Route to Market & Supply Chain Blog

A colleague who works for a global multinational in a large African market has asked an interesting question, which also points to a wider issue across the Route to Market function. I feel it is worth sharing as a topic of discussion. The question…

Well, what a year it has been. As 2020 stutters and stumbles to the end we all need to think about how our Supply Chains will operate in 2021 and beyond. Just like those old school photographs, your steady-state, stable 2018 set-up has gone and will…

As we come to the end of a very tough 2020, attention is turning to what the next year will bring. In FMCG organisations around the world, General Managers, Sales Directors, Heads of Sales and Department Heads, are all scrambling to finish the year…

This post is Part 2 of a series of posts discussing indirect distribution management, and specifically the characteristics and the key differences between FMCG Distributors and Wholesalers. You can read Part 1 which includes the Characteristics of…

As a company designed to improve the Route to Market (RtM) strategy of our consumer goods clients, at Enchange, we are often asked questions by the RtM community about improving or sharing RtM knowledge. For example, how can organisations best help…

Understanding the Total Cost to Serve our customers is an essential element to any Route to Market (RtM) Strategy. As FMCG professionals, we need to understand how much it costs us to service our customers. It is also not as simple as it sounds. Why…

COVID is rapidly changing the FMCG/retail environment, but these changes are vastly different from market to market and sector to sector. Let us consider some examples: Consumers are moving to online ordering – this is true, but in many markets this…

Assessing your distribution options is one of the most important elements of any Route to Market strategy. Choosing the wrong distribution strategy, although often not evident in the short term, can cripple a company’s long-term growth, and ability…

In my last post we explored ways that you can ‘Reinforce Your Route to Market During These Unprecedented Times’ while working from home. I also provided a list of questions you could use, to allow you to review current RtM performance post COVID-19.…

The global spread of COVID-19 is an incredibly challenging and worrying time for all of us. The loss of life is already significant, and its spread continues. Many countries around the world are in some form of restricted movement or lockdown. From…

Over the last few months I have been writing a blog series on Route to Market Success (RtM) in emerging markets, describing how Enchange has been using the 20 Steps to RtM Excellence to win in these markets for our clients. In my last post, we…

Before we even begin to look at how to develop Route to Market (RtM) strategies and execution plans for Fast Moving Consumer Goods Companies (FMCG) in emerging markets like Africa, we need to understand and remind ourselves of a few basic principles…

I am in the middle of writing a blog series on Route to Market (RtM) success in emerging markets, with a specific focus on Africa. I have been receiving some excellent feedback throughout (many thanks!). One topic has come up several times and I…

This is a challenging question and one that we need to break down. Trade coverage, brand distribution, distribution coverage, brand or SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) availability, or whatever terminology you use, is one of the most important Route to…

It’s a good question and one that Enchange is often asked. Enchange has been helping clients in Africa for over 25 years. Whilst many things have changed in that time, for example, the use and availability of technology, many things remain the same.…