mckinsey -布局自主智能商务：瑞伟集团的人工智能转型之路 Preparing for agentic commerce REWEs AI transformation

June2026

Mckunsey

&company

RetailPractice

Preparingforagenticcommerce:REWE’sAItransformation

TheGermanretailandtourismgroup’schiefdigitalandtechnologyofficersaysAIis“themostfundamentalchangeinthewaywedobusinessin50years.”

Preparingforagenticcommerce:REWE’sAItransformation2

GermanretailandtourismcooperativeREWEoperatesthousandsofsupermarketsand

consumerstores,aswellastravelagencies,touroperators,andhotelbrandsacrossEurope.InthisconversationwithMcKinsey’sSebastianGatzerandSilviaAndre,REWE’schiefdigitalandtechnologyofficerChristophEltzediscussestheneedtoactearlyonAIandwhystrengtheninggovernance,skills,andleadershipbehaviorisasimportantasmanagingcustomer-facingrisks.Theinterviewhasbeeneditedforclarityandlength.

Q:HowisAIreshapingyourcompany’sstrategyandcompetitiveadvantagetoday?

ChristophEltze:First,itisimportanttoclarifythatwhenwesay“AI”weareencompassing

everythingthatweusedtocallanalytics.Forsimplicity,wetreatallstatisticalmethodsasAIsotheorganizationdoesn’thavetoworryaboutthespecificmethodology.Withthatdefinition,AIhasbeenreshapingourindustryformanyyears,butthepaceisacceleratingwithgenerative

andagenticAI.Tome,thisisthemostfundamentalchangeinthewaywedobusinessin50

years.ThebiggestreshapingeventinmybusinesscareerisAI,andthisholdstrueforeveryoneworkingtoday.Intermsofcompetitiveness,theanswerisclear:ifyouarenotafrontrunner,youwillbealaggard,andthenyouwillbegone.Wehavenootherchoicebuttoinvestheavily.

Q:WhereareyouseeingthebiggesttangibleimpactfromAIsofar?

Eltze:Historically,likemostretailers,wefirstsawtangibleimpactfromanalytical

AI—particularlyinmarketingpersonalizationandinforecastingandreplenishment,improving

bothouroffersandoursupplychain.Today,thevalueissplitacrosstwoperspectives.Onthe

customer-facingside,AIcontinuestoimproveservices,one-to-onepersonalization,and

availability.Here,analyticalAIremainsthebackbone,increasinglycomplementedbygenerativeAIinareassuchascontentandserviceinteractions.Ontheinternalside,thebiggestimpact

todaycomesfromprocessefficiency.ThisiswheregenerativeAIandincreasinglyAIagents

helpsimplify,speedup,andautomateeverydayworkandend-to-endprocesses.Mybeliefisthat,inthelongrun,thecustomer-sideimpactwillbehigher,especiallyasagenticAImatures,becausethissideultimatelydrivesnewrevenueandmargin,notjustefficiency.However,

realizingefficiencygainsisstillahuge,unprovenopportunityformostlargecompanies,anditwillbeamajorfocusforthenext12to24months.

Q:WhathasbeenthehardestpartofscalingAIacrossyourorganization,andhowhaveyouaddressedit?

Eltze:Thereisn’tonesinglehurdle;thechallengeismultidimensional.Iseethreecorepillarswehavetoworkonsimultaneously.Firstisgovernance,whichincludeseverythingfromsecurity

andcompliancequestionstoclearlydefinedownershipanddecisionrights.Theseissuesmustbesolvedcentrally.Secondistechnologyselection.Withthelandscapemovingsofast,wehavetomakeachoiceonastabletoolsettodeployacross380,000peopleandthenstickwithitforaperiodtogaintraction.Thethird,andperhapsmostcomplexchallenge,isthechange

managementrequiredtogethundredsofteamsactivatedandmotivated.Becausethis

transformationissofundamental,touchingeveryprocessineverydepartment,thereisno

Preparingforagenticcommerce:REWE’sAItransformation3

‘Ultimately,winningwithAIisabove

allaquestionofculture,teams,and

waysofworking.Wehavebecomea

moredata-drivencompanyandthat

culturalassetissomethingcompetitorscannotsimplybuy.’

centralunitthatcanorchestrateitall.Wehavetoempowereachindividualteam—themarketingteamhere,thelogisticsteamthere,thestoreoperationsteaminHungary—todrivethechangeforthemselves.Ourroleistoprovidethetoolsandtheframework,butthetransformationmustbedecentralized.

