The biggest challenge in a B2C industry has always been the management of distribution network where the manufacturer is completely dependent on the distributor for the transfer of goods and information. With an intense competition and a lack of visibility at the secondary and tertiary level of the distribution network, the Consumer goods manufacturer still has to ensure that the product is available at every big and small retail store. Additionally, as the retailer is manufacturer’s primary contact with the consumer, manufacturer has to focus on in-store placement and retailer’s motivation as they have the power to influence the consumer’s purchase decision.

In quest to become the market leader, the manufacturer also has to optimize his costs as well. However, due to lack of true picture of customer demand, the manufacturer cannot optimize his production.

With the proliferation of 3G/4G services in Pakistan and the availability of cheaper smartphones,  the manufacturers have the opportunity to resolve this core issue and also redefine the power equation in the industry. Pepsi Punjab Beverages Corporation (PBC), being one of the largest manufacturer of Pepsi in South Asia, faced the same dilemma. Having an intense competition with Coke, Pepsi has to ensure a stronger retailer network along with their strong marketing campaign to ensure that Pepsi is in the consumer’s reach. In collaboration with PBC, ExD Digital developed secondary sales solution for resolving distribution network issue of any distributor dependent industry. The solution, a mobile based hybrid system enables Pepsi to monitor the distribution network in real time through a GIS interface. The solution even enables Pepsi to track in-transit goods. Also, with a specialized route management module, Pepsi can plan and track daily and weekly visits of salesman and delivery vans to each retailer.

Sometimes, in such a competitive market, the competitor can suddenly drop product price to offload larger quantities. A manufacturer like Pepsi has to quickly respond under such circumstances. The secondary sales solution has a dedicated module to manage such situations. The solution enables salesman to generate a request which can be quickly approved by the hierarchy.

Real time monitoring enables Pepsi to have a better picture of the actual demand and thus, enables them to optimize their production. With secondary sales solution, Pepsi Punjab Beverages now has a responsive and optimized supply chain. And has enabled PBC to completely capture Faisalabad’s market.