perfetti sales
TRANSCRIPT
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Assessment of Sales and Distribution Network of
Perfetti Van Melle and the way ahead
Under the guidance of: Mr Rajeev Verma (BSM, south)
By Maurya Krishna Summer Trainee
IIM Lucknow
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Contents List of Figures and Tables .......................................................................................................................... 2
1. Abstract Summary ............................................................................................................................. 3
2. Background and Importance of the project ...................................................................................... 4
3. Methodology ..................................................................................................................................... 5
4. About the Organization ..................................................................................................................... 6
4.1 The Perfetti Van Melle distribution system .................................................................................. 8
4.1.1 The Direct distributors .............................................................................................................. 9
4.1.2 The Super Stockiest and Sub Stockiest structure .................................................................... 10
4.1.3 PSR .......................................................................................................................................... 10
4.1.4 DSE .......................................................................................................................................... 10
4.1.5 DBSM ....................................................................................................................................... 10
4.1.6 Star Outlets ............................................................................................................................. 11
4.1.7 Operation Nano ...................................................................................................................... 11
5. Findings and Recommendations ..................................................................................................... 12
5.1 A comment on the small candy market ...................................................................................... 12
5.2 Competitors ................................................................................................................................ 12
5.3 Relationship Marketing ............................................................................................................... 13
5.4 Rural market: Operation Nano.................................................................................................... 13
5.4.1 Key repeat beat observations: ................................................................................................ 14
5.4.2 The way ahead ........................................................................................................................ 14
5.5 Implementation of a product catalog ......................................................................................... 17
5.6 PSR tracking................................................................................................................................. 18
5.7 The problem called FORUM ........................................................................................................ 19
5.8 Relative comparison of salesmen and better control: ................................................................ 20
5.9 General Recommendations ........................................................................................................ 22
5.9.1 Increase the Price point .......................................................................................................... 22
5.9.2 Bundle Packs ........................................................................................................................... 22
5.9.3 Demand Chain Planning .......................................................................................................... 22
5.9.4 Indulge in innovative advertising ............................................................................................ 22
6. Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 23
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List of Figures and Tables
Fig No
Description Pg No
1 PVMI product portfolio 7 2 Stop Not the new snack launched from PVMI 8 3 PVMI distribution system 8 4 Van used for Operation Nano 11 5 The main competitor of PVMI 12 6 Percentage sales from top 20 percent outlets on each route 15 7 Product wise sales of operation Nano 16 8 Product Catalog 18 9 Format for relative comparison between salesmen 21 10 A new model to exert better control 21
Table No
Description Pg No
1 Coverage of the urban Distribution system by RSUs 9 2 Product division into units 9 3 Costing for Operation Nano 16 4 Operation Nano details 17 5 PSR tracking format 18 6 Current super stockiest format 19 7 Modified super stockiest format 19
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1. Abstract Summary
No system in the world is perfect. Perfetti Van Melles distribution was studied, loopholes were
identified and suggestions were made. Perfetti has a well-established distribution network to reach the
urban and rural regions. The direct distributor structure for the urban regions and the Super stockiest-
sub stockiest structure for the rural regions is the status quo. To reach beyond this PVMI has started van
operations and termed this as operation Nano. The super sub structure was being computerized and
several problems were being faced during its implementation stage. PSR working of PVM was not
structured. A tracking mechanism for the PSR has been suggested. Benefits of Operation Nano and
suggestions to improvise have been discussed. For the urban system, a computerized technique has
been suggested. This technique would free the DSE of the physical stock check and making monthly
reports. The reports could be easily generated by software. The DSEs time could be used to do more
productive work, help the DBSM and increase sales. A decision about which DBSM to be helped can be
arrived at by viewing the relative comparison format. Perfetti could indulge in innovative advertising to
have better impact on the rural areas. An idea about the type of advertising to be involved in is
suggested.
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2. Background and Importance of the project
Perfetti Van Melle has a very strong distribution network. This is the core competency of the company.
There is always a scope for improving any existing system and moving towards perfection. The sub
stockiest-super stockiest structure was not generating the expected throughput. PSR functioning was
not structured. The PSR would go to a sub stockiest point at a time that is convenient to him. He would
not cover the market at times. All these factors would result in lesser throughput. Operation Nano, the
seeding operation for micro interiors, had a high cost of operation. PVM wanted ensure that the
investment is in the right direction generating tangible and intangible benefits for the company. The
seeding operation had to be more efficient to reach its goals successfully.
