Route to Market & Supply Chain Blog

I recently started a blog series on indirect distribution. I began by examining the 10 biggest challenges Route to Market (RtM) leaders face in managing FMCG Distributors. Then in response to this in my last post I shared our step-by-step approach…

In my last post we discussed the biggest challenges that a Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) company could face when managing the ‘last mile’ of the Route to Market (RtM). Once we have examined the challenges and the pitfalls in managing distributors or…

If you ask any sports person who has played a contact sport, how to avoid getting hurt, very often you will be told to try your best not to get hit. In order to avoid the hits, you need to understand more about them including when they are likely to…

Is it just me or does FMCG life seems to be increasingly full of initials? New examples seem to pop up on a weekly basis with COVID-19 being top of mind currently. In line with many business functions Supply Chain and other functions use multiple…

The Pareto Principle, or the 80/20 rule, states that for many phenomena 80% of the result comes from 20% of the effort. This principal is often applied in business, and for good reason, it works. Targeting our effort and resource where it will have…

The new normal brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on so many issues regarding corporate Route to Market (RtM) strategies.  What many companies now face is the truth that has been hidden for years - we cannot race with unstable or…

Arguably the most important element to any Route to Market strategy for a consumer goods company is their Distribution Strategy. Very often, when results are not coming in, the distributors get the blame and may even be replaced. Too often, their…

I am going to continue with some sporting analogies, as I did in my last blog, Route to Market Roles and Avoiding Square Pegs in Round Holes. There are many common areas across many sports, but there is at least one specific area of sport that…

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…

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 3 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…

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…

The focus of this article is on indirect distribution. Previously, I have discussed how to achieve Route to Market (RtM) Excellence by effectively using the different types of distribution, our DIME approach, and specifically Direct and Indirect…

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…