About Unilever
Unilever is a leading global multinational company specializing in Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG). Unilever has achieved significant milestones in Vietnam over the past two decades, including owning a network of over 150 distributors and more than 300,000 retailers.
Challenge
According to statistics in 2022, there are currently over 1 million Outlets in Vietnam. Leading FMCG businesses in Vietnam may have anywhere from 300,000 to 400,000 sales points.
The majority of FMCG businesses utilize data from these Outlets to serve the purpose of market demand analysis and sales performance evaluation.
Based on information such as store locations, order details, transactions, inventory quantities, etc., FMCG businesses can track, manage, and optimize the distribution of their products to ensure continuous and efficient supply. Simultaneously, they can gain a deeper understanding of market demand and capture customer shopping behavior.
Even though owning data brings many benefits to business operations, collecting and analyzing data from Outlets is not a simple task for FMCG companies.
With hundreds or thousands of sales points, each using different data entry systems, the data collected is often fragmented and disparate. Moreover, the process of consolidating this data is not always straightforward and quick.
Businesses, if they do not invest in technology systems, may find it extremely challenging to unify and effectively utilize this data for various purposes.
Solution
It can be observed that in order to address the data challenge, Unilever, a leading global multinational FMCG company, has initiated the primary interaction channel known as “The Master Channel” through an application called “OrderUNow.” This initiative aims to meet the demand for ordering, facilitate two-way interaction, and create a convenient environment for data collection from various Outlets.
When discussing interactions between manufacturers and distributors with Outlets, the interaction content typically includes:
- Commercial Information:
- Promotions, discounts (for Outlets)
- Hot products, new products
- Market trends
- Loyalty Information:
- Checking current loyalty points
- Completing tasks (making purchases, playing games, taking surveys, watching advertisements)
- Redeeming points
- Transaction Information:
- Order information
- Checking delivery times
- Viewing outstanding balances and transaction history
Unilever is also concurrently implementing communication channels through the Zalo messaging application. This ensures that the communication process with Outlets is effective and helps the business obtain Outlet data more easily. The data integration process is also more streamlined thanks to the customer data platform PangoCDP integrated with The Master Channel.
Result
The data updated from The Master Channel and the OrderUNow application helps businesses segment their Outlet network into distinct groups with unique characteristics. This enables the deployment of personalized communication scenarios with tailored messages for each group, thereby increasing Outlet loyalty and positively impacting product distribution.
Building and developing technology applications assist FMCG businesses in reducing the resource burden and optimizing management processes. Automation makes Outlet care tasks much more streamlined and efficient.
