Illuminating blind spots in store strategy execution

The environment for consumer goods manufacturers is becoming increasingly unforgiving: not only is greater choice, better availability and sharper pricing leading to more competition, but demand is harder to predict and trend cycles have dramatically shortened.

 

What’s more, both the brand narrative and the shopper journey are being fractured by new channels, not just those across the modern trade-to-traditional outlets spectrum, but also HORECA and pharmacies.

 

In order to compensate, brands invest heavily in marketing and trade promotions. Yet returns on these campaigns grow harder to measure and prove. The holy grail of retail execution – proving a specific channel promotion generated a certain percentage of sales uplift – eludes closed-loop ROI thanks to gaps between action and outcome.

 

Then there is the situation at the point of sale. Items are regularly out of stock or incorrectly merchandised, prices change frequently, shelves are highly competitive and promotional plans or planograms are applied unevenly across locations. Despite the complexity, legacy tools are still used, meaning brands are unaware of the on-the-ground reality. Poor visibility of in-store execution results in less capacity to intervene when things go wrong.

 

What follows is predictable: shoppers go elsewhere, and brands lose out to competing alternatives.

 

Poor store visibility begets a poor feedback loop and poor strategy

 

While tech has advanced, many brands still use tools that neither connect nor exchange information effectively, resulting in silos that feed off poor data. That causes downstream problems: if, for instance, a tool for in-store pricing lacks real-time, accurate analytics, the RGM/TPM outcomes will also be poor.

 

The missing ingredient is key: actionable intelligence delivered directly at the point of sale. Sales teams need clear guidance they can act on during the store visit, not retrospective reports built on historical trends. This is especially critical for complex CPG and consumer health portfolios operating under strict compliance requirements and limited pricing power. In today’s environment, yesterday’s data can’t fix today’s shelf issues. Real-time insight that connects head-office intent to store-level execution can.

 

Closing the execution gap

 

To close the gap, brands need a system that ensures the vision of the leadership is realised in-store. Execution must be measurable and shelf performance tied directly to P&L outcomes. When this connection exists (see, decide, act, measure), stores shift from cost centres to engines of growth.

 

MC1 makes this connection by equipping frontline teams with live, in-store intelligence through AI that operates fully on-device, on or offline. Sales reps, merchandisers, auditors and medical visitors receive guidance in the moment, with AI-driven workflows that determine which locations deserve immediate focus, flag SKUs that need intervention and suggest next actions based on execution for each individual store and banner.

 

With every visit made by a sales rep, high-quality data is captured – through advanced image recognition, automated compliance verification and standardised questionnaires. In the process, routine store checks become a continuous stream of accurate, granular precision information refreshed in real-time, giving users unparalleled insights to aid decisionmaking.

 

Not only is internal performance measured, but competitor pricing, shelf presence and availability are as well. And because the data arrives immediately, sales reps can act instantly while still in the store, placing orders and optimising product mix for traditional trade. Headquarters can make swift decisions on things such as product pricing and store visit plans, enabling them to optimise sales performance and trade promotions (TPM).

 

MC1 gives you complete control of the sales journey, from cargo to delivery confirmation to precision store execution, by automating the entire delivery cycle and field operations, while efficiently managing product flow from inventory to end customer.