Deloitte’s 2026 Outlook: What It Means for Ops
From scale and optimisation to focus, agility, and operational efficiency
Consumer goods companies are entering a new operating reality.
According to Deloitte’s 2026 Consumer Products Outlook, the assumptions that shaped CPG operating models for decades, scale, breadth, global optimisation, are being fundamentally challenged.
Deglobalisation, AI, cost pressure, and shifting consumer expectations are forcing leadership teams to ask a harder question:
Is our operating model actually built for the world we’re now in?
Below, we translate Deloitte’s key provocations into practical implications for operations — supply chain, teams, processes, systems, and metrics.
1. Consumer value is now an Ops problem
Keywords: consumer value, cost-to-serve, operational efficiency, pricing strategy
Nearly half of global consumers now identify as “value seekers”. This goes beyond inflation. Consumer behaviour has fundamentally changed.
From an operations perspective, value is no longer created primarily through marketing or pricing tactics. It is engineered through the operating model.
What this means for ops:
Cost-to-serve visibility by SKU, channel, and geography
Pricing decisions grounded in operational reality, not just margin targets
Faster feedback loops between consumer insight and operational investment
Active reallocation of spend away from activities consumers don’t perceive as value
Operational takeaway: If your cost base and processes aren’t aligned with what customers value, margin pressure is inevitable.
2. Nimble beats optimal in an unstable world
Keywords: supply chain agility, deglobalisation, operational resilience, decentralised teams
Deloitte highlights a decisive shift away from over-optimised global supply chains.
In a world shaped by trade policy volatility, geopolitical risk, and climate disruption, efficiency without flexibility are no longer sustainable.
Operational implications:
Scenario-based planning instead of single-number forecasts
Modular supply chains that can flex geographically
Shorter decision cycles and clearer local decision rights
Processes designed to handle exceptions, not just steady state
This also affects team design:
More decentralised operating structures
Less consensus-driven decision-making
Clear accountability closer to the market
Operational takeaway: Agility means you can adjust without everything unraveling.
3. Focus beats breadth as complexity gets expensive
Keywords: SKU rationalisation, portfolio focus, operational simplicity, supply chain cost
As supply chains shorten and costs rise, breadth becomes expensive.
Deloitte observes a shift toward:
Category focus
Portfolio simplification
SKU rationalisation
Faster innovation cycles
From an operations standpoint, focus delivers:
Lower planning complexity
Fewer supply chain nodes
Shorter lead times
Clearer performance signals
Faster decision-making
Operational takeaway: A tighter portfolio makes everything else simpler.
4. Simpler structures enable faster execution
Keywords: operating model, OKRs, organisational design, process simplification
Complex organisational structures slow execution and diffuse accountability.
Deloitte’s emphasis on simplification translates operationally into:
Flatter structures
End-to-end process ownership
Fewer handovers between teams
Clear decision rights
This only works if priorities are explicit.
From an ops perspective:
OKRs become essential
Legacy processes and data must be actively retired
AI only delivers value if the underlying structure is coherent
Operational takeaway: Clarity beats consensus. Simplicity beats sophistication.
5. Growth is decoupling from headcount
Keywords: productivity, revenue per FTE, lean operations, AI in operations
One of the clearest signals in Deloitte’s outlook: Growth is no longer expected to come with proportional hiring.
Operational implications:
Revenue per FTE becomes a core metric
Process automation is foundational
AI is embedded into workflows, not layered on top
Teams are designed to be lean by default
It’s about cutting work that shouldn’t exist in the first place.
Operational takeaway: The most scalable companies are operationally lean.
6. Value chains are being renegotiated
Keywords: retailer collaboration, joint planning, supply chain partnerships
As retailers gain power through private labels, data ownership, and retail media, CPG companies must collaborate differently.
From an operations lens, collaboration requires:
Shared planning processes
Integrated demand forecasting
Data interoperability
Joint cost-reduction initiatives
Clear governance models
The biggest barrier is misalignment.
Operational takeaway: The strongest value chains will operate as integrated systems, not negotiated silos.
7. AI-driven demand requires AI-ready operations
Keywords: AI supply chain, agentic commerce, inventory visibility, operational data
AI is transforming both supply and demand.
As consumers increasingly use AI for product discovery and purchasing, operations must support:
Real-time availability
Clean master data
Accurate inventory signals
Faster replenishment cycles
This makes data quality and system integration operationally critical, not technical nice-to-haves.
Operational takeaway: AI-driven demand exposes operational weaknesses instantly.
Conclusion: What This Means for The Ops Engine
Keywords: operating model design, operational backbone, scalable operations
Deloitte’s 2026 outlook sends a clear signal: Strategy is not the constraint, Operations are.
The next phase of consumer goods growth will not be unlocked by:
More SKUs
More people
More optimisation
It will be unlocked by:
Focused operating models
Lean, high-leverage teams
Anticipatory supply chains
Clear priorities and accountability
Systems that scale clarity, not complexity
At The Ops Engine, we design the operational backbone that allows companies to scale with focus, speed, and resilience, in a world where the rules keep changing (fast!).