Retailer impact
- Low awareness of relevant Metcash services
- Fragmented journeys between platforms
- Repeated onboarding and learning
- Higher chance of looking outside the ecosystem
Omnichannel Strategy · Brand ArchitectureFrom fragmented brands to
From fragmented brands to
a connected retailer ecosystem.
Designing a clearer brand and service architecture so retailers can discover relevant services, understand how they connect and move across the Metcash ecosystem with less friction.
Role · UX Strategy, Brand Architecture, Ecosystem Mapping & Omnichannel Planning
ECOSYSTEMB2B + B2C
TOUCHPOINTSPhysical + digital
DESIGN FOCUSBrand architecture + omnichannel
PROJECT STAGEStrategy + planning
How can multiple brands work together in one ecosystem?
Before proposing an experience model, we explored common ways organisations structure master brands, sub-brands, products and services.
Simple Definition
One master brand leads everything.
What It Means
A single parent brand is clearly visible across its products and services. Individual offerings may solve different needs, but customers can easily understand that they belong to the same organisation.
How It Works
- Shared master brand
- Consistent naming
- Common visual cues
- Shared reputation and trust
- Clear relationship between products
Best Suited For
Organisations that want customers to quickly recognise that multiple products or services belong to one connected ecosystem.
Example
Google Maps
Google Drive
Google Meet
Google PhotosProduct icons from Google’s official product directory. View official source ↗
Why This Example Fits
Each service has a different purpose, but the Google name makes the relationship between them immediately clear.
The question was not “Which model is best?”The real question was which structure could make the Metcash ecosystem easier for retailers to understand, while still allowing individual brands and services to keep the identity and flexibility they need.
Multiple brands. Multiple platforms. One unclear ecosystem.
A retailer could join one Metcash platform and still have limited awareness of related services across the wider ecosystem. This created experience friction for retailers and repeated operational effort for the business.
Business impact
- Repeated onboarding and training effort
- Duplicated communication and support
- Lower cross-service discoverability
- Disconnected perception of the wider Metcash offer
The challenge was not the absence of services. It was the absence of a clear relationship between them.
Mapping what already existed.
Before taking the problem into stakeholder workshops and customer research, we first needed our own working view of the ecosystem. We mapped the brands, platforms and services already in place, then looked at them through different lenses to understand where relationships were clear, where they overlapped and where questions remained.
Research artefact · Initial ecosystem mapping
Research artefact · Parent, brand and service relationships
Research artefact · B2C vs B2B lens
Research artefact · Physical vs digital lens
Research artefact · Sorted as a key B2B digital touchpoint
Customer relationship
B2C vs B2B. Who is the experience serving, and how does that change the relationship?
Channel
Physical vs digital. Where does the interaction happen, and where must continuity be maintained?
Ecosystem role
Brand vs platform vs service. What does the retailer need to understand, and what can stay behind the scenes?
These were working lenses, not final classifications. Their purpose was to help us ask better questions in the next stage.
The ecosystem was organised around businesses and platforms, not around the retailer journey.
The ecosystem had evolved over time. Different businesses and platforms were created by different teams, at different points in time, while others became part of Metcash through business growth and acquisition. Each solved a valid business need, but together they created a fragmented experience for retailers.
How the organisation sees the ecosystem
Brands, platforms, services and ownership structures.
- Metcash
- Business groups
ExamplesFood · Liquor · Grocery
- Key retailer-facing brands / platforms
ExamplesCampbells · ALM · Sorted
- Specialist platforms
ExamplesAskRoss · AskALM
- Supporting services
ExamplesMetpay · Metproms · Metproducts · Metanalytics
- Different teams & operational ownership
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Representative examples from the working ecosystem map.
Each part makes sense within its own business context.
Internal structure≠Customer mental modelDifferent ways of seeing the same ecosystem
How the retailer sees the ecosystem
The jobs they need to get done.
- Order stock
- “I need to place or manage an order.”
- Promote my business
- “I need promotions and marketing support.”
- Pay & manage accounts
- “I need to make payments or manage transactions.”
- Understand performance
- “I need reporting and analytics.”
- Get support
- “I need help when something goes wrong.”
- Discover other services
- “What else can Metcash help me with?”
Retailers should not need to understand Metcash’s internal structure to find the right service.
The opportunity was not to remove the complexity behind Metcash. It was to stop that complexity becoming the retailer’s problem.
Could one familiar digital touchpoint help connect the wider ecosystem?
During early planning, the business suggested Sorted as a potential starting point for a more connected retailer experience. This direction was influenced by Project Olympus, where Sorted had already been used as the preferred reference for aligning the experience across Supermarket, Campbells and ALM.
Why Sorted became the working hypothesis
Project Olympus
SortedShared referenceSupermarket + Campbells + ALM
Project Olympus had already established a precedent for using Sorted as a common experience reference across multiple retailer platforms. This gave the business a familiar foundation to build from.