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3. Methodology
The problems were identified by living through the Perfetti Van Melle distribution system. Direct
distributors were interviewed to ask them about the problems they faced. Distributor salesmen were
observed when they made calls and sold products to the retailers. DSEs contributed towards better
understanding of the system. Such an activity was carried out in various towns.
To understand the problems in the rural distribution network, various super stockiests were met in
several upcountry towns. They were interviewed about the problems they faced. PSR activity was
observed by working alongside with him. Various sub stockiest points were visited along with the PSR
and a note of his working was made. The problems at the sub stockiest level were also identified.
A study about recently started Operation Nano was made. The working of the PSR there was observed.
The pattern of sales and the pattern in which these routes were covered were also observed. Van routes
were observed when the beats where covered for the first time and also when the repeat beats were
done. The first beat sample was of 6 days and that of repeat beat was of 3 days. Conclusions were
drawn based on these samples.
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4. About the Organization
Perfetti Van Melle is a global manufacturer of confectionary and gums. It was founded back in 1946 by
Ambrogio and Edigio Perfetti. Perfetti acquired Van Melle in 2001 to form Perfetti Van Melle. The Indian
Subsidiary of Perfetti was established in 1994. Today the company has close to 30% share in the Indian
confectionary market making it one of the leading players. Perfetti Van Melles brands enjoy a great
recall value in todays market in the minds of the consumer. Perfetti is known for making innovative
products and advertising them in an innovative way as well.
The Indian subsidiary of Perfetti Van Melle also takes care of the development of South Asian
markets and exports to other Asian countries. Perfetti Van Melle has adopted an aggressive sales
strategy to retain the numero uno position in the confectionery industry in India backed by a wide
network of Carry & Forwarding agent (C&FA), distributors & sales force. Perfetti Van Melle India has a
network of around 4,500 distributors spread across 2000 urban towns. Perfetti has a direct distributor
structure for the urban markets where as the super stockiest-sub stockiest structure is predominant in
the rural markets. To reach beyond the sub stockiest structure, operation Nano has been started. This
operation consists of a van selling products to outlets that have not been supplied earlier.
Perfetti Van Melle has 150 brands worldwide out of which 24 brands have been launched in
India so far. Some of the leading Indian brands are Center fresh, Big Babool, Mentos, Center Fruit,
Alpenliebe etc. The brands are categorized into toffees, bubble gums, chewing gums, clairs and
functional gums. Toffees as name suggests are sugar candies- Alpenliebe, being a classic example for a
toffee. Creamfills is another example for a toffee. Chewing gums are the products which are to be
chewed to consume. Center Fresh is an example for a chewing gum. Bubble Gum, as name suggests are
those gums which can be blown into a bubble- Big babool being an example. Functional gums perform a
particular function other than being a chewing gum. Eg : Hapydent White does the task of removing
yellow marks on the consumers tooth. Chocoliebe is an clair and also enjoys the privilege of being the
first cocoa based product launched by PVMI. Center Fresh is the first gum launched in the Indian market.
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Fig 1 : Product portfolio of PVMI
Big Babol Filly Folly is a new innovative product launched by the company. The product is first a cotton
candy and then it is a bubble gum.
After ruling the confectionary segment for 17 long years, PVMI is now moving towards
becoming a food company. The segment PVMI selected to enter is the snacks segment. The reason
behind choosing this segment is the attractiveness of the segment in terms of growth. PVMI duplicated
its innovativeness of making products in this segment also. The resulting product was the first of its kind
in the Indian market- a center filled snack. I was named Stop Not. With its innovative packing, it had the
ability to draw the consumers attention once it was placed on the retailers shelf. Stop Not has been
launched in two states and is soon set to be launched in other parts of the country.
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Fig 2 : Stop Not the new snack launched from PVMI
Cadbury and Wrigley are the major competitors of Perfetti Van Melle in the Indian confectionary
market. Cadbury is the market leader worldwide whereas PVM is enjoying the pole position in Indian
markets. The advantage PVM has over its competitors is the extensive distribution network that is in
place reaching out even the rural areas, the wide range of products that PVM has to offer the consumer
and the innovative advertising that has a high brand recall potential.
4.1 The Perfetti Van Melle distribution system
The core competency of the company in the Indian markets is its distribution system which is one of the
most effective.