Q:HowisAIchangingtheskillrequirementsofyourworkforce,andhowareyoumanagingthattransition?

Eltze:Wearejustatthebeginningofthisjourneybecauselarge-scalereskillingisadirect

consequenceofrealizinglarge-scaleefficiencygains,whichwehavenotyetfullyachieved.Sofar,wehavescaledupourcentraldatascienceandAIteamstocreateacoregroupofexpertswhocannavigatetheorganizationthroughthischange.Now,wearerollingoutabroad

communicationandempowermentprogram.Werecentlyputourtop200seniorleaders

throughmandatory,hands-onAIcreativityworkshops.Thegoalwasnottoturntheminto

technologists,buttohelpthemunderstandwhatispossible,wherethelimitsare,andhowAIaffectsdecision-making,processes,andleadershipintheirareas.Myroleistoorchestratetheoverallapproach,definetheframework,andconnectchangemanagementwiththeright

toolsets—butIcannotdothetransformationforthem.Wearenowactivelybringingtheseelementstogethertocreaterealtractionwithinthebusinessunitsandtopreparethe

organizationforthenextphaseofscalingAIimpact.

Q:HowdoyouthinkaboutrisksaroundAI—dataprivacy,bias,orgovernance—andmaintainingcustomertrust?

Eltze:Fromacustomertrustperspective,weareveryconsciousoftherisksaroundAIandtreatthemasanongoingleadershipresponsibility.Today,wedeliberatelylimitcustomer-facingAI

usecasestoareaswheretheriskoferodingtrustismanageableandwellunderstood.For

Preparingforagenticcommerce:REWE’sAItransformation4

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example,whenweusegenAIforproductdescriptionsorhotelreviews,wehaveclear

safeguardsinplacetopreventmajorerrorsormisleadingoutputs.Forcriticalinformationlikeallergens,wealwaysconsistentlyensureahuman-in-the-loopapproachtovalidateandcross-checktheoutput.

Atthesametime,Iseeaveryimmediateandoftenunderestimatedinternalrisk.ToolslikeMS

Copilotallowemployeestogeneratepolishedoutputsextremelyquickly,andthedangerliesinacceptingthemuncritically.AIcanproduceaconvincingreportinminutes,butwithoutsufficientAIliteracyanddomainexpertise,inaccuracies,bias,orgapsmayeasilygounnoticed.Forme,

thisinternalriskiscloselylinkedtocustomertrust.Ifwedonoteducateourpeopleproperlyandreinforcecriticalthinkingandownership,internalmisuseoroverrelianceonAIwilleventually

showupinexternaloutcomes.Thatiswhystrengtheninggovernance,skills,andleadershipbehavioraroundAIadoptionisjustasimportantasmanagingcustomer-facingrisks.

Q:HowdoyouthinkAIwillimpactthecompetitivelandscapeandwhatwilldifferentiatethewinnersoverthenext3–5years?

Eltze:Ibelievetherearethreekeyareas.First,wemustcontinuetomakeabigleapon

AI—gettingbetteroffers,betterassortment,anddeeperpersonalizationtoourcustomers,

becausethatgeneratesreal,bottom-linevalue.Secondistheonce-in-a-lifetimeopportunitytoimproveourinternalefficiencyandprocesses.Third,wehavetomonitortheriseofagentice-commerce.Forourtourismbusiness,whereasignificantpartofjourneysmaysoonstartona

platformlikeChatGPT,it’saseriouschallengeweneedtoaddress.

Ultimately,winningwithAIisnotjusta