Supermarket chain signs deal for new software to enhance promotions process efficiency

Supermarket chain signs deal for new software to enhance promotions process efficiency

Sainsbury’s has today announced it is going live with an integrated version of Deals & Terms software from consumer goods products (CPG) and retail collaboration portal provider Trace One to help improve its supplier promotions process.

The cloud-based system is designed ease the complex promotions process, offering customers the best deals possible when buying products like books, CDs, DVDs and games. It will enable Sainsbury’s buyers and suppliers to access all information and agreements made on deals via an online portal allowing for better collaboration.

Capturing agreement information

Richard Crampton, head of entertainment at Sainsbury’s, said the company needed to speed up supplier agreement processes: “Having reviewed the market, we decided Trace One’s Deals & Terms system was the best fit solution for our business needs. The promotions we put together can include various deal types over multiple suppliers and hundreds of products. We needed a system that would help capture these negotiations to speed up the process.”

Crampton explained: “Previously, we were capturing agreements on emails and spreadsheets. With the high volume of deals being set up there would inevitably be some information that would be missed. Trace One’s software has allowed us to capture and track the deal process, which will improve our collection accuracy by up to 5%. This will help improve our relationships with suppliers, while offering the best deals possible for our customers.”

Managing promotions at scale

The supermarket manages up to 200 entertainment deals at any given time with over 250 suppliers. Using the software, buyers can record all negotiations in the online system securely and send final details to suppliers for approval right at the start of the process.

When the product starts selling, the software stores details on stock, sales and purchase data to manage all deals types, including retros, campaigns and funded markdowns or any extensions. And it checks rebates and completes the process through to the claim. Buyers can also monitor the success of the promotions via dashboards, so that the best deals with the best suppliers can be easily repeated.

“Now, both the trading teams and our suppliers are able to easily access all information on deals and terms, which helps save time and reduce administration, allowing all departments to get on with the job in hand,” added Crampton.