Case study
Confidential client
Technology Implementation
The client organisation is not named. A confidentiality agreement prevents publication of the company name, individual identities, and commercially sensitive working papers. Sector, size, location, scope, and measured results are published with the client’s permission.
- Sector
- Specialty retail
- Size
- SME, six stores, about 80 staff
- Location
- Singapore
- Engagement
- Q1–Q3 2023 · 16 weeks, operating-model design through go-live
Initial problem and baseline
Core store operations were still largely manual. Cost sat in overtime, stock loss, and admin, and leadership had no single view of the week.
Store operations ran on three disconnected tools plus spreadsheets. In-scope operating cost (overtime, stock loss, and third-party admin) averaged 31.0% of sales over the prior quarter. Cycle counts were manual twice a month, and managers could not see store-level stock or labour until month-end.
Work performed
- Defined the target store operating model: receiving, cycle count, replenishment, and week-end close.
- Compared fit-for-purpose inventory and POS options against that model; recommended one stack for six stores.
- Configured receiving, stock, and labour views; retired two legacy tools and the shadow spreadsheets.
- Trained store managers and floor leads; shadowed the first two week-end closes.
- Set a 12-week cost dashboard so finance and operations reviewed the same in-scope lines.
Deliverables
- Current-state systems map and in-scope cost baseline.
- Target operating model and technology recommendation paper.
- Configured inventory and POS environment for six stores.
- Store playbooks for receiving, cycle count, and week-end close.
- Training records and a 90-day post-go-live cost pack.
Results
Before and after
| Measure | Baseline | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-scope operating cost / sales | 31.0% | 22.3% | u221228% |
| Systems in daily use | 3 tools + spreadsheets | 1 inventory + POS stack | Consolidated |
| Stock count cadence | Twice monthly, manual | Weekly cycle count | In-week visibility |
How this was measured. Operating cost is the in-scope P&L lines agreed at kickoff: overtime, stock loss (shrink), and third-party admin. Rent and cost of goods are excluded. Baseline is the quarter before implementation. Result is the quarter after go-live, same six stores, same calendar-length window. The 28% figure is the change in that cost-to-sales ratio, not total company overhead.
They treated technology as an operating decision, not a shopping list. We implemented less — and got more of it adopted.
