Fragmentation
In any discussion of General Trade in Southeast Asia, descriptions such as fragmented and operationally inconsistent come to mind.
Brands struggle due to limited shelf space and difficulty scaling activation across thousands of micro-outlets. Stores are often cluttered, with dim lighting and limited POSM placement opportunities.
General trade is heavily relationship-driven, with owners often favoring brands that offer informal incentives or flexible credit. Add to that picture the route-to-market complexity, and distributors that vary in capability, coverage and discipline.
The result is one of limited control over last-mile execution, ability to run targeted promotions or measure ROI of activation and of poor data visibility.
Optimization
Frontline Research Group has extensive experience measuring trends and brand performance through the eyes of traders and shoppers in independent retail. It means seeing General Trade from the inside out, a ground‑level perspective that reveals what traditional top‑down data often misses.
A food client was seeking profitable growth through expanded distribution. We quantified the wholesale, retail and food service universe, identifying the extent of direct coverage. We also assessed under-performing distributor partners.
The execution breakthrough comprised targets for geo-mapping outlets and revising territory and field service plans. A clear route to growth in the category was achieved by closing missed sales opportunities, where competitors had been making inroads.
Micro-Retail
In another study, our client wanted to determine if growth could be achieved by diverting sales emphasis away from Modern Trade into General Trade.
Combining census, geo-mapping and audit in the selected geography, the volume and value size of opportunity was assessed.
A comprehensive marketing strategy was developed, including an adjusted product portfolio to better suit the channels. A 19% growth was achieved.
Turning Insight into Competitive Advantage
Our research helps provide the confidence to back a decision or cover a high-risk commercial call.
In General Trade we help overcome the fragmentation and lack of standardization, or the issues around visibility and merchandising gaps. We can help optimize RTM by micro-territory, not by province.
We specialize in street-level insights, measuring where others fail to measure.
For more information contact Gareth.ellis@frontlineresearchgroup.com; Jack.dewet@frontlineresearchgroup.com; Steve@frontlinereseaerchgroup.com; or art@frontlineresearchgroup.com
