Introduction
Leroy Merlin, a multinational retail company, continuously evolves its product collections to meet customer demands and stay aligned with industry trends and technology. This case study delves into the creation of a digital product aimed at streamlining Leroy Merlin's collection launches, a crucial aspect of their business.
The problem
The journey begins with a problem – one that many organizations face. Leroy Merlin's collection launch process lacked structure. It relied heavily on Excel spreadsheets and scattered information, leading to missed deadlines and inefficiencies.
The impacts were:
• There was no centralized source of information about upcoming collections.
• Calculating the optimal quantities for shelf displays became an arduous task.
• Implementation delays across regions were commonplace.
• Measuring the impact of collections without simultaneous nationwide launches was challenging.
The impacts were:
• There was no centralized source of information about upcoming collections.
• Calculating the optimal quantities for shelf displays became an arduous task.
• Implementation delays across regions were commonplace.
• Measuring the impact of collections without simultaneous nationwide launches was challenging.
Exploratory research
To understand the collection launch process, I conducted user interviews to uncover its details. I engaged with key stakeholders, including the Product Analysts responsible for curating collections, Store Managers tasked with creating appealing displays, and Supply Chain Analysts responsible for timely deliveries. This research used a semi-structured approach, and was guided by a well-structured plan.
Research
findings
findings
My conversations with these individuals revealed valuable insights about their part to play in the process:
• Product Analysts faced challenges in aligning restocking quantities with store demands.
• Store Managers lacked visibility into upcoming collections and struggled with validating quantities.
• Supply Chain Analysts struggled with accessing critical collection information for timely supplier orders.
• Product Analysts faced challenges in aligning restocking quantities with store demands.
• Store Managers lacked visibility into upcoming collections and struggled with validating quantities.
• Supply Chain Analysts struggled with accessing critical collection information for timely supplier orders.
Solution goals
With these findings in hand, the solution goals became clear. We aimed to enhance efficiency, meet deadlines consistently, and create a single, reliable source of information for collection launches. This would empower seamless coordination between the purchasing department, stores, and the supply chain for optimized sales outcomes.
Success Metrics
As we set out to design our solution, we also defined key success metrics to measure its impact:
Efficiency Improvement: We aimed to streamline the collection launch process, reducing the time required for planning and implementation by at least 30%.
Efficiency Improvement: We aimed to streamline the collection launch process, reducing the time required for planning and implementation by at least 30%.
Deadline Adherence: We sought to achieve a 80% on-time launch rate for collections across all country (Brazil).
Sales Growth: We targeted a 15% increase in sales for newly launched collections within the first quarter of implementation.
Process and flow mapping
The next phase involved visualizing the high-level stages of the process for each stakeholder. These visual representations laid the groundwork for system workflows and served as a catalyst for meaningful discussions with stakeholders.
Prototyping
Our solution took shape in the form of a module within the commercial planning platform, Placom. It was essential to ensure a minimal learning curve for users, so we adhered to the platform's existing visual identity and navigation patterns.
Product analyst access
Store manager access
Validation with Users
Before presenting the final design to stakeholders and handing it off to software engineers, we conducted remote usability tests. Users interacted with the prototype, providing invaluable feedback and insights.
This not only allowed us to further improve the solution but also helped us save on development efforts.
This not only allowed us to further improve the solution but also helped us save on development efforts.
Final design
The culmination of our efforts resulted in a powerful toolset:
For Product Analysts, a streamlined process to create events, register products, and set quantities.
For Store Managers, visibility into upcoming launches and the ability to adjust quantities.
For the completion of collection registration by the product analysts, a comprehensive overview and generation of product lists for the supply team.