Fig 3 : PVMI distribution system
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Perfetti has a 2 level structure for the urban regions. The distributors serve the retailers who in turn
serve the end consumer. The distributors also serve the wholesalers. This shows the presence of a 3
level structure also. The structure consists of 3 levels for rural regions consisting of a sub and a super
stockiest. The function of a marketing channel is to ensure availability of the product to the end
consumer. The main components of the Perfetti Van melle distribution channel are explained below
4.1.1 The Direct distributors
For urban areas Perfetti relies on direct distributors to ensure effective distribution. The distributors are
served by the C & F agents. A particular distributor may have one or two units .The product range is
divided into 3 or 4 units depending on the area. The units are called P1, P2, P3 and P4. The products in
these units are mutually exclusive to avoid cannibalization amongst the distributors. A particular area is
divided into beats. A beat typically is a route consisting of about 60 outlets. A particular unit covers a
beat once in a week. The unit covers all the outlets on a particular beat during the course of the day. Eg :
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Beat 1 P1 P2 P3
Beat 2 P1 P2 P3
Beat 3 P3 P1 P2
Beat 4 P3 P1 P2
Beat 5 P2 P3 P1
Beat 6 P2 P3 P1
Table 1 : Coverage of the urban Distribution system by RSUs
P1 covers beat 1 on Monday, beat 2 on Tuesday and so on. P2 follows P1 but with a 2 day lag. The
division of products into units ensures the width of distribution. There will be more products in a
particular outlet than if a single distributor were employed.A typical division of products into units can
be seen below
P1 P2 P3
Alpenlibe Regular Big Babool stick Big Babool Center fresh spear mint Center Fruit Water Melon Lollipop Regular Marble black green Mentos Lemon Mentos Black orange Mentos assorted Alpenlibe coffee Happydent white Fruit tella lemon stick Filly folly fruit
Center Fresh sweet mint Center fruit grape Center fruit strawberry Big babool color magic Alpenlibe strawberry Alpenlibe chocolate Happydent white 150 Mentos mint Chocolebe Mangofills Marbles assorted Fruit tella 230
Center fresh Pepper Mint Center fruit Tuity fruity Alpenlibe banana Creamfills Chlormint Alpenlibe Eclairs Mentos Strawberry Sour marbles Happydent wave Filly folly strawberry Protex fruit
Table 2 : Product division into units
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4.1.2 The Super Stockiest and Sub Stockiest structure
For up country markets, a typical town consists of about 30 to 40 outlets. The velocity of the product in
these outlets is generally low. Hence having direct distributors here would not be feasible. So, the
distribution system for upcountry markets consists of a sub stockiest-super stockiest structure. A super
stockiest is generally based in a town where there are direct distributors and is responsible for serving
all the sub stockiests in his district. The super stockiest receives stock from the CFAs. A super stockiest is
given a margin of 2% on his investment.
A sub stockiest is a distributor who is being served by the super stockiest. He is responsible for
the distribution of the products in the town where he is based. The sub stockiest also receives service
from the PSR. A sub stockiest is given a 3.5% margin on his investment.
The difference between the rural and the urban market is that the breadth of the products in a
particular outlet in the rural market is less than that in an urban market. Eg : A particular outlet in the
urban market may have 3 flavors of center fresh, but the rural outlet will mostly stack only one flavor of
a particular product.
Selling in the sub super structure happens through order booking, where as in the direct distributor
structure it is through on spot delivery of the product.
The components of the Perfetti sales force are listed below
4.1.3 PSR
A pilot sales representative is a person who serves every substockist under a superstockist, i.e a PSR
serves all the substockiests in a particular district. The PSR is responsible for timely dispatch of stocks
being to the sub stockiest. He is a property of the super stockiest but is maintained by the company. A
PSR typically collects orders from the local retail outlets and passes it on to the sub stockiest which shall
be fulfilled by the latter. PSR ensures the effective working of the sub stockiest. He is the eyes and ears
of the company in the rural market. PSR is the lowest level in the company hierarchy.
4.1.4 DSE
A distribution and sales executive is the property of the company who handles distributors in a
particular area. The number of distributors in a town is dependent on the population of the area and the
volume of sales the area can support. The DSE is responsible for prospecting a new distributor in his area
if any line is vacant. He ensures effective working of the distributor and the DBSM. DSE is the person
who is responsible for the sales in his area. DSE has to maintain good relationship with the distributor
for better distribution of the companys products.
