32
COVERSTORY
SHARING THE WEALTH
After two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth,
the UK is of½ cially in a recession. For 2009, the Centre for Retail
Research predicts a 4.8% decline for household and consumer
goods sales, a statistic that is sure to strike fear in the hearts of
consumer goods brands across the UK.
I
n light of such grim statistics, O
4
Corporation, to maintain and report on product standards in the
provider of handheld salesforce automation retail outlet. Reports can take the form of surveys,
solutions to fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) spreadsheets or even pen and paper-based reports,
A sales rep is
companies, have reached an all time high for signing and are completed after store visits, often several
able to report
new business, revealed Ian Evans, managing director of hours later. Once completed, they are sent back to
on their store
O
4
in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). It is likely a central department where they are keyed into a
that O
4
are not the only retail solution to experience system for reporting purposes. Using this method
½ ndings while
such growth, as Gartner has predicted that IT spend leaves a company open to errors.
they are stood
will weather the global economic downturn better There is a high likelihood that the reps will record
in the store and
than others in 2009. details incorrectly when ½ lling out their forms several
This could leave one wondering whether or not hours after a visit. There is also a lengthy delay from
the information
there is a correlation between the two industries. In the time a rep visits a store to the time a report is
is at hand
times of economic expansion, when consumers are generated, rendering much of the information to be
buying and retailers are con½ dent, opportunities to out of date and therefore of limited value. There are
maximise potential are often ignored. It’s when pro½ ts instances when paper reports go missing; there is
begin to plummet that consumer goods companies also a high risk of human error when keying in report
are more likely to re-evaluate processes and look for forms. All of these issues can result in an irretrievable
opportunities to maximise pro½ ts. So it seems logical loss of revenue.
that in a recession, retail execution solutions would As a case in point, a drinks company is running
bene½ t. a promotion on their carbonated drink at Store ‘A’.
Traditionally, ½ eld sales representatives are assigned The sales rep visits Store ‘A’ and notices there isn’t
territories where they carry out regular store visits enough stock and a competitor’s product is running
a similar promotion and positioned next to theirs on
the shelf. The rep sits down that evening to ½ ll out
their forms following the calls made that day and has
a hard time recalling which store this particular issue
occurred at and puts down Store ‘B’. The rep then
posts these forms off to head of½ ce and, four days later,
this information is available for reporting. By this time
pro½ ts have taken a hit and the competitor has gained
an advantage in the market, not to mention the details
of Store ‘A’ have now been confused with the details
for Store ‘B’.
With a mobile salesforce automation solution like
O
4
’s, a sales rep is able to report on their store ½ ndings
while they are stood in the store and the information
is at hand. This data is immediately transferred back
to head of½ ce for reporting and any or all issues can
be addressed at once. In the above scenario, more
carbonated drink would be ordered and distributed to
the correct store.
So it’s not just retail solutions that stand to
bene½ t from the current economic climate, consumer
goods companies have the opportunity to automate
their processes to increase pro½ ts and gain market
share.
RETAIL TECHNOLOGY APRIL/MAY 2009
032 Case Study.indd 32 6/5/09 9:55:46 am
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40