The Atomic Power of a Pull Supply Chain

Hello, Local is Vocal. It took a lockdown to put the spotlight on local brands like BL Agro (Bail Kolhu oil), Unibic, Fena, Capital Foods, and others. These brands used their nimble supply chains to plug in the gaps left by the Goliaths whose distribution networks collapsed in the times of social distancing.  

Meanwhile, we are figuring out new ways to get brands to store shelves. Is it time to focus more on a Pull Supply Chain? Is it as simple as enabling your retailers to order directly? Or is it about tracking data at all touchpoints of your supply chain?

We have been talking about the need to move to a multi-touch retail execution platform in the new normal. Brands need to embed technology at all touchpoints of their value chain if they are to navigate the disruptions of the current times successfully. 

A pull-based approach to distribution is a critical aspect of the digital supply chains of the future. A pull approach can counter the uncertainties of erratic demand. It can change ‘push products’ into ‘pull products’ when technology solutions enable retailers to order themselves, track deliveries, and create a schedule for stocking their supplies.

In a pull system, your salespeople rely on actionable insights to know – What to sell, Where to sell, and for How much to sell it. They set the pace for demand. Such insights help execute your Route to Market strategy quickly and collaboratively with your customers in real time.

By relying on a pull strategy, you are by no means letting go of the old ways of the push strategy. In the latter approach, your salespeople courted and enticed retailers to put your products on the shelves of stores. However, intransigent stakeholder behaviors put immense pressure on your margins. Credit terms were downright wicked (not the right kind), and demands for discounts and incentives put your revenue goals on the back foot. You had lesser control over price as well.

With a pull strategy, you can connect directly with your customers, create your credit terms and manage the efficacy of your trade promotions. Since your supply chain is digitised, you can track all aspects of your upstream to the downstream supply chain. The increased visibility will go a long way to please all your stakeholders.

The good news is that you can execute your pull strategy quickly through Bizom’s Multi-touch Distribution Platform. The multi-touch platform, combined with actionable insights, is at the core of how we are digitising and transforming sales and distribution functions for over 350 brands. The platform can:

Digitise your business – Automate processes across the supply chain from consumer goods companies to POS.

Offer performance visibility – Capture data at every step to enable end-to-end visibility.

Drive growth – Use insights to drive growth through supply chain optimization, retailer engagement, trade spend optimization, and perfect retail execution.

Bizom’s Multi-Touch platform can measure and deliver growth through data to every stakeholder within a brand’s ecosystem.