Shelf Acceptance

In a world where it seems as though so much undue pressure is being thrust upon the CPG industry by their retail "partners", I find it oddly amusing when many of the CPG executives I talk to are more than happy to discuss the finer points of growing their customer's business. Sure, the customer is king, but when does the bar stop being raised on what constitutes superior service? Virtually every IT category from the CPG perspective, for instance, is designed to make a retailer's life a cake-walk. Whether it's a workhorse supply chain application brimming with visibility or a souped-up business intelligence tool able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, the end game surrounding any type of functionality remains the same: Get products to the store on time and keep them in stock. The "push" model of manufacturing goods has morphed into the Demand Driven "pull" strategy. So where we do we go from here? Will pull come to shove? I can only imagine the most seasoned CPG executive reeling at the thought of what the "shove" way of doing business means.

Shelf Acceptance

Thankfully, IT seems to be keeping pace with CPG needs, easing the most dire pain points associated with delivering superior customer service. Our cover story this month with Unilever UK Foods (p. 16) is a fine example of how a manufacturer is using category management functionality to help its customers sell more goods. It's a win-win situation, because at the end of the day, Unilever was able to turn a lagging brand into one that is gaining widespread acceptance from customers and consumers. How is your company managing the shelf? Feel free to drop me a line: [email protected]