“BI systems are valuable to point out symptoms of process problems,” explains the Head of Digital Operations, “but they’re not as capable at diagnosing their root causes, which is critical to solving them.” Max Mara’s more expansive vision was the ability to take targeted action, based on hard data. While the team saw these methods as a necessary part of process optimization, they recognized it was just that: only a part. In assessing their options, Max Mara’s digital ops team considered traditional process redesign approaches that relied on business intelligence (BI) systems and frontline insights from business analysts, process owners and other stakeholders to get to the bottom of process flow issues. Process problems create bottlenecks, especially in the range of warehouse-based activities between picking-and-packing and shipping. “And during the seasonal spikes in sales we experience, those red zones get even redder.” “If you imagine a ‘heat map’ of potential process improvements, our reddest zone would be the Order-to-Cash cycle, from order processing to fulfillment, payment and customer service,” explains Max Mara’s Head of Digital Operations. As if crossing a threshold, Max Mara’s digital operations unit-established early in its digital transformation journey-recognized that the efficiency of its back-end operations would now have an even larger impact on customer satisfaction. In fact, over the course of the pandemic, the digital share of business volume nearly tripled. The embrace of digitalization and omnichannel marketing has been a huge part of the story.įor Max Mara, like many other companies, the pandemic’s arrival-and the changes in buying behavior it produced-accelerated a digital transformation that had already been underway. That’s the job of designers, product managers and others whose focus is bringing the right mix of products to market.īut there’s also another side of Max Mara’s business model that’s essential to keeping its clientele coming back: a satisfying buying experience, whether it’s through one of the company’s 10 brand-specific websites or its more than 2,300 brick and mortar stores around the world. Almost by definition in the fashion industry, keeping an eye on changing trends and tastes is de rigueur for Max Mara to stay relevant and stay true to its brand pledge.

Max mara