How the Mack artisan bakery is using AI to significantly increase sales volumes and save on returns
Increased sales volume
fewer returns
Bread rolls saved
"Delicious Data offers us three key advantages. Firstly, it ensures optimum product availability. Thanks to precise settings, we can determine exactly which products should be available in our stores and for how long. This leads to an increase in sales."
"The art is to make something special out of simple food. For me, artisan bakery means handmade, traditional products. We make real food. Products that have the word life in them."
"Artificial intelligence can significantly reduce returns, especially in the long term, so that not so much has to be thrown away."
The aim of the collaboration with Delicious Data was to obtain automated order suggestions in order to reduce the workload on employees, fully exploit sales potential and optimize returns.
Corresponding AI systems have already been tested in the past, but they were not entirely convincing. The standard version of Delicious Data's order recommendation has been in use since 2022. Artificial intelligence is used to order all one-day and multi-day fresh products. Over the past six months, the long-term effects of the relevant metrics such as "change in sales volume" due to increased product availability, "optimized returns value" due to targeted returns management and the change in the volume of returns in general have been evaluated.
Thanks to the optimized ordering processes and the support of Delicious Data's AI, the Mack artisan bakery was able to achieve impressive results. The sales volume was increased by 5.9% across all product groups. At the same time, the returns rate was reduced by 3.33%. A particular focus was placed on good availability of sales drivers and strategically favorable returns in the peripheral product range without compromising the selection and product pressure.
The shift in availability and returns was particularly evident in the relevant group of bread rolls, where an increase in sales volume of over 8% was achieved and the returns rate was reduced by over 22% at the same time.
"With Delicious Data, we have generally managed to save several thousand rolls, especially in the bread & rolls area, which brings us into the tons range that we have practically saved, " explains Jais.
Another major advantage of the collaboration was the reduction in staff workload. "Personnel is a very valuable resource for the future. Thanks to the optimized ordering processes, we were able to achieve significant reductions in ordering costs for our employees in the stores," continues Jais.
The remarkable results show how the integration of AI-supported ordering processes has created significant added value for the Mack artisan bakery and at the same time improved sustainability by reducing returns.
Learn from best practice examples how AI and digitalisation contribute to process optimisation, sustainability, food waste reduction and returns optimisation in the food sector.
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Handwerksbäckerei Mack, an artisan bakery in Baden-Württemberg, operates 46 of its own specialist stores and over 25 sales outlets in the regional food retail trade (LEH). Founded in 1925, Handwerksbäckerei Mack today employs around 500 people in production, administration and sales. The traditional company relies on selected basic raw materials and genuine craftsmanship, which is practiced on a daily basis. These values have proven themselves over the decades and remain unchanged, even though the company has been modernized externally. Hans-Günther Mack, who is the third generation to run the company, sums up the philosophy of the successful company: "Think globally - act regionally."