4.1.5 DBSM
A distributor salesman is the salesman of the distribution unit. He is the person who actually goes to the
retail shops and sells the products. Having a good DBSM is very essential as he is the one who sells it to
the customer. DBSMs relationship with the retailer is very important for effective distribution. DBSM
stacks the products into a RSU (ready stock unit) and covers the beat assigned for that day.
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4.1.6 Star Outlets
Star outlets exist in urban areas. Star outlets are those 20% outlets who contribute to 80% of the sales.
These are the outlets which stack only the high value products. The reason behind concentrating on
these outlets is not only the higher profit derived from these but it is also the increased price point.
4.1.7 Operation Nano
PVMIs Operation Nano is targeted towards reaching those regions where no competitor has reached.
PVMI is moving from micro interiors to nano interiors. PVMI is looking for the first mover advantage.
Even if other competitors follow PVMI, the latter will have an edge over the former. Operation Nano can
be viewed as a seeding operation to seed the nano interiors. Once the retailer realizes the demand for
the product, he would ensure that the product is present on his shelf.
Current scenario: Van routes have started in Hassan. Various routes were designed and the schedules
for the vans were made. The vans run through these routes supplying to all outlets that come along the
way. Sales averaged to around 8000 per day. Though the operation is expensive, perfetti is looking at it
as a long term investment. The investment is looked into as an advertising expense which is used to
seed the micro interiors.
Fig 4 : Van used for Operation Nano
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5. Findings and Recommendations
5.1 A comment on the small candy market
The candy market is impulse driven. Brand loyalty does exist, but it is minimal. The importance of display
cannot be under estimated. A wide range of close substitutes are available for the products. In a
particular retail shop a visibility experiment was conducted. Mentos jar was placed such that it was not
visible to the consumer. In a regular day the retailer sold 3 pieces. The next day the jar was placed such
that it was visible to the consumer. The retailer ended up in selling 18 pieces of mentos. This
demonstrates the importance of visibility. To ensure visibility, the products should be available at the
outlets. Distribution channels ensure availability at all possible outlets. Intensive distribution is
employed to ensure presence in all the outlets. Visibility is not only important at the retailers but it is
equally important at the wholesaler points as well. Wrigley had a competition for the wholesaler which
was called Display Ka Baap. The wholesaler with the best display of Wrigley products would win prizes.
Interviewing some wholesalers, the fact that Wrigley sales had increased in the recent days ( i.e the days
after the display was put up) was brought into light.
5.2 Competitors
The main competitors in the small candy market are Cadbury and Wrigley. Wrigley has presence in most
of the outlets where Perfettis products have their presence. Boomer is the competitor product which
sells the most in rural areas. Interviewing the kids who buy this product (in rural regions), an inference
was drawn that the brand equity of the brand is high due to advertising involving a superhero. Wrigleys
constant focus on Boomer can also be seen as the reason for the strength of the brand. General attitude
of the respondents was also perceived to be of the type Who does not know Boomer.
Fig 5 : The main competitor of PVMI
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5.3 Relationship Marketing
The distributors relationship with the retailer is another important factor that decides the depth of the
distribution. The salesman of a distributor also plays a very important role. It was observed that in
places where the distributor/salesman serviced the retailers frequently, sales was not a problem. Sales
went on smoothly each time the salesman made his call. But when the distributor doesnt serve the
retailer regularly, the retailer hesitates to purchase and makes minimal purchases. Relationship can be
established over a period of time when the salesman makes calls. Having a salesman with good
communication skills is very important for the company to prosper. The importance of relationship was
demonstrated during the new product launch in Hyderabad. A salesman who serviced the retailers
occasionally found it very difficult to place his product in the outlets whereas one who serviced the
retailers frequently had a good time in placing the products. A new distributor establishing a
relationship with the retailer will take time. This is one of the reasons why changing the distributor is the
last option in todays market.
The companys relationship with the distributor is again a criterion for effective distribution. Better is
the relationship between the company and its distributors more is the push from the distributors for
that particular product and less is the quitting tendency of the distributor.
