New Research on Retail: Winning at the Shelf

New industry research reveals that the in-store technology increases the achievement of ROI goals by 50 percent. On April 13, 2010, during a CGT Web seminar, attendees learned about the specific technology applications that survey respondents are investing in as well as those that they are not pursuing.

Jon Van Duyne, principal, Booz & Co., and Harris Fogel, president Quofore Americas, presented findings from the research and discussed its implications for the consumer goods industry, including trends around the growth of private label, trade promotion spending and compliance, and shifts in manufacturers in-store objectives.

Here is a small sample of the important research findings covered during the Web event:

--"If we look back over the last 18 to 24 months, we've seen the evolution of technology, economic trends and the influence of retailers all combining to heighten both focus and investment on the in-store environment," says Jon Van Duyne, principal for Booz & Co.

-- Despite the economic slow down, consumer goods (CG) companies are investing in sales and marketing software -- in areas like sales force automation, trade optimization, mobile solutions and analytics -- to improve effectiveness.

-- CG companies are prepared to invest in technology and process improvement over the next five years. The majority of their investments in sales and marketing technologies will be focused on in-store technology.

--In-store promotion compliance is continually identified as a major barrier to growing the top line. And ROI on trade events is directly correlated to the effective use of technology to analyze in-store activities.

--Future IT investments involve a focus on improving productivity and performance of promotions. Analysis suggests less interest around supply chain-related data such as inventories and orders.

To listen to the Web seminar in its entirety, click here, and to download the full research, click here.