[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/01\/07\/retail-execution-strategies-in-action\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/01\/07\/retail-execution-strategies-in-action\/","headline":"CPG standouts: Retail execution strategies in action","name":"CPG standouts: Retail execution strategies in action","description":"Learn how two CPG brands, Whirlpool EMEA and Colgate-Palmolive, ramped up their retail execution strategies for in-store success.","datePublished":"2022-01-07","dateModified":"2025-01-13","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/maria-morais\/#Person","name":"Maria Morais","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/maria-morais\/","identifier":303,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f7517b2aebfb12fe90d8e9139f071e669e096840b77e6cad33ebc9b27da9c971?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f7517b2aebfb12fe90d8e9139f071e669e096840b77e6cad33ebc9b27da9c971?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Future of Commerce","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","width":172,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/retail-execution-strategies_FTR.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/retail-execution-strategies_FTR.jpeg","height":375,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/01\/07\/retail-execution-strategies-in-action\/","about":[{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/sales\/ai\/","name":"AI","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Artificial_intelligence","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q11660"]},"Consumer Products","CPG",{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/customer-experience\/customer-experience-general\/","name":"Customer Experience","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Customer_experience","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q984142"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/sales\/revenue\/","name":"Revenue","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Revenue","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q850210"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/sales\/","name":"Sales","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sales","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q194189"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/sales\/sales-general\/","name":"Sales","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sales","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q194189"]},"Sales Success"],"wordCount":1012,"keywords":["CPG | Consumer Packaged Goods","Retail Execution","Sales Success"],"articleBody":"Companies are in business to sell products. But the best marketing in the world can\u2019t help a brand if there are no products on the shelves. Recent supply chain snafus and labor shortages have taught us that.Facing these challenges, top consumer products companies are realizing the importance of effective in-store, retail execution strategies. They also want to make the most of in-person sales activities while streamlining store visit logistics and planning.I spoke with two brands about their global retail execution strategies \u2013 and where they\u2019re headed next. Whirlpool Corp. and Colgate-Palmolive Co. are using new technology to achieve multiple benefits, including:Optimized sales strategiesIncreased customer loyaltyFlexibility to adjust to rapidly changing market conditionsImproved field sales efficiency      What is retail execution: CPG strategy 101                Retail execution is where your brand strategy comes to life in-store to drive sales. Learn the best methods on how to achieve success.      Retail execution strategies: Getting in-store rightCPG companies that excel in retail execution can stand out from the crowd. Better insight into product availability and out-of-stock positions helps brands know what they can sell in any location, which products to promote, and how to fix problems.\u201cIf you don\u2019t know what is happening at your point of sales, you are one step behind the game,\u201d says Mauri Gaeta, solution design manager for Whirlpool EMEA. \u201cYou need those insights to ensure your brand is represented in the way that meets the needs of your company and your trading partners.\u201dColgate-Palmolive deployed a retail execution system that extends across four business divisions: oral care, home care, personal care, and pet nutrition. Each division has different customers (dentists, consumer goods retailers, and veterinarians) and types of field sales reps, requiring flexible technology.After rolling out the solution one division at a time, the company now uses it across the enterprise to support real-time price checks, availability confirmation, and ordering. Rich sales analytics and finely tuned KPIs help it optimize sales strategies, build commercial plans, and reduce stock levels.\u201cThe in-store execution piece is extremely critical for our brand to be relevant and have good recall value,\u201d says Abhishek Baheti, director of customer development in global IT for Colgate-Palmolive. \u201cAll of the loyalty we have is only as good as how we execute on the ground.\u201d      How CPG brands can achieve the perfect store amid retail turbulence                Discover how CPG brands can improve retail execution for a better in-store experience that boosts sales performance.      Adapting on the fly and seeing results The disruption caused by the pandemic was not all bad news. Some CPG brands ramped up their retail execution strategies to meet customers\u2019 changing demands.\u201cIt was a blessing in disguise,\u201d says Baheti. \u201cDeployments we would have done over three or four years were completed in six to eight months.\u201dHaving a flexible, single platform for retail execution helped Colgate-Palmolive when in-person visits weren\u2019t possible. Field reps met virtually with retailers and relied on the new technology to create innovative approaches minus geographic concerns.\u201cWe had an opportunity to improve coverage because reps were able to go further than ever before with their visits,\u201d says Aravind Tula, global senior management in information technology customer development. \u201cThe flexibility of our solution helped us better adjust and adapt to change.\u201dAt Whirlpool, lockdowns created trade difficulties early on. Once retailers began reopening, the company had an unexpected boom in sales. But not all shops accepted in-person visits, so field reps relied on virtual visits to support customer relationships while protecting everyone\u2019s safety.Over two years, the company extended its retail execution system across the organization.\u201cHaving a cloud solution where everyone could get into the system easily was helpful in keeping the system live and moving on with our project,\u201d says Gaeta.      CPG industry trends: 2022 requires agility and adaptability                Consumer products companies need to get ready for more change as consumer preferences continue to shift and the market becomes even more competitive.      Offline access matters for in-store successMobile offline capabilities have become core to an effective retail execution strategy.Three years ago, online capabilities were the central focus. \u201cBack then, we thought everybody should be online,\u201d says Tula. \u201cBut we very quickly realized how wrong that was.\u201dEven in developed nations, many facilities lack reliable internet connectivity. In other areas of the world, online access is even more dicey for field reps. Sometimes a retailer\u2019s network is not available to vendors or certain corners of the store offer spotty network connectivity. Reps can be in the middle of ordering products when they lose connectivity \u2013 and all of their work.Now, Whirlpool\u2019s reps can switch their connection offline while entering order data. \u201cOnce they\u2019re finished, they come back online and upload the data,\u201d says Gaeta. \u201cThey really appreciate that capability.\u201dColgate-Palmolive developed a variety of offline capabilities, including visit execution surveys, tasks, and order entry. Real-time pricing is another favorite.\u201cReps can be completely offline and take an order in front of a customer,\u201d says Tula. \u201cThey can be 100% sure that the pricing they give customers is the pricing that will appear on the order.\u201d      Win the retail shelf with a stellar mobile sales experience                Retailers are doing all they can to reach consumers on their cell phones. Learn how to create a mobile sales experience that will boost bottom lines.      Strategizing for the future of retail execution\u00a0Looking ahead, CPG brands are investigating new intelligent technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, to support advances like dynamic route planning, dynamic route optimization, image recognition, and smart selling.It\u2019s all about helping field reps focus more on satisfying customers and less on parsing data.\u201cAnything that helps our field team be more empowered with less time or effort spent on the system is worthwhile,\u201d says Baheti. \u201cHaving the ability to connect with the right customers at the right time \u2013 in a way that maximizes productivity and output \u2013 is essential.”  More options. More conditions. More stakeholders. More circling-back.Modern selling is anything but simple.Intelligent sales enablement starts HERE."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2022","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"01","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/\/01\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"07","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/\/01\/\/07\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"CPG standouts: Retail execution strategies in action","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/01\/07\/retail-execution-strategies-in-action\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]