maximizing sales performance at store level - food processing

Maximizing Sales Performance at Store Level

WHITE PAPER

Gaining Real‐Time Insight through Quick, Cost Effec ve Retail Audits Enabling CPG Manufacturers to Verify Shelf, Promo on, and Compe on Status

© 2011 Flowfinity® Wireless Inc.

Whitepaper: Maximizing Business Value at Store Level

Mobile Technology can now provide sales management with a real‐ me view of the in‐store merchandising situa on to maximize the consumer experience. Is there a gap between planning and execu on of in‐store programs? Read why Flowfinity is quickly becoming the industry standard for quick, cost efficient mobile retail audits that facilitate compliance and sales performance.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Closing the gap between planning and execu on of CPG in‐store programs Improving retail channel management through immediate feedback of in‐store ac vi es Increasing insight through more reliable and accurate data at the point‐of‐sale Gaining a compe ve edge by responding in real‐ me to store level issues and opportuni es Reducing the overall cost of se ng up and running retail audits The business value of a mobile retail audit solu on About Flowfinity

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SUMMARY



CLOSING THE GAP BETWEEN PLANNING AND EXECUTION OF

CPG IN-STORE PROGRAMS

CPG companies spend significant me and money planning, execu ng, and evalua ng in‐store programs. Visibility is inherent to the process, but actual execu on is not always seen from head office. For example: 1. How do we measure our Merchandising goal of “Best in Class”?

2. Are our products properly priced and posi oned on the shelf? Are we

out of stock?

3. How do you know if trade promo on agreements are being honored at

the point‐of‐sale?

According to recent research published by Consumer Goods Technology,

promo onal compliance among retailers has grown in importance with many

CPG companies leveraging merchandising ac vi es to help manage promo‐

onal execu on. Whether it be compliance, ongoing shelf

performance, pricing levels, or compe tor analysis, head offices need

visibility into the execu on of in‐store programs in order to close the gap

that exists between what is actually occurring in the retail channels and what

head office has planned. Sales success depends on merchandising execu on

at the point of sale.

Head offices need visibility into the execu on of in‐store programs

Consumer goods companies are able to take ac on to ensure merchandising accountability

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THE SELLING VALUE CHAIN

Leading CGP companies, such as Heinz and Bacardi, have come to rely on

Flowfinity’s mobile retail audit solu ons to gain a real‐ me view of what is

happening at the store level.



With immediate access to audit data consumer goods companies are able

take ac on to ensure merchandising accountability in order to drive more

successful in‐store programs and sales.

IMPROVING RETAIL CHANNEL MANAGEMENT BY ATTAINING

TIMELY FEEDBACK ON IN-STORE ACTIVITIES

Is your organiza on challenged to answer these typical ques ons?

1. Have we achieved target distribu on of the new item in the top five

accounts na onally?

2. What percentage of stores has the POS up for the Summer promo on?

3. How many stores have the half pallet display in‐store right now?

4. How many retail stores in the North East have launched the compe tor’s

new product? In what sizes? Can I see a photo?

5. Do we have any “out of code” product on shelves? Where?

Flowfinity users can answer these ques ons and many more within minutes!

In order to maximize value within the retail channel management, CPG

companies need to know in real‐ me the situa on at the point‐of‐sale. Being

able to receive audit results instantly from the field is the major reason why

Heinz implemented a mobile retail audit solu on. Heinz has benefi ed by

receiving melier scorecard informa on and having the ability to instantly

access detailed reports for more than five years. Bacardi also has relied on

Flowfinity’s mobile retail audit solu on for more than two years to collect

survey data on smartphones. Bacardi, like many consumer goods

companies, used a paper‐based approach to conduct their retail audits and

found that paper forms were cumbersome and the mul ‐step manual entry

processes delayed results from their na onal surveys by up to three months.

Bacardi needed more accurate, immediate data that management could act

on ‐ they found that solu on with Flowfinity.

