Digital transformation for a top 10 UK retailer

Key Challenges

Our Approach

The Results

This top 10 UK retailer has committed to delivering a world-class customer experience through its stores and online.

However, it operated siloed operations for each channel. This meant, for example, that digital collateral was not always considered when offline marketing campaigns were conceived.

The retailer felt a new operating model for the customer-facing aspects of the business could improve efficiency, productivity and agility; all of which would ultimately benefit its customers.

Practicology led a three-month project to define a future operating model for approximately 500 staff members in functions including: marketing, ecommerce, omnichannel development, buying & merchandising, store merchandising, loyalty and customer insight.

We surfaced, at a detailed level, current ways of working and highlighted inefficiencies. 10 workshops and 80 one-to-one interviews were conducted.

Cross-functional workshops allowed us to map key end-to end processes, while "in-function" workshops gave an overview of how teams worked.Interviews with individuals provided a clearer understanding of their roles and processes.

We then delivered recommendations on how to improve processes to achieve the retailer's omnichannel goals through 10 development roadmaps. They covered organisational design, budget allocation, accountability, insight-driven decision-making and additional skills required.

Within months of presenting our recommendations, one roadmap has already been implemented, and we are actively engaged with the retailer to implement another four.

Trading and marketing functions have been integrated under a Trading Director, with responsibility for the commercial performance of both stores and online. Marketing and communications functions have been aligned to ensure that every customer touchpoint is considered when creating campaigns.

To raise standards and adhere to best practice, the ecommerce team has adopted a structure with specialists in areas such as CX, analytics and digital marketing. We have also rolled-out a learning and development programme, to further improve digital skills across the business.