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Step-by-Step Guide to Implementing and Maintaining Retail Execution

Written by Mohamed Ghaleb, CFA | Apr 24, 2023 3:21:23 PM

Today's retail environment is highly competitive. Consumer goods companies must streamline relationships, optimize sales activities, and fuel alignment and productivity for success. That's where Consumer Goods Cloud Retail Execution, powered by Salesforce Customer 360, comes in. This powerful solution enables companies to transform their retail operations and maximize sales opportunities across various channels.

Streamline Relationships and Sales Activities

If you’re looking to streamline retail execution at your company, these strategies can get you started:

Aligning Sales Teams and Accounts

With Consumer Goods Cloud Retail Execution, sales teams can dive into account information from territories down to the store level. This granular access helps surface insights around growth opportunities, enabling sales and marketing alignment, and resulting in enhanced productivity.

Identifying Growth Opportunities

By analyzing sales and distribution metrics, companies gain valuable visibility into the effectiveness of their field plans. This approach uses data to help them plan effectively. It also allows them to prioritize store visits that require attention first, optimizing their field team's operations.

Tracking Sales and Distribution Metrics

You can only stay apprised of the effectiveness of your company’s field plans by tracking sales and distribution metrics. To do so, companies can leverage Consumer Goods Cloud Retail Execution's robust reporting capabilities. By understanding the performance of their field plans, businesses can make data-driven decisions that improve their retail execution strategies.

Coordinating Field Teams

Consumer Goods Cloud Retail Execution allows companies to coordinate their field teams effectively, ensuring everyone is on the same page. Field reps can use this data to identify areas that need immediate attention. They can also get a list of places to visit based on what is most important to the business.

Prioritizing Store Visits

There is no better way to optimize business goals than prioritizing store visits. As the go-to CGC solution, Salesforce is designed to help field reps prioritize store visits based on business goals and performance metrics. This ensures they focus on locations that offer the highest potential for sales growth and improved customer satisfaction.

Maximizing Field Rep Productivity

Out-of-the-box capabilities, such as route optimization and automatic scheduling, help increase field rep productivity. These features ensure reps visit the right location at the right time, making the most out of their workday.

Route Planning and Scheduling

Optimize Routes

Consumer Goods Cloud Retail Execution offers out-of-the-box capabilities that optimize route planning and scheduling. These features help field reps save time besides reducing transportation costs. This gives them more time to focus on important tasks, such as building relationships and increasing sales.

Right Location, Right Time

Salesforce CGC’s intelligent scheduling algorithm ensures field reps visit the right location at the right time. This optimization maximizes selling opportunities and ensures stores receive the care they need to perform well. It is an optimum level of optimization.

Offline Functionality and Information Syncing

Field reps often experience difficulties connecting in remote locations. Consumer Goods Cloud Retail Execution has a solution for this. It provides offline coverage for field reps using the Salesforce Mobile App. The platform offers offline functionality, allowing reps to work seamlessly regardless of their internet connection. The first-sync-of-day feature ensures they have all the updated information they need for their daily tasks.

Field Rep Homepage and Daily Tasks

From the homepage, field reps have access to all the information needed to complete their store visits. This comprehensive overview ensures they can quickly review their daily tasks and stay organized throughout the day.

Map View and Optimized Routes

Traffic Information

The map view feature enables field reps to view a list of visits for the day. It also enables them to generate an optimized route when driving to each store. This feature also provides relevant traffic information, helping reps minimize windshield time and make the most of every selling opportunity.

Selling Opportunities

Field reps can focus on the essential tasks of selling products and building relationships with store managers. This is made possible with optimized routes and up-to-date traffic information. This increased efficiency helps drive sales growth and overall retail success.

Calendar View and Visit Scheduling

Field reps can use the calendar view. They can drag and drop visits that have been added.

This ensures their schedule is up-to-date. It also ensures their schedule is free of conflicts. This level of organization helps them stay on track and manage their time effectively.

In-store tasks and Sales Collateral

Field reps can access important sales material when they visit stores. These materials include product details, sell sheets, images of display set-ups, and other relevant files. This information helps them perform inventory audits, promotion checks, and other in-store tasks efficiently and accurately.

Mobile Ordering and Pricing

Empowering field reps to sell products has never been easier. Field reps can use their mobile devices to place orders using the Salesforce Mobile App. They can also access volume-based awards and special pricing if certain conditions are met. This pricing may vary depending on the store and the quantity of SKUs.

SKU Quantity and Pricing Conditions

Quantities are updated and added to the cart. This reflects the appropriate sales unit price. This is based on complex conditions and promotional pricing which must be exact to the penny. This streamlined process ensures field reps can quickly and accurately place orders, improving overall productivity.

Order Preview and Store Manager Review

After confirming the order looks good, field reps can generate a preview for the store manager to review. This step ensures both parties are on the same page and reduces the likelihood of errors or missed communications.

Order Release and Signature Capture

The store manager can approve the order and review the details of the complete visit. The field rep can simply execute and release the order. This seamless process enhances customer satisfaction and ensures timely order fulfillment.

Conclusion

Consumer Goods Cloud Retail Execution, powered by Salesforce Customer 360, is transforming the CPG industry digitally. It is streamlining relationships, optimizing sales activities, and providing a suite of tools to maximize field rep productivity. In summary, this technology is transforming the industry.

This solution is powerful since It enables businesses to make every store the ideal store. This increases growth and helps them succeed in a very competitive market.

It is important to remember that successful Salesforce implementations require extensive planning, commitment, and strong backing from leadership. Without these key elements, success is unlikely.

Partnering with a Salesforce CGC Certified Partner is highly recommended for quickly and efficiently setting up Salesforce CGC. Learners.ai is an example of a Certified Partner with experience in this domain. Your company can maximize the potential of Consumer Goods Cloud Retail Execution with expert advice and support. This will lead to improved ROI and efficiency in retail operations.