5.4 Rural market: Operation Nano
The retailers in the rural regions generally buy in small quantities. Retailers are conservative. Many
retailers are uneducated and cannot differentiate between PVMs products and the local duplicates. The
retailers connect with the brand by means of the color. Hence any duplicate product having a similar
appearance as PVMs product has the potential to replace the latter on the retailers shelf. Only means
to solve this issue is by ensuring the presence of PVMs products on the shelf. Retailers resistance to
change is high; i.e he does not stack products which are not demanded for. His purchase is completely
demand driven. A lot of convincing is to be done to place a new or a product which is not well known on
the retailers shelf. Hence, if a product is once established in these regions replacing it with a substitute
is a difficult task.
The rural consumer connects with the brand through its color and packaging. Rural consumers are not
as curious as the urban consumers to try out new things. Word of mouth publicity has a very high
potential in the rural market. A particular consumer will try out a brand suggested by people around
him. This fact was brought to light after interviewing respondents.
The three point mantra for procuring sales in operation Nano Relationship, Regularity and Service
a) Relationship with the retailers is the most important thing on these routes. Selling would be easier
once the PSR establishes a rapport with the retailers. Many retailers were also concerned about the fact
that the salesmen would never return after selling the product and they would incur a loss in case the
products are not sold. All these issues would not rise once the relationship is established. Relationship
would also have long term implications. i.e of appointing a sub stockiest.
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b) Wholesalers from nearby areas serve the retailers through van routes. But these wholesalers are not
regular and so the retailers buy products from other sources. Once a relationship has been established
and the retailers are convinced that the vans service those locations at regular intervals, the resistance
to selling would further decrease.
c) The resistance to selling is very less on the van routes. Retailers buy items as they never experienced
service where products were delivered at their doorstep. The level of service we provide will be the
differentiating factor which will give us an edge the other existing service providers. Providing service by
merchandising the product also helps. Make the customer feel he is the king.
5.4.1 Key repeat beat observations:
Successful seeding: Repeat beat observations would point towards the seeding operation being
successful. A particular retailer bought chocoliebe for the first time when he was approached during
the first beat. When the repeat beat was done, chocoliebe was present on his shelf. But this time he
had bought it from a nearby wholesaler. He had realized the demand for the product.
Consolidated relationship: Customers were recognizing the PSR. Once the retailer is taken into
confidence that the salesmen would be regular, he would wait for them to make his purchases.
Operation Nano would generate sales sufficient enough to sustain the costs. If Operation Nano does
not service these retailers, their shelf will be occupied by Boomer as it gives them a higher margin.
The operation can help in building the super stockiests relationship with people and it may
ultimately help PVMI in appointing a sub stockiest in the town.
Interactive marketing and word of mouth publicity: The investment in Operation Nano is also
serving as a means of Interactive marketing. The van, when it stops in a village on its route draws
crowd attention. This results in people gathering around the van and enquiring about the products.
This would increase the recall value of our products. This would also be like advertising the regions.
Interactive marketing also contributed to the word of publicity and ultimately increased sales.
Operation Nano also resulted in PVM gaining market share at the cost of Boomer. If a particular
retailer goes to a wholesaler to purchase products, he would end up buying Boomer as it gives him
more margin than PVMs products. Once he is serviced regularly he may probably stop purchasing
Boomer.
5.4.2 The way ahead
Analyzing the sales figures for a week, it was observed that on an average 80% of the total sales for the
day were from 20% of the outlets on that route.
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Fig 6 : Percentage sales from top 20 percent outlets on each route
The graph in fig 6 is based on the data while covering the first beat. The same pattern was observed
from the repeat beat as well. And astonishingly many outlets repeated their sales. Eg : 2 outlets
contributed to about 50% of sales of the day were from just 2 retail outlets. These outlets had
contributed to 40% of sales when the route was covered for the first time. For seeding to be more
effective, concentrate on these outlets, brand them with stickers. Let it be called Nano Stars.
Concentrate on these outlets and list them. It would be easier to now concentrate on the sales from
the van because outlets which contribute a majority of these sales have been identified. A
relationship can be established with these retailers, ensuring that they are present to make the
purchase when the van covers the route. This would ensure sales on the van routes and hence
sustaining costs.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1 2 3 4 5 6
% of total sales
Days
% of total sales from top 20% outlets
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Fig 7 : Product wise sales of operation Nano
The graph in fig 7 shows the product sales for Operation Nano (No of SKUs). This would help in
identifying which brand is to be advertised in these areas through stickers.
