Beam Suntory + GoSpotCheck by FORM
Beam Suntory Distills Data
to Drive Sales and Find Marketplace Visibility
About the Company
Industry-leading spirits company, Beam Suntory, has a portfolio rich with some of the world’s largest brands including Maker’s Mark, Pinnacle, and Jim Beam. Over seven million cases of Beam Suntory’s flagship brand, Jim Beam, are distributed annually.
Beam Suntory, a global supplier with brands on bar fixtures and liquor store shelves worldwide, leverages GoSpotCheck by FORM to emphasize innovation, monitor distribution, and showcase spirited marketing. Megan Monti, Manager of Commercial Strategy, and John Moore, Analyst of Commercial Strategy and Planning, explained how partnering with GoSpotCheck by FORM enables Beam to manage rep activity and collect real-time constructive insights from the marketplace.
The Problem
Prior to using GoSpotCheck by FORM, Beam manually documented store-level and account data.
Field personnel “would do a blitz, record everything on pen and paper, and the results would then be rolled up into an Excel file,” explained Monti.
Data collection methods differed by source, which muddled reports and made for an inefficient process.
To minimize confusion and maximize field efforts, Beam began looking for a flexible solution to effectively gather information regarding in-store activity.
According to Monti, Beam was “trying to find visibility into the marketplace, improve display execution, and get clean, actionable data.”
In addition, Beam was searching for a product that would function as an accountability tool, enable goal setting and provide a corresponding method for compensation. “We were looking for an accurate way to track what our distributors and field personnel were doing, with a process that wasn’t as burdensome as going around with pen and paper,” Monti said.
Historically, Beam had limited verification that instructions were carried out appropriately and that strategy was executed according to plan. “Before GoSpotCheck by FORM, we weren’t examining visibility or monitoring field reps,” Monti explained. Eventually, Beam became aware that current processes were not adequate to achieve new growth. So, management began taking initiatives to find a platform that would enable the Beam team.
We use GoSpotCheck by FORM to gain visibility into in-store activity. As our use of the platform grows, we have begun to use data to hold reps accountable.
Megan Monti
Manager of Commercial Strategy
The Solution
GoSpotCheck by FORM gives Beam a way to track KPIs, implement a goaling system, and record marketplace activity. Specific features within the platform, including photo-capture capabilities and geo-tagging, enable Beam with a mobilefirst solution. GoSpotCheck by FORM’s tailored reporting delivers actionable, accessible data. Metrics can easily be identified to ensure goals are reached and objectives are achieved. Specific data points – related to retail execution, surrounding varietals, case counts, menu placement, and specialty cocktail selections – aggregate online in the GoSpotCheck by FORM reporting dashboard. Answers and results from Missions – which function as surveys in the GoSpotCheck by FORM app – are displayed in customized charts, graphs, and tables. “It’s extremely useful to be able to open the dashboard page and examine all the responses to Missions,” Monti explained.
This reporting furthers Beam’s goal to give niche markets flexibility while adding structure to Beam’s national strategy. “GoSpotCheck by FORM is an efficient tool to implement nationally and standardize processes across the country,” Monti explained.
Beam and GoSpotCheck by FORM collaborate to ensure the platform fits seamlessly into Beam’s organization. “The GoSpotCheck by FORM team has been really awesome to work with,” Monti said. “As a whole, the company is quick to respond, give us updates, and work with us to find solutions.”
GoSpotCheck by FORM is an efficient tool to implement nationally and standardize processes across the country.
Megan Monti
Manager of Commercial Strategy
The Outcome
Beam’s goal to increase visibility was the initial catalyst that led them to search for mobile data collection software. With this type of technology, Beam reps can quickly capture information that was previously unavailable. The team has also been able to eliminate activities that have a cumbersome human element. According to Monti, “GoSpotCheck by FORM helps us by pre-calculating some of the things that we would have to do manually.”
Additionally, engaging GoSpotCheck by FORM has given Beam a way to effectively measure display compliance and report important marketplace data. “We use GoSpotCheck by FORM to gain visibility into in-store activity,” Monti explained. “As our use of the platform grows, we have begun to use data to hold reps accountable.”
Beam uses the GoSpotCheck by FORM platform to examine a host of overarching metrics surrounding shelf placement, display execution, and menu presence. On a granular level, GoSpotCheck by FORM empowers Beam to gather detailed information from both offpremise and on-premise accounts. “Now that we have GoSpotCheck by FORM, we can track in-store activity which has consequently added more rigor around the reporting,” Monti said.
We use GoSpotCheck by FORM to gain visibility into in-store activity, as our use of the platform grows, we have begun to use data to hold reps accountable.
Megan Monti
Manager of Commercial Strategy
Furthermore, Beam uses GoSpotCheck by FORM to facilitate a goaling system, which gives reps a way to track their progress towards reaching objectives and goal attainment. “Our strong focus on goaling ensures that field reps put more cases on the floor,” Monti said. “These actions and subsequent changes drive more dollar sales.”
Beam has also identified a relationship between display compliance and residual sales lifts. “I did a lift execution analysis on menu execution and control states,” Moore explained. “Using GoSpotCheck by FORM data that showed menu location, we were
able to see a lift in depletions – which translates into more sales – in areas where we had menu placement. In order to measure a lift as a result of execution on the round, GoSpotCheck by FORM is invaluable.”
A reputation defined by high quality and careful craftsmanship has established Beam’s name internationally. By increasing visibility and accountability, GoSpotCheck by FORM helps Beam share signature products that have made the brand famous for 200 years.
We were looking for an accurate way to track what our distributors and field personnel were doing, with a process that wasn’t as burdensome as going around with pen and paper.
Megan Monti
Manager of Commercial Strategy
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