The Promotion Optimization Institute Names the Top Retail Execution and Monitoring Vendors for 2019 in Annual Report

Six of the top 2019 best-in-class recipients entered into new retail execution and monitoring categories including predictive artificial intelligence and machine learning

This year’s RetX Panorama evaluated 21 solutions from 19 vendors and named the following vendors as best-in-class for helping retailers and CPG executives: Accenture, AFS, Asseco, Comarch, , Ivy Solutions, Kantar, , SAP, Spring, StayinFront and others.

“As the retail environment shifts, CPG manufacturers will need to execute effectively across both physical and digital stores and to do this Retail Execution Solutions will need to evolve,” said Pam Brown, Chief Commercial Officer, POI. “Today’s CPG manufacturers will need more than share of shelf and pricing to compete. They will also need AI/ML, RAO, gamification, digital content management and other capabilities based on market demand.”

POI designed the Vendor Panorama for Retail Execution and Monitoring in Consumer Goods to help consumer goods companies and their distribution partners execute at the individual store level because if the product is not available, merchandised correctly, and promoted effectively, the consumer will likely purchase from a competitor. The 2019 POI Vendor Panorama added Predictive Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to the 13 total functional areas the functional areas the vendors are rated on. Access the press release here

Key Survey Findings:
17.5% of those surveyed are not satisfied with their ability to execute at store level.

91.2% of respondents have challenges moving capabilities from transactional to analytical.

71.5% of field based users reported they do have the tools they need to make appropriate decisions.

60.2% reported their off-line capabilities are not being met.

32.9% of office based users reported their analytical needs are being met.
68% of respondents do not have “sell more” capabilities.

Recommendations:
Continue to prioritize functionality above delivery method. The lines between SaaS, managed services, hosted private cloud, and public cloud are blurry and highly dependent on where the deployment(s) will take place. On-premises is still as popular as cloud.

Prioritize capabilities that will help users be more effective-for example to “sell more.” These capabilities include retail activity optimization (RAO), image recognition, guided selling, social selling, gamification, voice recognition, and in-flight analytics.

Take bring your own device (BYOD) in retail execution seriously, not just as user preference, but also as a standard if active in emerging markets.

Test, script, and test some more to ensure that prospective solutions can meet off-line requirements for in-flight analytics and complex pricing and promoting.

Recognize that a single solution is not likely to meet a global needs. There is just too much disparity in price, suitability to local requirements, and availability of support to be able to do so. Three to five solutions are typical for truly global companies.

Ask for best practices from your vendor or implementation partner. The POI 2019 Survey found that only 21.9% percent felt strongly that they received best practices in combination with their solution.

Consider how advanced retail execution capabilities like image recognition, gamification, retail activity optimization, embedded social capabilities, and guided selling can be added to your sales tool-kit to provide line of sight to in-store opportunities and execution at the store level.

Vendor Evaluation for POI Best-In Class
In the 2019 POI Panorama, 21 solutions from 19 vendors were evaluated. Sixteen capabilities from each vendor were analyzed and compared consisting of: company viability, geographic strategy, market understanding, vertical and industry strategy, partner leverage, company vision, product aptness and flexibility, delivery flexibility, solution completeness, offline capabilities, user experience, analytical capabilities, product vision, and configurability.
Access the full report here

More information about upcoming 2019 POI events can be found at: http://poinstitute.com/events/

Industry News

P&G: FMCG Competition Bolsters Marketing Spend

Source: (Campaign Live April 24, 2019)

A healthy competitive environment is pushing both Procter & Gamble and its competitors to increase marketing spend, according to the FMCG giant’s CFO, Jon Moeller. P&G reported sales of $16.5bn in the first three months of 2019, up 1% year on year. Learn more

2 Weeks to POI Rotterdam!   Register Today!

View the updated Revenue Management, eCommerce, plus Retail Execution and Pricing enabled by Al, Machine Learning, and Advance Analytics Intensive Agenda!

Leaders already registered from: Mentholatum Company, Edgewell, BIC,  Orkla Foods,  Cargill, Henkel, Bayer, Hovis, Ferrero, Mars, LEGO Brands,Tiger Brands, Premier Foods, Danone, JDE, P&G, JAB, Unilever, Jumbo, Orkla, Asahi, Hovis, Camelot, Danone, Perfetti Van Melle, SCJ, MolsonCoors, Lactalis, Dr. Oetker, Orangina, L’Oreal, JAB, SCJ, Danone, JDE, Pladis, Beiersdorf, Arla Foods, Finlandia Cheese,  Kellogg, Perfetti Van Melle, PepsiCo, Diageo, Ferarra, Delta Cafes, Heineken, Essity, Mars, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Dr. Oetker, Fererro, Mondelez, J&J, FrieslandCampina, SCA, AB Inbev, Wells Enterprises, Pernod Ricard, Lavazza, Kimberly Clark, Red Bull, Henkel, LEGO, General Mills, Hovis, SAB Miller, Lactalis, Carlsberg, Campari, Nestle, and many more..  Register here

Complimentary Workshop at POI Rotterdam

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Heineken Volume Growth Yields Strong Quarter

Source: (FoodBev News April 24, 2019)

