Typically, Sales & Distribution Channel of a company in FMCG & similar industry comprises of Warehouses, Carrying & Forwarding (C & F) Agents, National Distributors, Super Stockists, Sub-Stockists, Distributors, Re-Distributors, Wholesalers, Dealers and Retailers. While overall structure remains similar across the vertical, nature of transaction between these players may slightly vary from company to company as per their policies. In majority of the cases, the company or the principal distributor has direct access & control over the transactions & inventory movement happening at Warehouses, Carry & Forward (C & F) Agents, National Distributors & Super Stockists, however it remains on guesstimates when it comes to tracking Daily Sales/Return, actual stock movement, orders to be processed, payment collection, etc happening at Distributor/Wholesaler locations.

Most of the Sales Managers usually have tough time not while they are selling or promoting their products but when they start creating or collating those large, multiple and mind boggling sales reports which is meant to summarize and showcase performance of every entity involved in the sales process.

Foresight and planning are the two crucial keys for any business enterprise to keep sailing. Particularly for companies dealing in Over-The-Counter (OTC) products, getting a real-time view is essential for good sales, as the chances of alternate-product sale are high with OTC products. For the simple reason that the customer may have choices available from your competitor’s brands, it is imperative that your product is available in right quantity and at all counters, so that you don’t lose to your competition.

The precision in product forecasting creates momentum in business functioning and provides an opportunity for reality check for OTC manufacturers as to what worked last year, the gaps in production and distribution, and where the future market is headed.