The driver alone could manage the van. The job would be more difficult for him, but giving him DA
and incentives would provide the required motivation. DBSMs in many areas deliver products in
vans. He may have to be relieved from the task of writing the daily market report. This can be
experimented with the driver for some time and his performance can be assessed. A decision about
cutting off the PSR from the van route can be taken later. This can be done only when the van routes
are started with only the driver. Once the driver is accustomed to having PSR along with him, he
may not work efficiently when he is alone. Table 1 and 2 shows the costing.
Expense Head Cost (Old) Cost(New) % Reduction
Driver + van 8750 8750
Salesmen Salary 3500 0
Salesmen DA 1250 1250
Incentive 1500 1500
Total Without-Fuel 15000 11500 23.3333333
Fuel costs/month 6249.7067 6249.7067
Total sales/month 176540 176540
Total Cost (With Fuel) 21249.707 17749.707
Cost to sales ratio(%) 12.036766 10.054212
Table 3 : Costing for Operation Nano
ALP 300
ALP 200
ALP 1000
ALP 1500
ALP STI
C/FRESH MONO
C/FRESH STIC
CE3NTER FRUIT MONO
MANGOFILLZ 1400
CHOCOLIEBE 160
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Average distance travelled per day 90.14 (From 21 days sample)
Average sales per day 6790 (From 21 days sample)
Fuel cost (gas)/ltr 40
Fuel 15km/ltr
Table 4 : Operation Nano details
The first call on an average is made at 11 45 am. This is because the super stockiest arrives late.
Instruct the driver to load the stock into the van the preceding day and leave for the route in the
morning around 9 30 am.
Currently the beats are covered once in a month. While retailers argued that the products will be
over in 15 days. Experiment covering certain beats fortnightly. The decision has to be taken after
consulting the super stockiest and the DSE because they have an idea about the sales in the routes.
5.5 Implementation of a product catalog
Salesmen are supposed to carry the product jars along with them so that the retailer sees it. This will
have more impact on the retailer than if the salesman just utters the name of the products. The logic is
similar to in an ice cream parlor customers generally tend to buy those items which have been
picturized. But many a time this does not happen. The salesman does not carry the SKU's with him
because it is strenuous. This impacts the sales. The solution to this problem is to have a product catalog
which shall contain chocolate wrappers on it. This shall give the retailer a feel of the product. This again
will have a better impact than just uttering the names. Obviously the effect of a jar will be much more
than that of a wrapper. But the salesman can be convinced to carry the catalog with him.
A product catalog was designed and experimented in the market. It had a good response. Customers
could connect with the brands better. It was easy to use and could be kept in the salesman's pocket by
folding it. A cool lamination sheet was used for the design. For a sample of 8 retailers 15% incremental
sales were generated. A product catalog having all the product wrappers would increase sales by a
greater amount. The product catalog is shown in fig 8.
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Fig 8 : Product Catalog
5.6 PSR tracking
The PSR module of Perfetti Van Melle does not function efficiently. PSRs do not reach the Sub stockiest
point on time. They do not plan their visit with the sub stockiest which denies them an opportunity of
inspecting the market and analyzing distribution of the products.
A format in table 5 could be used to ensure effective working of the PSR.
Date Market Visited
Time Departed HQ
Time departed Sub DB point
No of calls made
No of Productive calls
No of outlets having PVM products
Sales Value
1/6/2011 Malavalli 9:30 am 2:00 pm 28 14 16 4564
Table 5: PSR tracking format
PSR should plan his visits for the week in advance. He should inform the sub stockiest that he would be
visiting. There should no occasion where the PSR comes back without visiting the market (i.e if the sub
stockiest has already collected orders). This means that the PSR should ensure that the Sub stockiest
adjusts his schedule such that he collects orders when the PSR is present. PSRs seriousness can have a
large effect on the Sub stockiests performance. The time mentioned by the PSR can be authenticated
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with the help of the K.S.R.T.C ticket which he shall possess when he travels. A copy of the first ticket
(assuming he has to change a bus) when he leaves the HQ and the first ticket when he leaves the Sub DB
point should be attached along with the form. DSE should be responsible to follow up with the PSR
continuously. DSE should give weekly feedback to the PSR on his working. It should be the DSEs
responsibility to inform the concerned ASM when the PSR is not functioning efficiently.
