Coca-Cola Advocates DSR Adoption in Downturn
July 1, 2009 -- Actionable insights derived from downstream data can drive dramatic improvements in customer-facing and supply chain processes, especially given the current economic climate and ever changing shopper buying behaviors. During a recent Web seminar, titled "Responding to Demand," CGT Executive Editor Kara Romanow led a panel of industry experts, including Tony van der Hoek of The Coca-Cola Company, E.J. Kenney of SAP America, and Shawn Dolley of Vision Chain. Together, they explored proven ways to best leverage newly available retailer-direct data. Here is a brief overview of the event's highlights:
--Tony van der Hoek, director, Strategy & Business Solutions, The Coca-Cola Company, offered a real-word business case for adopting a demand signal repository (DSR) in the downturn. "We are in a recessionary environment, and DSR is at the cusp of innovation because it's hard to do," he says. "But if you don't start now, you won't cut your teeth on and learn from all of the mistakes that are just natural any time you do innovation." Van der Hoek then reviewed the progress that Coca-Cola has made insofar with its Customer Analysis and Reporting System (CARS), and how it enables business processes like account analysis, category analysis, assortment, segmentation and master data management. "This kind of solution starts the process of learning and understanding what it is exactly that will help drive down out of stocks, increase sales and get the right products in the stores. This becomes increasingly important in the success of new product launches as well," he closed.
-- Vision Chain Founder Shawn Dolley talked about obtaining newly-available retailer data today -- what you can get, where you can get it and what you can do with it. "Increasingly, we're seeing retailers adopt a standard of giving away the data for free to increase the usage and collaboration," said Dolley. Yet, there are some restrictions, for example, most retailers will not offer competitive data and some don't provide data at all. Dolley shared an exclusive preview of an upcoming GMA study that breaks down data sharing by top retailers, like Albertson's, Costco, Wal-Mart, etc. By viewing the on-demand version of this Web seminar, you will learn how these retailers are sharing data from a technical standpoint, how often, at what level of granularity and which retailers offer the highly-coveted yet rare competitive data.
-- E.J. Kenney, vice president, Consumer Sector, SAP America, examined the pain points facing the consumer goods industry today, including the struggle to anticipate consumer needs, a lack of downstream data visibility, ineffective or underperforming TPM and increasing out of stocks. He emphasized that responding effectively to consumer needs requires coordinated, integrated systems and processes. "What can a DSR do for your business? I like to use the analogy that it's like providing a power grid that takes and harnesses power and provides it to you in a way that you can use it effectively. This is a very significant area of strategic importance for consumer products companies and we're seeing significant increases in levels of investment."
Following a lively Q&A session at the close of the event, one thing was clear: A DSR is a differentiator in a down economy. "It's not something that should be put on the backburner. Start small -- start in sales or supply chain, start with one customer or category -- but keep the big picture in mind," said Romanow, who first coined the term "demand signal repository" in 2004.
Click here to listen to this web seminar event in its entirety.
--Tony van der Hoek, director, Strategy & Business Solutions, The Coca-Cola Company, offered a real-word business case for adopting a demand signal repository (DSR) in the downturn. "We are in a recessionary environment, and DSR is at the cusp of innovation because it's hard to do," he says. "But if you don't start now, you won't cut your teeth on and learn from all of the mistakes that are just natural any time you do innovation." Van der Hoek then reviewed the progress that Coca-Cola has made insofar with its Customer Analysis and Reporting System (CARS), and how it enables business processes like account analysis, category analysis, assortment, segmentation and master data management. "This kind of solution starts the process of learning and understanding what it is exactly that will help drive down out of stocks, increase sales and get the right products in the stores. This becomes increasingly important in the success of new product launches as well," he closed.
-- Vision Chain Founder Shawn Dolley talked about obtaining newly-available retailer data today -- what you can get, where you can get it and what you can do with it. "Increasingly, we're seeing retailers adopt a standard of giving away the data for free to increase the usage and collaboration," said Dolley. Yet, there are some restrictions, for example, most retailers will not offer competitive data and some don't provide data at all. Dolley shared an exclusive preview of an upcoming GMA study that breaks down data sharing by top retailers, like Albertson's, Costco, Wal-Mart, etc. By viewing the on-demand version of this Web seminar, you will learn how these retailers are sharing data from a technical standpoint, how often, at what level of granularity and which retailers offer the highly-coveted yet rare competitive data.
-- E.J. Kenney, vice president, Consumer Sector, SAP America, examined the pain points facing the consumer goods industry today, including the struggle to anticipate consumer needs, a lack of downstream data visibility, ineffective or underperforming TPM and increasing out of stocks. He emphasized that responding effectively to consumer needs requires coordinated, integrated systems and processes. "What can a DSR do for your business? I like to use the analogy that it's like providing a power grid that takes and harnesses power and provides it to you in a way that you can use it effectively. This is a very significant area of strategic importance for consumer products companies and we're seeing significant increases in levels of investment."
Following a lively Q&A session at the close of the event, one thing was clear: A DSR is a differentiator in a down economy. "It's not something that should be put on the backburner. Start small -- start in sales or supply chain, start with one customer or category -- but keep the big picture in mind," said Romanow, who first coined the term "demand signal repository" in 2004.
Click here to listen to this web seminar event in its entirety.