The food and beverage industry, much like every other industry, has to tackle many challenges, one of them being having to operate under the direct store delivery (DSD) sales model. It’s because of this reason that investing in new DSD solutions becomes even more crucial so as to bridge the gap between your current strategies and the modern development which a mobile solution can provide. This industry also endures the challenge of trying to limit the time a product with limited shelf life spends in the supply chain, while also trying to remain ahead of the competition.
Upgrading your DSD solutions will, therefore, help your business run more smoothly and efficiently. Let’s take a look at how you can optimise your DSD solutions for your food and beverage business:
- Go over the needs of your business and the associated operational challenges before investing in a technology purchase. Discuss with your technology solutions provider or your integrator about any questions or concerns you might have. This needs to be done so that you purchase a solution that solves your problems and fits your business model rather than having to tailor your business according to the technology.
- Be very clear about the upgrades and added features you would like to see in the new solution. This could include more attention on the processes of merchandising and sales, getting to upload market statistics or videos on the tablets of your sales representatives, and also to use shelf checks and surveys to derive market intelligence.
- Communicating and sharing information becomes easier through upgraded DSD solutions. This includes being able to capture signatures and make mobile payments, enable GPS tracking and vehicle diagnostics and having customer alerts about delivery times, route planning and load management, business intelligence and having access to client surveys and data analytics, and also monitoring promotion-related information and keeping a check on the competition.
- DSD solutions bring about cost effectiveness. It’s because the time and money spent on manual labour tasks can be reduced through features such as data analysis, tracking, automated scheduling, and reporting. Choose a solution that will save you money in the processes that consume the most time.
- Go for DSD systems that are not only hosted on the cloud, but can also run iOS or Android applications on a wide variety of devices. Instead of choosing a solution that can run a single operating system, keep an eye out for cross-platform options.
