships with
disrupting daily operations. major technology partners. Responsibility for
infrastructure, such as cloud computing and data
“Step by step” starts with selected domains and pipes, is another overarching concern that is an
is followed by a sequential roll out. This approach important enabler function.
enables a test-and-learn environment and provides
enough time for the affected employees from the Demands on the CTO as the organization’s ultimate
business functions to understand and adapt to the technology authority increase as well. The new
required changes. In most cases the step-by-step model requires far greater business foresight,
approach will be the preferred choice. since the CTO must provide the right impetus for

Suddenly fast and reliable: How two retailers benefit from restructuring their IT setup
The experiences of two European retailers technical solution for deliveries to prioritizing requirements when their
show the potential that reorganizing end customers—from the online shop responsibility expanded from
technology structures can set free: to the management of merchandise, simply operating solutions to shaping
inventories, and the delivery fleet— them as well. At the same time, this
— After making the organizational within ten months. The solution went put the responsibility of deciding on
changes, a housewares retailer was live on schedule as a result. potential benefits and costs in one
able to complete an order-management place—an important prerequisite for
module, which had fallen months In both cases, the key to success was making technology decisions from
behind schedule, within budget and in entrusting operational decision makers a business perspective.
less than two months. from the business with the product owner
role working with their product teams.
— A food retailer using the new structure It quickly became clear that they could
managed to develop an entire be far more targeted in identifying and
potential digitization initiatives in the organization. Key takeaways

Doing so requires not only a person with 1. For many traditional retailers, digitization
outstanding capabilities but also one positioned and the shift towards omnichannel requires a
at eye level with the other business unit leaders change from a classical IT function to a modern
and top managers. That’s why retailers that move technology organization.
towards this structure often decide to make the
CTO a board-level role. 2. Effective technological development requires
many small teams who are responsible for
The changes laid out here are immense: supporting individual business processes
decades-old structures disappear, hundreds of (products) end to end.
employees must learn new ways of working, and
3. Connecting development teams to the business
many managers on the business side become
divisions responsible for the business process in
responsible for technology development.
question, including connected KPIs, tears down
Implementing this takes time. Companies may
the walls between business and IT—business
be able to set up business-led product teams
and IT have to create impact together.
in a matter of months, but fully learning the
corresponding new behaviors and ways of working
can take years. Transformation toward modern
technology organizations will only be successful if
the top management team wholeheartedly stands
behind the journey. Transforming from a classical IT
department to a modern technology organization
can be a radical step, but taking it can mean the
difference between a retailer struggling to survive
and one that translates digitization into genuine
business success.
Marcus Keutel is a partner in McKinsey’s Cologne office, Gautam Lunawat is a partner in the Silicon Valley office, and
Markus Schmid is a partner in the Munich office.
The end of IT? 99

This McKinsey Practice Publication meets the Forest
Stewardship Council® (FSC®) chain-of-custody
standards. The paper used in this publication is certified
as being produced in an environmentally responsible,
socially beneficial, and economically viable way.
Printed in the United States of America
January 2020
Copyright © McKinsey & Company
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Future of retail

This publication is not intended to

No part of this publication may be

11 Smarter schedules, better budgets: How to improve

As omnichannel shopping is becoming the new norm,

38 Better service with population

50 Automation in logistics: Big opportunity, bigger

62 Next–generation supply chain—transforming your

76 Rethinking procurement in retail

82 Six emerging trends in facilities management

2 Future of retail operations: Winning in a digital era January 2020

Store operations Supply chain Procurement

Information technology (IT)

In procurement, we explore the unrealized opportunity in indirect spending—spend on goods or

Praveen Adhi Karl-Hendrik Magnus Frank Sänger

4 Future of retail operations: Winning in a digital era January 2020

The evolving consumer journey

Several new technologies have reached

6 Future of retail operations: Winning in a digital era January 2020

The consumer’s journey is evolving.

The associate’s journey is also changing.

New tools improve retail jobs

8 Future of retail operations: Winning in a digital era January 2020

Technology will likely double store profitability.

Current Labor In-store labor Inventory Back-office Customer Future EBIT

Copyright © 2020 McKinsey & Company. All rights reserved.

10 Future of retail operations: Winning in a digital era January 2020

by Sebastien Calais, Andrew Davis, Daniel Läubli, and Bill Mutell

Smarter schedules, better budgets: How to improve store operations 11

12 Future of retail operations: Winning in a digital era January 2020

Smarter schedules, better budgets: How to improve store operations 13

also acknowledging each store’s unique context. In Implementation and rollout

Time for activity Standard time Store–specific time driver Quantity

14 Future of retail operations: Winning in a digital era January 2020

One retailer’s results: Lower labor costs, better store managers

Copyright © 2020 McKinsey & Company. All rights reserved.

Smarter schedules, better budgets: How to improve store operations 15

Bending the cost

by Praveen Adhi, Vishwa Chandra, Karl-Hendrik Magnus, and Aneliya Valkova

© Noel Hendrickson/Getty Images

16 Future of retail operations: Winning in a digital era January 2020

Bending the cost curve in brick-and-mortar retail 17

To remain viable in this

18 Future of retail operations: Winning in a digital era January 2020

Cross-functional collaboration to understand total cost of handling can lead to a host of

Bending the cost curve in brick-and-mortar retail 19

Governance and executive alignment Cost transparency

20 Future of retail operations: Winning in a digital era January 2020

Once the data are assembled, sophisticated data

Key performance indicators and

Copyright © 2020 McKinsey & Company. All rights reserved.

Bending the cost curve in brick-and-mortar retail 21

Supply chain of the

22 Future of retail operations: Winning in a digital era January 2020

Traditional supply chain networks are

McKinsey on Retail 2019

Starting point to design an omnichannel

The supply chain’s backbone— Key information flow capabilities

Operating model and change Omnichannel fulfillment: Node