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Receive audit results instantly from the field



Another business value associated with switching to a mobile retail audit is

improved produc vity for sales opera ons and the account representa ves

that are visi ng each retail store. Because Flowfinity’s surveys are simple to

design and quick to deploy, business managers with no IT or technical

background can instantly push out more audit surveys and even make

adjustments and changes on the fly. And with the surveys being easy for the

account representa ves in the field to key‐in on their smartphone or tablet,

companies like Laura’s Lean Beef have doubled the number of sales calls

that each account representa ve completes in a day! A Tier‐1 na onal

beverage products manufacturer found that with their account

representa ves able to record store audits in their database in real‐ me, it

eliminated the need for them to re‐enter the results a er leaving the stores

– this delivered efficiency and improved accuracy of the data.

INCREASING INSIGHT THROUGH MORE RELIABLE AND

ACCURATE DATA AT THE POINT-OF-SALE

"Be er insight is key to managing fast moving consumer goods in highly

compe ve retail channels," states Eric Ginsburg, Associate Manager for

Sales Opera ons, Heinz. Be er insight is dependent on both the quality and

quan ty of data. The more data points available, the deeper the analysis

possible, resul ng in superior merchandising strategies. The more reliable

and accurate the data from the field, the more confident account and

business managers can be in turning that insight into ac onable plans.

Double the number of sales calls that each account representa ve completes in a day

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IMPROVING HEAD OFFICE <—> FIELD COMMUNICATION



Flowfinity’s mobile retail audit solu on drama cally improves the quality of

survey data from the retail channels. Not only does it eliminate blank and

illegible responses common to paper‐and‐spreadsheet‐based systems, it also

provides flexibility to add new survey ques ons and send photos of the shelf.

Flowfinity clients have improved their insight by adding photos to their retail

audits – giving management a real‐ me view of how promo ons are being

executed across the country op mize merchandizing execu on.

Not only is the quality of data important, the quan ty of data from the field

is also extremely valuable. With Flowfinity’s retail audit solu ons being

flexible and easy to deploy, management can deploy mul ple surveys to not

only capture display, shelf, stock, price, or compe tor data, but even

consumer or retail manager ques onnaires. Heinz has found that over the

last five years of relying on Flowfinity’s solu ons, they have been able to

obtain more data than was ever possible with their previous paper‐and‐

spreadsheet approach. Today, Heinz has over 20 automa cally generated

reports on their key performance indicators (KPIs) and are able to ‘slice and

dice’ their raw data to discover how to improve shelf performance, overall

in‐store programs, and sales.

Gives management a real‐ me view of how promo ons are being executed across the country

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VALUE OF QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF DATA

Understanding the merchandizing environment = A be er understanding of the consumer experience



GAINING A COMPETITIVE EDGE BY RESPONDING IN

REAL-TIME TO STORE LEVEL ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES

So what is the true business value of real‐ me insight? In addi on to

monitoring trade promo on compliance and relevant key performance

measurements, a key value of a mobile retail audit solu on comes in the

ability for CPG companies to respond quickly to what is happening in the

channel. For both Heinz and Bacardi, Flowfinity’s customizable smartphone

applica on gave them greater ability to influence performance at the retail

level through faster access to detailed reports. Gaining a compe ve edge

by iden fying emerging trends in real‐ me can lead to be er accountability

measurements and improved tac cal promo ons.

Influence performance at the retail level through faster access to detailed reports

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RESPONDING FASTER WITH REAL-TIME DATA

Another business value of a mobile retail audit solu on is improved channel

rela onships. A Flowfinity customer has been able to improve customer

rela onships now that their account representa ves are able to respond

immediately to changes in compe on, customer requests and promo ons.

And for one leading na onal food products manufacturer, being able to

provide immediate feedback to brokers has resulted in faster resolu on of in

‐store issues. In the case of Laura’s Lean Beef, they experienced significant

improvement in responding to quality assurance issues a er deploying

Flowfinity’s retail audit solu on. They now resolve most issues within 2‐3

hours compared to 2‐3 days previously – this has given them an important

compe ve advantage. Confident decision making based on accurate and

mely informa on facilitates effec ve management of retail channels and

Make fact‐based recommenda ons that improve the rela onship with both buyers and local store managers



empowers account managers in the channel to make fact‐based

recommenda ons that improve the rela onship with brokers and local store

managers.

