AI strategy and roadmap · Medium-sized business (50 to 249 staff) · Retail and e-commerce
AI strategy and roadmap for a mid-sized retailer selling online and in stores
A strategy and 12 to 18 month roadmap for a mid-sized retailer selling online and in stores: where AI fits the business plan, which initiatives to fund in what order, and what capability, data and governance they need. Customer service, merchandising and stock are weighed against each other.
Illustrative cost
£12,000 to £33,000 ex VAT
- Typical
- £20,000
- Duration
- About 8 weeks
- Effort
- 25.5 to 46.5 days
Illustrative estimate, not a quote. Real prices vary.
Worked out from UK freelance contractor day rates in job adverts, with no consultancy or agency margin added. Consultancies and agencies usually charge more.
Source: IT Jobs Watch. Rates read on ; costs computed on .
What is included
- Current-state review of processes, data, technology and skills
- Opportunity mapping across the main business functions
- Business cases for the top three to five initiatives
- A sequenced roadmap with budgets, owners and decision points
Deliverables
- Strategy document
- Roadmap with budget ranges
- Business cases for the priority initiatives
- Board or leadership presentation
Assumptions
- A named sponsor at leadership level
- Access to the business plan and recent financials
- Two leadership workshops
Not included
- Delivery of any initiative
- Vendor selection and procurement
- Organisation redesign
Project plan
Phases run one after another, about 8 weeks in all.
| Phase | Weeks | Main tasks |
|---|---|---|
| Current state | 3 | Stakeholder interviews; Process and data review; Skills and tooling baseline |
| Opportunity mapping | 3 | Leadership workshop; Long list of opportunities; Feasibility check of the technical options |
| Business cases | 1 | Estimate value and cost; Risks and dependencies |
| Roadmap and sign-off | 1 | Sequence initiatives; Second workshop; Final presentation |
Who does the work
Person-days per role in each phase, low and high effort.
| Phase | Role | Days (low to high) |
|---|---|---|
| Current state | AI consultant | 5.5 to 9 days |
| Current state | Business analyst | 3.5 to 7 days |
| Opportunity mapping | AI consultant | 5.5 to 9 days |
| Opportunity mapping | AI architect | 2 to 5.5 days |
| Business cases | AI consultant | 3.5 to 7 days |
| Business cases | Business analyst | 2 to 3.5 days |
| Roadmap and sign-off | AI consultant | 3.5 to 5.5 days |
How the cost adds up
| Role | Low (days × 25th percentile) | Typical (days × median) | High (days × 90th percentile) |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI consultant | 18 × £500 = £9,000 | 24.25 × £575 = £13,945 | 30.5 × £717 = £21,869 |
| Business analyst | 5.5 × £425 = £2,338 | 8 × £500 = £4,000 | 10.5 × £662 = £6,951 |
| AI architect | 2 × £549 = £1,098 | 3.75 × £650 = £2,438 | 5.5 × £850 = £4,675 |
| Total, rounded | £12,000 | £20,000 | £33,000 |
How these estimates are worked out
Effort: for each phase we estimate how many days each role works, as a low and a high case. These are our estimates for a typical project of this kind, not measured data.
Rates: each role's daily rate comes from UK contract job adverts over the last six months, as published by IT Jobs Watch. These are freelance contractor rates as advertised, not what was paid, and not what a consultancy or agency charges.
Low end: the low-effort days at each role's 25th-percentile rate. We use the 25th percentile, not the 10th, because the lowest effort at the cheapest rates gives a floor few buyers would ever meet.
Typical: the mid-point between low and high effort, at each role's median rate.
High end: the high-effort days at each role's 90th-percentile rate.
Totals are rounded to the nearest £500 below £10,000 and the nearest £1,000 above, and exclude VAT. Phases run one after another.
Not included:
- Software licences, model and hosting fees
- Travel and expenses
- Your own staff's time
- A consultancy's or agency's margin, overheads and risk
Real prices vary with the supplier, the state of your data and systems, how much of the work your own team does, where the work happens and how much risk the supplier carries. Consultancies and agencies usually charge more than these contractor rates, and a fixed price usually costs more than time and materials because the supplier takes the risk.
Sources
Source: IT Jobs Watch: UK contract job adverts quoting a daily rate, 6 months to 15 November 2026. Each role's page was read on . Published under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
| Role | IT Jobs Watch page | Rates quoted | 25th percentile | Median | 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI consultant | Artificial Intelligence Consultant | 68 | £500 | £575 | £717 |
| Business analyst | Business Analyst | 1,394 | £425 | £500 | £662 |
| AI architect | Artificial Intelligence Architect | 148 | £549 | £650 | £850 |