Heineken brand volume was 8.3% higher following double-digit growth in Africa, the Middle East & Eastern Europe, as well as the Americas. Jean-François van Boxmeer, chairman and CEO of Heineken, said: “We had a positive start to the year with volume growth across all regions despite the later timing of Easter, underlining our continued focus on growth and the breadth of our geographic footprint”. Learn more

Ferrero’s “Be Both” Targets Gen Z

Source: (Ad Age April 24, 2019)

“They’re (Gen Z) seeking things that create an experience,” says Annie Meyer, marketing director at Ferrero’s Ferrara Candy Company. Candy marketers, in general, are feeling increasingly squeezed by both online grocery shopping-candy sales are helped by impulse buys in brick-and-mortar stores-and consumers shifting to healthier options with less sugar. Learn more

Register for the POI Canadian Summit, June 12-13, 2019

Grow Your Canadian RGM, Sales Effectiveness, Trade

Promotion, and eCommerce Analytics plus Strategies
Related to Driving Growth Across Commerce!

See the updated Canadian business specific agenda here

Who else will you see at the  POI Canadian Summit?

Ocean Spray, Wellness Foods Canada, PepsiCo, Clif Bar, P & G, Nestle Waters, Wells Enterprises, McCain Foods, Bag Balm, Kraft Heinz, General Mills, Dare Foods, Unilever, SC Johnson, Conagra, GSK, Kruger Products, Edgewell, Nestle, Sanofi, Tiger Brands, Maple Leaf Foods, Philip Morris Int’l, Church & Dwight, J & J, Smucker Foods,  Fiera Foods, Materne, PepsiCo, Ricola, Tree of Life, Bimbo Bakeries, Kimberly Clark, Edgewell, Dr. Oetker, Agropur, High Liner Foods, Campbell’s, Clover Leaf Foods, The Clorox Company, Sanofi, and more.  Register Here

How Dixie Drove 99% Completion Rate

Source: (Mktg Dive April 23, 2019)

By collaborating with Shopkick, Dixie urged shoppers to visit stores, view a brand video and, in many cases, make a purchase, demonstrating how mobile and in-store efforts can drive both brand awareness and sales. The effort generated more than 16 million impressions and saw a 99% completion rate for a branded video that was delivered while shoppers held the package, according to data shared with Marketing Dive. Learn more

PepsiCo Announces Mobile-Enabled Hydration

Source: (Bev Industry April 22, 2019)

“This new platform addresses a number of trends we’re seeing resonate with consumers, including increasing concern for the environment and preference for refillable bottles, as well as desire for choice and personalization whenever possible,” said Scott Finlow, chief marketing officer of PepsiCo Foodservice. Learn more

Become a Collaborative Marketer!

Next Orientation Class – June 19-20, 2019  Details Here

 

Walmart Digitizes Physical Stores with AI

Source: (Chicago Tribune, April 25, 2019)

Walmart, which faces fierce competition from Amazon and other online retailers, is experimenting with digitizing its physical stores to manage them more efficiently, keep costs under control and make the shopping experience more pleasant.  Learn more

Amazon Smashes Earnings Expectations

Source: (CNBC April 25, 2019)

Amazon has been one of the best performing big tech stocks this year, up 28% in 2019, and is currently the third most valuable company in the world, behind Microsoft and Apple. Net income hit a record $3.6 billion, and its operating profit of $4.4 billion represented a 7.4% margin, up from last year’s 3.8% margin.

Learn more

Whitepaper: How AI enables Revenue Growth Management

POI Members-Read the complete Harnessing AI to Change the Game Whitepaper here

Presentations from the Recent POI Summit are available to POI Members and Attendees now on the POI website here  We continue to hear from attendees on the exceptional value they received from experiencing a live POI Summit…

Great work! Each year keeps getting better! Look forward to next year!

Tim Coyle, Director of Information Systems & Technology, Mrs Ts Pierogies

“I enjoyed the POI Summit last week in Chicago, as it was time well spent. I’m anxious to learn more about how Oregon Ice Cream may benefit from future POI events. Thank you for the opportunity and I look forward to staying in touch.”

Joelle Simmons, VP of Sales Oregon Ice Cream

“Thank you again for the wonderful conference last week! I also get such great insight and information to bring back to the team. I look forward to New Jersey and Dallas again this year!”

Chelsea L. Mann, Director, Revenue Growth Management. Atkins Nutritionals, Inc

The Promotion Optimization Institute Names the Top Retail Execution and Monitoring Vendors for 2019 in Annual Report Source: (Markets Insider – markets.businessinsider.com)

“As the retail environment shifts, CPG manufacturers will need to execute effectively across both physical and digital stores and to do this Retail Execution Solutions will need to evolve,” said Pam Brown, Chief Commercial Officer, POI. “Today’s CPG manufacturers will need more than share of shelf and pricing to compete. They will also need AI/ML, RAO, gamification, digital content management and other capabilities based on market demand.” Learn more

SAVE THE DATE! 

POI Retail Execution Summit, September 25-27, 2019

Morristown, NJ

POI Fall Annual Summit, November 6-8,. 2019, Dallas, TX