It is the standard scenario, a foodservice manufacturer produces product and ships it out through their distributor partners… then repeat. The problem is that the distributor is not the end customer and therefore the manufacturer is unable to create focused sales plans targeting their actual consumer, in this case C-Stores. Distributors can be asked to provide reports outlining every shipment to every end location (velocity data) but this information is generated using coding from distributor master data and does not map to the manufacturers’ product and customer information. This is the problem faced in foodservice distribution and for others who are tasked to grow their foodservice channels.
Challenge:
- Manufacturers require distribution insights into who their end location/operator customer are, to:
- Create strategic marketing campaigns directed at their end consumer
- Support effective claim settlement and fuel informed trade investment decisions
- Understand their large operator customers to manage demand
- Drive focused sales plans through more effective trade management
Solution:
As a leading technology partner in foodservice, AFS Technologies has designed a data mapping service that receives this transactional data reported by trading partners, maps the products and company details to the manufacturers master data and provides this information in a robust and intuitive data analytical tool that can be paired up to manufacturer direct sales data to provide thorough visibility to sales from plant to plate.
- Manufacturers receive velocity and claim data from their distributors partners and have it cleansed and mapped back to their master-data allowing them to:
- Manage their data to fuel increased profitability
- Analyze operator trends to drive compliance, and identify and target whitespace opportunities
- Identify their contract versus street sales to support more favorable trade negotiations
- Reduce/eliminate double-dipping scenarios to improve bottom-line growth
By automating this cumbersome process, manufacturers eliminate the possibility of duplications with the solution’s unique customizable algorithms, supplying them with up-to-date, accurate information around deviations, rebates, day-to-day cash flow, and product shipment/claim history which empowers them to strategically manage contracts with key operators and distributors to fuel more effective trade promotion decisions.
“Contact us” to learn about C-Store Data Visibility
Why Partner with AFS:
- We know the consumer goods industry. Our deep industry expertise delivers software that is purpose-built for consumer goods companies—helping you drive productivity and profitability gains.
- We are fast. Our proven implementation ensures speedy delivery and will result in a quick return on investment for your organization.
- We think long-term and low-risk. Most of our software is SaaS-based and requires little to no maintenance or infrastructure cost. The configurable approach gives you the flexibility to make your own changes—without involvement from IT.
- We offer insight. We built a powerful data visualization solution, AFS Data Discovery, which enables you to pull data from multiple sources, develop reports and dashboards, and use them to optimize executive insights