Investments in a ‘customer-centric’ supply chains have led to improved turnover and profit performance among businesses globally, according to a survey by Accenture.
A survey of 900 senior executives across nine industry sectors found that the average investment in supply chains made over the past two years was an average of $153 million (£121 million).
It also found that seven in ten (71%) of those surveyed said they had built supply chain strategies to deliver experiences linked to key customer value propositions, such as sustainability, data privacy/security and customised delivery and service.
Accenture performed a financial analysis of those surveyed which found that between and 2017-2019, those that had invested in supply chain strategies linked to customer experiences had outperformed those that had not.
Those that had made such investments had seen turnover grow by an average of 13% compared with an average revenue decline of 5% for those that had not made such investments.
Furthermore, the supply chain contribution to total turnover from those that had made ‘customer-centric’ supply chain investments was was triple that of those that had not (52% compared to 17%), while EBITDA was 2.5% higher.
Kris Timmermans, senior managing director and global supply chain and operations lead at Accenture, said: “The Covid-19 health crisis has brought to light the critical need for a resilient supply chain that produces and delivers all essential goods and services quickly, safely and securely.
“Companies have moved quickly to prioritise transparency and enable faster decision-making. Now they must double down on building more customer-centric, purposeful supply chains that will lead to growth as economies rebound.”
