EY Report: Consumer Products Firms Struggle to Turn Supply Chain Tech Into Actionable Growth — Ernst & Young Global Limited

Event summary

94% of supply chain executives report transforming their function, but only 9% have embedded progress into day-to-day operations.
86% of CP CEOs believe competitive advantage will depend on provable consumer value over brand scale alone.
27% of supply chain executives are highly confident in managing complexity and making portfolio trade-offs.
73% of CP CEOs report increased AI investment in 2026 compared to 2025.

The big picture

Consumer products companies are investing heavily in supply chain transformation, but the real challenge lies in translating technology investments into faster, coordinated actions. As growth opportunities become more fragmented and digital platforms reshape consumer discovery, the ability to make real-time, signal-driven decisions will separate leaders from laggards. The competitive divide is shifting from who has the best technology to who can turn AI-driven insights into action.

What we're watching

Operational Bottlenecks: How AI will expose organizational inefficiencies rather than eliminate them without clear decision-making structures.
Fragmented Growth: Whether companies can adapt their networks and operating models to capture smaller, faster, and harder-to-serve demand pools.
Digital Shelf Dynamics: The pace at which supply chain functions will need to evolve to influence growth opportunities beyond mere fulfillment.