What this meant for the omnichannel strategy
- Existing precedent
Sorted already had a shared reference role across multiple retailer platforms.
- Business direction
Explore whether that familiarity could support a wider connected retailer experience.
- Working hypothesis
Test Sorted as one possible entry point into the broader Metcash ecosystem.
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What still needed validation
- Is Sorted the right entry point for retailers?
- Which services should be discoverable from it?
- How should retailers move between brands and platforms?
These questions were intended to be validated through stakeholder workshops and customer research before confirming the final model.
Could a retailer enter through one familiar platform and still understand what else Metcash can do for them?
Sorted was a working hypothesis, not a validated final solution.
Two phases to move from complexity to a connected ecosystem.
We planned the work in two phases. Phase 1 focused on understanding and organising the existing ecosystem. Phase 2 focused on turning that foundation into a clearer brand, service and experience direction.
PHASE 1 · PLANNED
Determine the brand architecture model
Understand the current ecosystem, validate relationships and define a clearer structure.
Understand + organise
PHASE 2 · PLANNED
Brand strategy & identity development
Translate the agreed architecture into propositions, experience concepts, brand guidance and implementation support.
Translate + enable
Understand the ecosystem before redesigning it.
Phase 1 was planned to validate the current ecosystem with stakeholders and customers, then establish a clearer brand architecture model before moving into experience development.
Diagnosis, Audit, Insights & Engagement
Build a shared understanding of the current ecosystem, business goals, audiences and pain points.
Planned activities
- Stakeholder workshops
- Existing ecosystem audit
- Review existing research and strategy documents
- Understand retailer and customer needs
- Identify current pain points
- Understand service ownership
- Align on project goals
Brand Architecture Model
Use the findings from Stage 1 to define a clearer relationship between Metcash, business groups, brands, platforms and services.
Planned activities
- Map parent and child relationships
- Review brand, platform and service relationships
- Review B2B and B2C structure
- Build the ecosystem / tree diagram
- Explore suitable brand architecture models
- Review the proposed direction with stakeholders
Planned Phase 1 outputs
- Project kickoff / strategy summary
- Research analysis
- Stakeholder interview summary
- Current ecosystem map
- Proposed architecture / tree diagram
Turn a validated architecture into a usable brand and experience system.
Once the architecture was validated, Phase 2 was planned to translate that foundation into positioning, value propositions, experience concepts, brand guidance and implementation support.
Strategy01 · PLANNED 02 · PLANNED
Brand Platform Update
Define what each parent brand or group stands for and how its services connect to the wider ecosystem.
Planned activities may include
- naming relationships
- positioning
- brand attributes
- personality
- tone
Value Propositions
Clarify what each service is, who it serves and why it matters to retailers.
Planned activities may include
- audience / persona refinement
- needs and pain points
- service benefits
- value proposition structure
- supporting proof points
Creative03 · PLANNED 04 · PLANNED
Concept Development
Explore how the agreed strategy could translate into a clear visual and experience direction.
Planned activities may include
- moodboards
- colour
- typography
- imagery
- graphic language
Design Development
Stress-test the preferred direction through representative physical and digital applications.
Planned activities may include
- digital platform examples
- mobile / desktop applications
- representative customer journeys
- physical touchpoints
- cross-platform consistency
Implementation05 · PLANNED 06 · PLANNED
Brand Toolkit & Master Brand Assets
Prepare reusable guidance and assets to help teams apply the agreed direction consistently.
Planned outputs may include
- logo usage
- colour guidance
- typography
- imagery and graphic language
- application examples, dos and don’ts
Project Handover
Enable internal teams to understand and apply the strategy, guidelines and assets.
Planned activities may include
- handover session
- team walkthrough
- marketing and design engagement
- Q&A
- ownership clarification
Validate the architecture before shaping the experience.
The next step was to validate the proposed architecture through stakeholder workshops and customer research. Insights from that work would then shape the experience concepts, cross-platform journeys and implementation direction.
- NEXT STEP · 01
Stakeholder validation
Validate ownership, relationships and business priorities
- NEXT STEP · 02
Customer research
Understand retailer needs, expectations and mental models
- NEXT STEP · 03
Confirm architecture
Refine the ecosystem structure based on evidence
- NEXT STEP · 04
Move into Phase 2
Translate the agreed structure into brand and experience development
Explore the roadmap
Want to explore the full phase-by-phase plan?
View the detailed strategy deck to see the complete Phase 1 and Phase 2 roadmap, planned activities, deliverables and handover approach.
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- Phase 1
- Diagnosis, research & brand architecture
- Phase 2 · Strategy
- Brand platform & value propositions
- Phase 2 · Creative
- Concept & design development
- Phase 2 · Implementation
- Toolkit & handover
- Project stage
- Strategy + planning