Co-innovation at Mercadona: a radically different and unique innovation model in the retail sector

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to describe through an exploratory case study how the leading retailing company in Spain, Mercadona has been able to generate a set of dynamic capabilities – detection, absorption, integration and innovation – that support an original and unique innovation model in the retail sector. This model drives to higher rates of successful product innovation, a constant updating of its range of products according to the ever-changing consumers’ needs and outstanding results in terms of reputation and customer loyalty. Thanks to a sustained investment in product innovation and supported by solid theoretical frameworks such as Dynamic Capabilities and Open Innovation Mercadona has been able to develop this pioneering model which could be an interesting benchmark for the industry as well as stimulate future research regarding retailers’ role and involvement in product innovation. Corresponding author: Miguel Blanco-Callejo Email addresses for the corresponding author: miguel.blanco@urjc.es First submission received: 14th March 2018 Revised submission received: 5th February 2019 Accepted: 13th April 2019 Introduction Retail companies face an extremely dynamic environment because customers’ needs, and preferences are changing at an increasingly rapid pace. Given the fact that retailers traditionally just connect suppliers’ offer and final consumers’ demand, they do not invest enough in product innovation and they assign this job and cost to their suppliers. Mercadona, a Spanish family-run retailer operating with a sole format – around 1,500 m2 strategically located urban supermarkets – has become the leading company in the national market as well as an international benchmark due to its outstanding results (Silverstein; Bolden; Jacobsen and Sajdeh, 2015). Mercadona has a share of 16.5% of the total retail distribution space (Alimarket, 2016) and a market share in 2017 of 23.6% (Kantar World Panel, 2017). In 2016, the company had a turnover of 21,623 million and a Net Profit of 636 million € (Mercadona, 2017). This firm has broken away from the industry's traditional approach by investing heavily in product innovation with the strategic goal of being unique and differentiating its range of products. The result has been a new “Co-innovation” model, based on solid theoretical foundations such as Open Innovation and Dynamic Capabilities. Literature Review Open innovation is a key factor in organizations’ growth and sustainability (Chesbrough, 2006; West 2016). In the economy of experience (Pine and Gilmore, 1999), the competitive environment makes necessary for innovation to become a tool for structuring a complex business ecosystem, in which stakeholders are increasingly interconnected and interdependent. Consumers’ involvement in the product innovation process increases emotions that affect its perceived value (Franke; Keinz and Steger, 2009; Lee and Chang, 2011). Special key players in this innovation process are “lead users”, advanced users & consumers that clearly express their products’ preferences, with which they are completely familiar and Journal of Business and Retail Management Research (JBRMR), Vol. 13 Issue 4 July 2019 www.jbrmr.com A Journal of the Academy of Business and Retail Management (ABRM) 327 have enormous potential for offering opinions on how to improve them (Von Hippel, 1986; Franke et al., 2009). From a practical perspective, one of the initiatives in which user participation experiences are being developed are the "living labs". These are experimental spaces in which organizations, by providing the infrastructure and regulating mechanisms, can capture users’ opinions developing and validating products and services jointly. These labs promote research in the context in which products and services are used, discover unexpected uses for products & services and therefore new opportunities, involve users as co-creators, evaluate and validate new solutions with users and, finally provide technical evaluations in real or almost real contexts (Folstad, 2008). This collaborative and repetitive interaction between consumers and companies generates organizational routines (Nelson and Winter, 1982) that according to the Resource-Based-View of the firm (Barney, 1991) explain the development of dynamic capabilities (Teece; Pisano and Shuen, 1997). A dynamic capability is a learned and stable pattern of collective activity, through which the organization is capable of generating and constantly changing its operating routines, in the search for increased efficiency (Woiscehyn and Dallenbach, 2005). For Hu (2012), there are four basic components of dynamic capabilities. First, the capability of detection, as the ability to detect the environment and understand customer needs better than competitors (Amit and Schoemaker, 1993). Second, the capability of absorption, which refers to the ability to recognize the value of something new, assimilate