What to Look for in an RGM Solution for CPG Companies

When it comes to consumer packaged goods (CPG), success is intertwined with understanding the intricacies of the market and having the tools to navigate it proficiently. One such indispensable tool in the CPG industry is Revenue Growth Management (RGM) software.

Managing revenue growth is fraught with challenges. An absence of comprehensive business intelligence results in missed opportunities and misaligned strategies. Traditional approaches might become obstacles rather than facilitators in maximizing return on investment (ROI).

This is where the right RGM solution becomes a game-changer. It can serve as a trusted guide, overcoming hurdles by providing accurate and actionable insights. From harmonizing disparate data sources to offering advanced analytical tools, the appropriate RGM tool can transform challenges into opportunities.

As we delve into the heart of this subject, we will explore the essential elements to consider when selecting an RGM solution for your CPG company.

Key components of an efficient RGM platform

When it comes to driving success, a powerful RGM platform is not a preference; it's a necessity. From large enterprises to emerging brands, the choice of an RGM solution can significantly influence your profitability and growth. Here are the features that an efficient RGM platform should have:

• Data analytics and insights

Comprehensive and real-time data analysis with visualizations, trend analysis, and predictive modeling through artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Benefit: By offering comprehensive data analysis through predictive modeling, your RGM software not only opens windows into customer behavior, market trends, and sales performance but also makes predicting future sales and demand feasible. These insights facilitate targeted strategies that resonate with market dynamics, enabling you to be proactive and align resources with anticipated opportunities or challenges, thus maximizing efficiency and effectiveness in responding to market needs. 

Ideally, your data should encompass all ERP information, including master data, shipment details, pricing, contracts, etc. It should also include relevant POS data from both syndicated sources and customer portals. Additionally, incorporate consumer dynamic information from household panels and custom sources. As a bonus, consider adding retail media data and online promotional data (Numerator). Macroeconomic data such as inflation, unemployment, etc. is necessary as well. Models in an RGM solution should not be source constrained; you should be able to incorporate all relevant data sources.

• Customization and integration

Seamless integration with existing systems and customization to fit unique business needs.

Benefit: It ensures a harmonized workflow and tailored solutions that resonate with your specific goals. Also, it scales with your business, supporting growth and expansion. The software should also facilitate cross-functional collaboration.

• Pricing analytics

In-depth price analysis, price segmentation, and competitive pricing strategies with scenario planning capabilities.

Benefit: With up-to-date models on demand, you ensure that your pricing strategies are not only current but also optimized for the ever-changing market landscape.

• Promotion management

Effective management and planning of promotional activities across all channels.

Benefit: Enhances promotional efficiency, coordination, and return on promotional investments. Enables accurate financial accruals and preserves audit trails. Provides sales team with productivity enhancing features that enable them to have a high level of functionality in an easy-to-use system. 

• Promotion optimization

Utilizing algorithms is essential for determining the most effective and efficient promotional strategies to achieve targets in sales, growth, trade spend, and profit. Strong constraint-based scenario planning capabilities are a must!

Benefit: Through careful examination of the success of promotional tactics and discounts and predictable future results, you can adjust your strategies to optimize revenue without compromising profitability.

• Product portfolio optimization

Enables an understanding of SKU importance to company sales, profit, and consumer needs. Should incorporate cannibalization to understand substitutability.

Benefit: Enhances inventory efficiency, reduces waste, caters to consumer preferences, and provides the sales team with direction on stocking priorities.

• Trade strategy

Your trade strategies are designed and optimized through data analysis and predictive modeling. 

Benefit: By understanding customer behavior, market trends, and sales performance, you can craft a trade strategy that resonates with local consumers and aligns with both the brand's and the retailer’s objectives. This approach enables a precise evaluation of ROI, taking into account all expenses including trading terms, EDLP, and promotional costs, thus aligning spending with growth goals and reducing inefficient promotional expenditures.

• Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)

The entire platform should be built on a platform of both descriptive and predictive analytics to ensure the accuracy and actionability of the various levers of RGM.

Benefit: Enables you to leverage vast amounts of data, optimize decision-making processes, and provide personalized experiences to consumers.

Why CPG companies need machine learning and artificial intelligence in RGM

These technologies are rapidly being woven into the very fabric of our daily lives, transforming how we conduct business across various industries.

How ML and AI enhance promotion optimization

Promotion optimization is a critical aspect of any CPG company's strategy. But in a world awash with data and increasingly discerning consumers, traditional promotional tactics are no longer enough. ML and AI are changing the way CPG companies approach promotion optimization. Here's how:

• Analyzing sales lift: AI and ML algorithms can analyze sales lift data from various promotions, identifying which tactics are most effective in driving incremental sales. This can help you pinpoint the specific elements of a promotion that lead to success.
• Understanding cannibalization effects: Promotions can sometimes lead to the cannibalization of sales from one product to another within the same brand or category. AI and ML can analyze these effects, helping you to structure promotions in a way that maximizes overall brand or category sales rather than shifting sales from one product to another.
• Predictive modeling: Beyond retrospective analysis, AI and ML can also predict how future promotions will perform based on historical data and market trends. This predictive modeling helps you plan and quantify your promotional strategies with greater accuracy.
• Dynamic optimization: Leveraging AI and ML, promotional strategies can be periodically adjusted throughout the planning year based on evolving trends and timely feedback. This adaptability allows you to remain competitive and swiftly react to market shifts.
• Localize promotion intelligence: Promotions are not one size fits all. ML models operate at a very granular level, enabling you to optimize promotional strategies by retailer, or store clusters within retailers.

Assortment or mix optimization with AI

Ensuring you have the right assortment or mix of products is not just a matter of choice; it's a strategic imperative. The complexity of managing multiple stock keeping units (SKUs), understanding consumer preferences, identifying assortment gaps, and aligning with seasonal trends makes this task challenging. AI takes assortment or mix optimization to a whole new level. 

Optimizing an assortment is a complex task, driven by unyielding demands from retailers as well as internal financial constraints. Creating a successful assortment strategy is essential for achieving profitable growth. This is where sophisticated advice on assortment at the point of sale (POS) becomes vital. With a comprehensive RGM software, you can adjust to market opportunities and understand the complex relationships between regions, channels, and occasions, all while evaluating the impact on your bottom line.

Trade spend management through ML

When it comes to the CPG industry, trade spending represents a significant portion of a company's budget. Optimizing these investments is therefore vital for profitability and growth, but traditional methods often fall short. This is where ML can come in and transform the way you approach trade spending management. 

By utilizing the power of ML algorithms, you can gain insights derived from vast amounts of data, uncovering patterns and trends that were previously hidden. This allows for a more nuanced understanding of consumer behavior and enables you to create more targeted and effective trade promotions.

We can help enhance your revenue growth initiatives

In a world where consumer preferences are always changing and market trends are ever-evolving, a static approach to revenue growth simply won't do. You need a partner who understands your challenges, your vision, and your unique path to success. Enhancing revenue growth is not just about selling more products; it's about adopting a strategic approach that resonates with your consumers and aligns with market trends. That's where CPGvision by PSignite comes into play.

Our ever-evolving solution suite and dedicated team of experts are ready to help you transform your revenue growth strategy. Whether you're a new brand aiming to make a mark or an established name looking to scale new heights, our RGM solution is created to ensure that your brand not only grows but thrives.

Ready to take your revenue growth strategy to the next level? Get in touch today, and let's embark on a journey towards a more profitable future. Your success story starts here, and we can't wait to be a part of it.