The Next Big Digital Disruption in FMCG Distribution

Unlike Election 2019 exit polls and the totally unsatisfactory finale of Game of Thrones, AI delivers. Yet, consumer brands lag behind in innovating around sales and modernizing supply chain processes. 

Why? IT Strategy and marketing leaders from some of the top consumer brands that we work with spoke about the reasons behind the slow adoption of digital transformation.  Don’t miss their videos here.

“Can AI replace the salesman?” asked Krishna Kothari, CEO of Mobisy UK, to the horde of innovators, strategists, sales hawks, and technologists at the roundtable. He questioned the relevance of the age-old practice of sales reps going from outlet to outlet, taking orders, checking compliance, and talking about the next best product since churned butter… 

Our customers were clear: AI and retailer digitization cannot replace the salesman yet, said Sreeji Gopinathan of Reckitt Benckiser. Rajiv Sawhney of JK Helene Curtis felt that a digital approach can certainly augment and make the sales force more effective. Hershey’s Aswin Prasad made an impassioned argument about why the salesperson was critical to close the credit loop for both the brand and distributor. All speakers explained how they were achieving their goals with the deployment of Bizom’s retail intelligence platform.

Does it spark joy? Consumer brands are piquing the interest of their customers through unique experiences. They are equally keen to make it a rewarding experience for their retailers. Shashank Sinha, NSD of Drools, a niche pet food producer, spoke about creating differentiated experiences for consumers by digitizing the retailers. In their case, a retailer app that tracked the redemption of customer coupons not only drove sales but also created greater loyalty for the retail store.

“Maine yek kiya, toh aap mujhe kya doge?” These are the words of most retailers. Brands can capitalize on the value-seeking behaviour of retailers by bringing them onto their tech platforms and in turn, acquiring better secondary sales data. Vinayak Vetekar, VP of Sales and Marketing at Kores, discussed the empowerment of giving rewards to retailers directly in the brave, new world created by the Bizom app.

The infinitely positive loop of digitizing retail execution. According to Sreeji Gopinathan, Director IS – Africa, Middle East, South Asia at RB Health, digitizing retailers is only part of the solution. To sustain competitive advantage, brands should be able to leverage data gathered from transactions across the supply chain.  

Bizom’s strength lies in providing data-based insights and intelligence to CPG brands that can help optimize the entire supply chain. Its tech brings efficiencies to the brand and in equal measure to its channel partners and customers too.