The Changing Face of Modern Retail Execution

Retail execution has always been challenging, Mat Brogie, CEO of Repsly, notes to CGT: There’s a plethora of moving parts, and keeping all of those parts in sync was a complicated task on a good day. But any semblance of normalcy and/or standard process was thrown out the window at the start of the pandemic, and now brands are grappling with an unprecedented amount of disorganization.

Whether it’s because of supply chain issues, SKU rationalization or labor shortages, there are more reasons than ever that a consumer’s favorite product might not make it to the shelf. As a result, CGs need to do whatever they can to get as many of their products as they can in front of consumers, Brogie advises.

But with challenge comes opportunity, and today’s retail landscape is providing CGs with a moment to outperform their competition. “Whenever there's chaos and mayhem, there's opportunity in the middle of all that chaos. The emerging winners will be the ones that stay focused and take advantage of the opportunity to do a better job than their competitors and make those products available,” he notes.

Leveraging retail and shipment data sources are crucial for proper retail execution. Whether it’s store inventory, shipment data, or sales performance data, getting granular to ensure your products are available on the shelf — or having visibility into when they’re going to be there — are among the most sure-fire keys to success.  

Not only does this reap rewards for the consumer goods manufacturers, but it also benefits the retailers — thereby setting up a mutually advantageous cycle. After all, Brogie notes, retailers and CGs really do have the same mission: to get as many products sold as possible. “Everybody wins when a lot of products sell.”

When retail execution is at its peak performance, not only are sales growing, but the data CGs are generating and sharing to help retailers make better decisions is simultaneously demonstrating the value of their partnerships. Thanks to advancements in technology, brands can receive greater visibility into stores, including pricing, whether planograms are in compliance, and what their competitors are doing. They’re also able to combine multiple data sources into meaningful, actionable insights, unlocking the ability to reassign field teams on the fly when necessary.  

Watch the full conversation to learn more about the technology consumer goods companies are leveraging for retail execution success, including how today’s modern systems have dramatically changed and some best practices for the companies that still have a of lot room for improvement.