the information and apply it for commercial purposes (Cohen and Levinthal, 1990). Third, the capability of integration, which is the ability to integrate different patterns of interaction through contribution, representation and interrelation (Okhuysen and Eisenhardt, 2002) and, finally the capability of innovation, which is the ability to develop new products and markets by coordinating strategic targets; with innovating behavior and processes (Lazonick and Prencipe, 2005). Research Methodology In order to observe dynamic capabilities development as well as the initiatives implemented within the economy of experience and open innovation frameworks, this paper uses an exploratory case study as its research methodology. Academic literature suggests that methodology's choice is contingent on the problems and questions studied as well as the development of the area of knowledge (Eisenhardt, 1989; Yin, 1994; Hancock and Algozzine, 2015). A single case study seems suitable to develop this research since it satisfies Yin’s (1994) basic premises. First, the researcher aims to test a theory that specifies a set of results in a situation and an organization where this situation has been identified. Second, the researcher aims to analyze some features of an extreme, rare or extraordinary situation in which the organization is found, the methodology can be employed to compare and contrast. Third, this methodology can be used to analyze an organization or situation that has not been frequently studied and can expect to apprehend something new and important. Hence, Mercadona has implemented a radically new strategic approach regarding product innovation in retailing that has made the firm unique in the way it has developed and configured its model which is contributing to its leadership in the industry. Findings/Results: Case-study Analysis Mercadona’s Management Model One of Mercadona’s key features is the fact that, through its Total Quality Management Model (TQM) (Blanco and Gutierrez, 2008), it strives to avoid appearing as a mere distributor, but rather as a total shopping prescriber (totaller) (Mercadona, 2007; Silverstein et al., 2015). Its corporate mission is “being a prescriber of the solutions required by customers – internally called “bosses (jefes)” – to manufacture all their purchases” (Mercadona, 2010 2017). This means that Mercadona chooses a range of products and plays the role of "prescriber" between suppliers and customers recommending and guaranteeing purchasing to cover the total – (totaller) – of all its customers’ real needs in food, beverages, hygiene & personal care, household cleaning products and pet food. Each one of Mercadona’s stores has approximately 8,000 Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) provided by “chosen specialist suppliers”. Its value proposition is providing the best range of top quality prescribed products at the very best possible price (based on the principle of Always Low Prices) allowing customers Journal of Business and Retail Management Research (JBRMR), Vol. 13 Issue 4 July 2019 www.jbrmr.com A Journal of the Academy of Business and Retail Management (ABRM) 328 to fill their “shopping trolley” – with the best value for money on the market – (Mercadona, 2011). Customers’ acceptance of the range requires maintaining a close relationship connecting with them as well as the development of a series of Dynamic Capabilities – detection, absorption, integration and innovation – that enable Mercadona to adapt constantly its products’ range to their ever-changing needs. This objective, consistent with its TQM model (Blanco and Gutiérrez, 2008), requires the efforts and work of employees and suppliers and a commitment towards “leveraged” innovation & investment that empowers Mercadona to anticipate changes in consumption habits and new customer needs (Mercadona, 2012). Innovation at Mercadona is measured in terms of value added, which is defined as: “anything that fulfills a customer’s need and provides a solution” (Mercadona, 2009:33). Regarding innovation, in 2011, its approach took a strategic turn to define its own “differential” model breaking away from the traditional method where the suppliers invest in product research and development (R&D) and propose new products to retailers’ product selection departments (Almenar, 2016). Mercadona’s innovation model directly involves its customers in the product innovation process as well as in the definition of its products’ range (Figure 1). The final objective of this model was to be able to receive and capture what customers really demand to adapt and offer solutions that meet their real needs “delighting and surprising” them (Silverstein et al., 2015:172). Figure 1. Mercadona’s model vs. Retailers’ Traditional Model Source: Mercadona (2017) Mercadona’s product innovation model is based on “R&D + Innovation, supported by leveraged investment – required for achieving results from innovation –” (R&D+ double “i”) (Mercadona, 2010). Under this paradigm, it has developed its strategical pr