REDUCING THE OVERALL COST OF SETTING UP AND

RUNNING RETAIL AUDITS

So what kind of ROI can be expected with a mobile retail audit solu on? A

Tier‐1 consumer goods company found that they were able to reduce the

cost of their retail audits by 75%, resul ng in an annual savings of over

$250,000 using Flowfinity mobile audits! Any CPG company that has an

interest in measuring and managing the in‐store experience can cost‐

effec vely deploy Flowfinity’s mobile audit solu on. For example, Laura’s

Lean Beef significantly reduced their maintenance costs compared to their

previous proprietary so ware solu on, and has found the Flowfinity solu on

easy to support and update.

Flowfinity is quickly becoming the standard for mobile retail audits for

consumer goods companies to gain valuable insight from the channel.

Bacardi no ced considerable savings in the costs associated with opera ng

their na onal surveys in first year of deployment. Another leading na onal

beverage products manufacturer quickly discovered that mul ple surveys

can be deployed at a very low cost to address mul ple channel marke ng

topics. For Sales Partnerships Inc, they were able to reduce staff costs and

improve the accuracy of the data by elimina ng the re‐entry of data.

Customers also find they reduce paper work and overall costs by using

Flowfinity on smartphones. When compared with tradi onal clipboard and

spreadsheets, expensive outsourcing, or in‐house proprietary systems,

switching to Flowfinity is a low‐risk, proven solu on with a very compelling

ROI.

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$ Cost Effective

Reduce the cost of retail audits by 75%, resul ng in an annual savings of over $250,000

Reduce paper work and overall costs by 25%



THE BUSINESS VALUE OF A MOBILE RETAIL AUDIT

SOLUTION

Conduc ng mobile retail audits using Flowfinity is a proven, powerful and

cost effec ve way to monitor: displays, shelf facings, stock levels, prices, and

compe on at the point‐of‐sale and ensure merchandising strategies are

being executed according to plan. The business value of a mobile retail audit

is in the meliness and accuracy of reports that enable managers to respond

faster to channel issues and opportuni es resul ng in more successful

in‐store programs and sales performance.

As retailers con nue to drive more profit from their own private‐label

products, it’s important that consumer goods companies be innova ve and

resourceful in order to op mize and exploit their own brands. Changing the

way retail audits are conducted by adop ng a proven mobile solu on that

gives management a real‐ me view of what is happening at the store level is

the best way to do this. With Fortune 500 companies relying on Flowfinity in

na on‐wide deployments for over five years, it only makes sense to go with

Flowfinity mobile retail audit solu ons to give you the most accurate and

mely insight to your retail channel.

FLOWFINITY - QUICKLY BECOMING THE INDUSTRY

STANDARD FOR MOBILE RETAIL AUDITS

To learn more about Flowfinity Ac ons Consumer Packaged Goods

solu ons: www.flowfinity.com/solu ons

Read Case Studies on Fortune 500 companies who have implemented

Flowfinity solu ons: www.flowfinity.com/casestudies

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Timeliness and accuracy of reports result in more successful in‐store programs

http://www.flowfinity.com/solutions

http://www.flowfinity.com/casestudies



ABOUT FLOWFINITY

Flowfinity provides a proven, fully customizable solu on for building

enterprise mobile apps without programming. Since 2000, Flowfinity has

helped leading companies across industries empower their mobile

workforces in order to enhance produc vity, engage management, and

improve business insight through all areas of the organiza on. By making it

easy and fast to mobilize day‐to‐day business processes on tablets and

smartphones, Flowfinity enables mobile teams to access, report, and share

informa on when and where they need to. Top global brands in CPG and

other industries rely on Flowfinity so ware as the standard technology for

automa ng cri cal business processes. Learn more about Flowfinity Wireless

at www.flowfinity.com.

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Flowfinity and Flowfinity Audits are trademarks or registered trademarks of Flowfinity Wireless Inc. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

“Flowfinity ‐ quickly becoming the industry standard for mobile retail audits”

http://www.flowfinity.com

maximizing sales performance at store level - food processing

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