Route to Market & Supply Chain Blog
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We are passionate about Route to Market and supply chain management and we are delighted to share our thoughts with you. We would like to hear from you too, so please comment on our posts or contact us.
Latest Posts
Winning Africa’s Drinks Aisle: Distributor Performance Playbook
Michael Thompson Mon, Oct 20, 2025
If your beer is cold but your sales are luke-warm, the gap isn’t in the fridge, it’s in your route to market. Across Africa, Brewing & Beverage distribution rewards those who match the right Distributor Partner to the right micro-market. Here’s a…
Unlocking Growth: 5 RtM Priorities for Vietnam’s FMCG Sector
Michael Thompson Fri, Oct 17, 2025
At Enchange we have worked in SE Asian markets for many years. It is fair to say that the Route to Market landscape and challenges in these markets have dramatically changed in the last number of years. Furthermore, the pace of change is…
Unlocking Africa: Winning RTM Strategies for FMCG Growth
Michael Thompson Fri, Oct 17, 2025
Africa is not one market—it’s 54. Yet many FMCG companies still treat it as a monolith. If you're serious about growth in Africa, it's time to rethink your approach. Africa’s consumer base is young, urbanising fast, and increasingly brand-conscious.…
FMCG Growth – Smart Distributor Selection Process Explained
Michael Thompson Fri, Jul 11, 2025
In the fast-moving world of FMCG, your route to market (RTM) can make or break your success - especially in emerging markets. One of the most pivotal decisions? Selecting the right distributor. Yet, many companies still rely on a basic selection…
RtM Success: Why Most Projects Miss - & How the Top 10% Win
Michael Thompson Fri, Jun 27, 2025
Most Route to Market (RtM) improvement projects start with ambition and end in frustration. But a select few not only succeed—they transform entire commercial ecosystems. So what separates the winners from the rest? Let’s break down the success…
Distributor Management – Top 5 Do’s and Don’ts for FMCG Principals
Michael Thompson Tue, Jun 10, 2025
We are currently working with a client designing a Distributor Management Training Workshop. As part of the workshop, we are developing a list of Do’s and Don’ts related to Distributor Management. Background to Distributor Selection & Management…
Joint Action Plans: Unlocking Growth Through Collaboration
Michael Thompson Mon, May 26, 2025
In an earlier blog this year I covered the subject of Joint Business Planning. This particular blog came after a discussion with a fellow RtM professional and senior commercial manager. As a recap, this lady managed several markets in a region and…
Mastering Cost to Serve for your RtM–Top 10 Tips
Michael Thompson Wed, May 21, 2025
At Enchange we have been delivering a lot of Cost to Serve (CTS) work for clients in the last few years. In all cases our work has resulted in considerable savings for clients. I thought now would be a good time to write about this very important…
Driving Distributor Performance –The Essential First Step –Joint Business Planning
Michael Thompson Mon, May 19, 2025
I was talking to a fellow RtM professional at a recent event. The subject of Distributor performance came up. My colleague was clearly frustrated with the performance of her distributors – she managed several markets in a region. It transpired that…
Essential RtM Playbook-12 Key Modules for Successful Strategy Execution
Michael Thompson Wed, May 14, 2025
In a number of articles this year I have covered many of the aspects of distributor selection and management. The challenge for many organisations, particularly multinationals, is to ensure a consistent application and execution of best practice. In…
Mastering Online & Offline Distribution: Essential Strategies for FMCG Success
Michael Thompson Mon, May 12, 2025
In an earlier article and post, I covered the internal and external considerations related to distributor selection. I now want to focus on an increasingly important topic of the integration of online and offline distribution. This is a key issue in…
Distributor Assessment: Key Criteria for Effective Evaluation & Growth
Michael Thompson Wed, May 07, 2025
In an earlier article and post, I covered the internal and external considerations related to distributor selection. I now want to focus more on the distributor and how we make an assessment. We call this a Micro-Assessment. It involves spending…
Optimising Distributor Performance - Balancing KPIs for Long Term Success
Michael Thompson Thu, Sep 12, 2024
In my last article and post I covered the topic of distribution performance, specifically the topic of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) or Metrics. In our journey, we have now selected our Distributor, by considering what an ideal Model Distributor…
Top Distributor KPIs - Financial, Customer, Process & Growth Metrics Explained
Michael Thompson Wed, Sep 11, 2024
In my last article and post I covered the topic of distribution performance and how we establish the right processes and behaviours. I now want to address the topic of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) or Metrics. Before I do this, a quick recap. In…
Define Your Ideal Model Distributor: Key Steps for FMCG Success
Michael Thompson Thu, Jul 18, 2024
When we start the process of distributor selection, we need to be very clear about what we are looking for. A key question is this. What is our ideal Distributor Partner, or Model Distributor, we sometimes call them, and what do they look like?…
