iGINE : Powering Business Collaboration

The Challenge
With the globalization of trade, companies are increasingly reliant on their network of sales and distribution channels for volume sales. The relationship between manufacturers, distributors and resellers is interdependent. Unsold inventory by distributors hurt the bottom line of manufacturers directly in the form of returns, price protection programs and the threat of inventory write-offs. At the same time, manufacturers need to ensure channel profitability to encourage channel loyalty.

The intense competition and margin pressure makes it necessary for manufacturers and distributors alike to obtain timely and accurate information on both channel inventory and sales performance to enable analysis and timely decisions related to sales operations or programs to minimize channel inventory write-offs and stock- out rate. The Challenge is to maximize the value of channel data collection and empower various departments with timely and accurate information to run the business.

Today, most companies spend 80% of the time on data collection and collation and less than 20% of the time on analysis. The use of spreadsheets to manually collect and collate channel data is a commonly used tool suitable for companies with few product lines and a handful of partners. However, companies who have hundreds or even thousands of product lines and a global footprint established through their sales and distribution network face the complex and costly task of manually collating, validating and reporting channel information. Ultimately, the quality of the information gathered is highly dependent on the speed, accuracy and flexibility of the system which collects, validates and reports data critical for timely decisions related to tactical day-to-day sales operations and strategic business initiatives.

The Solution
ChannelBiz Visibilitycomplements your existing channel business practice. The solution automates the collection, validation and reporting of inventory, sell-through and sales forecast data from distributors, resellers and at the point-of-sales.

Information from the channels enables different departments in your enterprise to make decisions on production planning, product design, marketing, channel sales operations, sales compensation and financial planning and management reporting.

The solution is available an outsourced service. The ChannelBiz Visibility Program comprises of technology and business programs to enable collaboration with all your sales and distribution partners.

Solution Overview Benefits Program Solution Architecture