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McKinsey Hard Customer Engagement Product Launch Growth Strategy

Customer engagement

#Retail chain #Retail #Consumer Goods

Texas-based supermarket chain Y-E-S saw a drop in their customer engagement in 2020-21 driven by the pandemic. The customer engagement didn't improve in 2022 after most pandemic-related restrictions …

CasesCoach Comment

This is a wild card case requiring candidates to develop a comprehensive framework for diagnosing and addressing customer engagement decline in a traditional supermarket chain with weak digital presence. The case tests ability to identify multiple engagement drivers (in-store experience, marketing channels, digital channels) and quantify opportunity from emerging channels like livestream commerce, while contextualizing findings within industry constraints.

Estimated Time 43 minutes
Difficulty Hard
Source PeterK
93 / 100
Texas-based supermarket chain Y-E-S saw a drop in their customer engagement in 2020-21 driven by the pandemic. The customer engagement didn’t improve in 2022 after most pandemic-related restrictions were lifted. The decreased customer engagement hurts Y-E-S’ brand perception, marketing efficiency, and financial results. They have approached your team to build a robust actionable strategy to boost their customer engagement. What areas would you investigate to help the client?

Clarifying Information

  1. Supermarket chain Y-E-S has 400 stores in Texas and Mexico and generates $22B in annual sales (2022)
  2. Y-E-S offers groceries and products across a wide variety of needs: beauty, pets, kids, health, home, and others
  3. Y-E-S is known for affordable prices, high quality, and convenient locations
  4. Y-E-S doesn’t enjoy a developed digital footprint (incl. online store, social media, online news)
  5. Y-E-S is perceived as local chain and Texans are proud of shopping at Y-E-S
Mock Interview
Interviewer

Texas-based supermarket chain Y-E-S saw a drop in their customer engagement in 2020-21 driven by the pandemic. The customer engagement didn't improve in 2022 after most pandemic-related restrictions were lifted. The decreased customer engagement hurts Y-E-S' brand perception, marketing efficiency, and financial results. They have approached your team to build a robust actionable strategy to boost their customer engagement. What areas would you investigate to help the client?

You

Thanks. Before analyzing, I'd like to clarify a few key questions...

Interviewer

Good question. Let me provide some background information...

You

Based on this, I suggest analyzing from these dimensions...

AI Score
Clarifying + Framework /5 Exhibits + Analysis /5 Brainstorm + Conclusion /5 Universal Skills /5
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AI Mock Interview

🤖 AI Summary: Y-E-S, a $22B supermarket chain in Texas/Mexico, experienced a pandemic-driven customer engagement decline that persisted post-reopening. The case asks candidates to investigate root causes and develop solutions, with an emphasis on understanding engagement metrics, the impact of low engagement on business performance, and evaluating emerging tactics like livestream commerce.

💡 Key Insights:

  1. Customer engagement is multifaceted and should be measured across shopping experience (NPS, visit frequency, basket size) and marketing channel interactions (social, email, loyalty programs)
  2. Livestream commerce is an emerging channel with $6M revenue potential over 2023-24 (30 events at $30k in 2023, 100 events at $50k in 2024), but represents negligible incremental revenue for a multi-billion dollar chain; its real value lies in brand buzz and community building
  3. Supermarket industry is traditionally tech-light with limited customer engagement levers, requiring creative solutions; generational differences demand tailored approaches (elderly/Gen X vs Gen Z digital natives)
  4. Root cause analysis should consider pandemic behavioral shifts (shift to online shopping, exposure to digital marketing) and competitive dynamics in a highly commoditized market where customer excitement provides differentiation

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