Route to Market & Supply Chain Blog

A Distributor Partnership Programme, if designed and implemented correctly, can be one of the most powerful tools in the Route to Market (RtM) armory for delivering sales growth. A Distributor Partnership Programme sets out which individual…

When we discuss Technology in terms of Route to Market (RtM) Strategy we are looking at our overall approach to and use of Technology at every stage of our RtM Strategy and Execution. This includes, for example, the hand-held system we take orders…

When I say Sales Incentive Program (SIP) in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector, I am referring to the internal company incentive program that is used to motivate and influence the behaviour of sales people and teams to deliver company…

For a successful Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) Route to Market (RtM) Strategy, we must be able to measure our performance across the market, internally within the company and externally against the competition and wider benchmarks. We must be…

Firstly, what is Outlet Classification? It is a process of segmenting every individual outlet, meaning every point of purchase, based on a set of company specific agreed criteria that you will design, e.g. volume, location, consumer profile,…

Welcome to Step 3 of the 20 Steps to Route to Market Excellence. You can read more about the overall model and the steps I have already discussed here. The third step is ‘Distributor Assessment’. Whether you are looking to build a RtM strategy from…

Like many business functions Supply Chains use multiple initials and/or acronyms to describe various tasks they manage on a daily basis. Those not familiar with SC-speak will often sit bemused in meetings as various initials are quoted and debated…

Are market conditions getting any better, really? Many big name companies are heading for indifferent full year 2017 results and all caution about the continuing “difficult market conditions”. Ok, so 2017 has been put to bed but many will be paying…

If your business is struggling to cope with day to day sales while managing innovation and range extensions then give your SKU list a thorough review. Not just a cursory glance but a scientific evaluation of what brings in the profit and what eats…

Extra SKUs sneak onto price lists when nobody is looking. Sales & Marketing colleagues prefer new launches with lengthy SKU lists different flavours, different sizes, different colours, new packaging etc. How many shelf facings do they want? How do…

In common with many business functions Supply Chains adopt multiple initials and/or acronyms to describe various tasks and processes they manage on a daily basis. Those not familiar with SC-speak will often sit bemused as various initials are quoted…

Some time ago I looked at the often dreadful customer service offered by FMCG and Telecoms companies in CEE. Of course, this avoidable malaise is not restricted to that part of the world. After being in UK for a few weeks I have experienced really…

All rather too quickly Noddy Holder is already gargling on the festive gravel. Roy Wood and Wizard are wishing we could grossly over eat and drink on 365 or 366 days of the year and although they never met, Bowie and Bing are dueting about peace on…

FMCG SKUs sneak onto price lists when nobody is looking! Sales & Marketing colleagues prefer new launches to have lengthy lists of SKUs; different flavours, different sizes, different colours, different shapes. How many shelf facings do they want…

The English dictionary lists the definition of complexity as “the state or quality of being intricate or complicated: an issue of great complexity”. Wikipedia defines complexity in great detail and starts with “In general usage, complexity tends to…