The short cycle time reduced working capital intensity and facilitated continuous manufacture of new merchandise, even during the biannual sales periods, letting Zara commit to the bulk of its product line for a season much later than its key competitors. Thus, Zara undertook 35% of product design and purchases of raw material, 40%-50% of the purchases of finished product from external suppliers, and 85% of the in-house production after the season had started, compared with only 0%-20% in the case of traditional retailers