The effort is expected to shrink the back of house and ensure Starbucks has the “right inventory at the right location at the right time,” Niccol said. Dive Insight:Starbucks is testing out new methods to optimize inventory management and create a more efficient and modern supply chain. Niccol said new technology, including inventory ordering systems, will be a critical part of the strategy in fiscal 2027. However, nine months later, Starbucks decided to kill the computer vision inventory counting system as employees dubbed it “unreliable.” Last year, the coffee chain also trimmed its SKUs by 30% in a bid to simplify its menu.