An alternative for this method is that the PSR can call the DSE from the Sub stockiests landline number
once he reaches there. This would give an idea to the DSE about how is the PSR working.
5.7 The problem called FORUM
Educate the super stockiest not only to use forum, but also to avoid the discrepancies he could be facing
thereby. The format which the super stockiest currently uses to dispatch stock is as shown in table 6. He
has such a sheet for each sub stockiest.
Product No of cases
Alpenlibe 300 2
Alpenlibe 200 4
Table 6 : Current super stockiest format
There is discrepancy between the scheme for the stocks which has been billed and the scheme for the
stock which has been delivered. The super stockiest also said that the person who dispatches stock is
uneducated and will not be able to read the scheme details.
Have a new column in this format which has something called a case code. This case code will define the
scheme present in the case. Educate the super stockiest to first load the cases into the truck, meanwhile
making entries to his list. Now bill the sub stockiest accordingly.
Product No of cases Case code
Alpenlibe 300 2 101,102
Alpenlibe 200 4 3*100+1*101
Table 7 : Modified super stockiest format
Eg : case code 101 corresponds to the scheme where 15 pieces are free in each jar. Case code 102
corresponds to a scheme where a pen is free with the jar.
Now while making entries about what stock is to be delivered to which sub stockiest, he also makes
entries regarding the scheme for that stock. Billing the sub stockiest as per this sheet would avoid the
discrepancy.
If the above technique is not easy to implement, educate him to enter the scheme in the new column
added and then dispatch the stock.
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5.8 Relative comparison of salesmen and better control:
PVM asses the performance of a distributor through manual estimation of stock at the distributor point.
This provides him an opportunity to inflate/deflate his stock. This may ultimately result in infiltration.
To avoid this, the following model can be used:
DBSM have to send a message to web number regarding the days sales. The software shall receive the
message, identify the DBSM with his mobile number and make an entry into the database. Now this
software shall generate the MSSR and the OCS. The credibility of thus generated reports will be more
than those generated manually.
A relative comparison between the salesmen can be adopted to exert better control. The format
showed in the fig can be used. The format compares the salesmans weekly performance. It also gives an
idea of how a particular beat is performing in par with the other beats.
DSE should be given the onus of following up with the salesmans details. Comparing the beat average
with a particular salesmans sales, an idea about how is the salesman performing can be drawn.
A units average will give an idea about the salesmans individual performance.
All these means that we are comparing the salesmen working in the units under a particular DSE. We
shall name the best salesman as the salesman of the month for that area. This would also increase his
motivation to work.
Fig 9 and 8 shows the pictorial representation of the model.
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Fig 9 : Format for relative comparison between salesmen
Fig 10 : A new model to exert better control
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5.9 General Recommendations
5.9.1 Increase the Price point
Cadbury eclairs brownie was launched in the market with an increased price point. Consumer response
for this was good with consumers not minding the increased price point.
PVM had stopped the production of Center shock due to cost constraints. This brand can be re-launched
with an increased price point. The name of the brand may have to be changed so that it doesnt affect
the sales of other brands like Center Fresh and Center Fruit.
5.9.2 Bundle Packs
A single pack of 2INR containing one Center Fruit and one Center Fresh could be tried. This compels the
consumer to buy more of PVMs product.
5.9.3 Demand Chain Planning
Stock outs are a serious problem is PVM. Demand chain planning should be implemented to avoid this
and to ensure better distribution of products.
5.9.4 Indulge in innovative advertising
As India is emerging as the driver of World economy, rural India has extremely large potential for future
growth. Similar is the case in the candy market. Huge growth potential exists in the rural market. Perfetti
currently uses its sales force to exploit this market. The mention of Zandu Balm in the movie
Dabaang sky rocketed the sales of the product. Get into a deal with a movie song writer which
features an elite actress would probably increase the sales of Mentos in the rural areas.
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6. Conclusion
Perfetti Van Melle has a well-established distribution network. IT can be used to implement better
control. The model suggested, if implemented may cut down the problems of infiltration. The rural
markets have not been explored yet. Operation Nano has a huge first mover advantage. These markets
can be monopolized and competition can be phased out from these markets. The relationship thus
established can also be leveraged when Perfetti enters other categories. This structure can be used to
monopolize the new category markets. FMCGs in the past have demonstrated by moving into rural
markets and monopolizing them. PVM can repeat history.