Revolutionizing Trade Planning with a Solution Design Workshop

A leading consumer goods company engaged Elder Research to revolutionize their trade planning process—the strategic framework used to optimize sales and distribution through various retail channels. As part of these efforts, the company aimed to leverage revenue growth management (RGM) best practices to drive value and achieve corporate goals in an increasingly competitive market.

Despite significant investments in data and analytics, this company struggled to become truly data-driven. Their trade planning initiatives were siloed and often misaligned with high-level corporate objectives. Meetings were often unnecessary and involved the wrong people. Overall, the process felt over-engineered.

Without an overarching strategy guiding their efforts, the company had trouble allocating resources efficiently. Achieving measurable results was difficult. The lack of rigor led to poor adoption and buy-in from senior decision-makers.

The company knew something had to change. They needed more than just data. They needed a unified, cross-functional approach to trade planning that could not only deliver tangible ROI but also spark collaboration across departments. They looked to Elder Research to help break down the silos, streamline the trade planning process, and build a foundation for success everyone could rally behind.

Elder Research brought together key stakeholders from various departments for a four-day Solution Design Workshop. Together, the team developed a comprehensive multistage trade planning process from planning through selling and measuring its effectiveness. Incorporating RGM best practices, the approach emphasized data-informed decision-making and cross-functional collaboration.

The solution included high-level long- and short-term corporate goals and a staggered timeline to help prioritize retailers based on when subsequent decisions are made, allowing for thorough planning and execution. A new incentive system for the sales team was also proposed, aligning with corporate goals and focusing on profitability rather than just volume.

The new trade planning process positioned our client to make more strategic, data-driven decisions. It fostered collaboration between departments, replacing competition with cooperation. It provided a framework for setting clear objectives, developing comprehensive plans, and measuring performance against corporate goals. And it identified the data and analytics resources to optimally support the revised process to ensure the correct resources were gathered for implementation.

While specific metrics are not yet available, the company anticipates significant improvements in planning efficiency, resource allocation, and overall profitability. The process represented a major shift in our client’s approach to trade planning, setting the stage for more effective execution and better alignment with long-term corporate objectives.