About Imperial Distributors
Imperial Distributors is the recognized leader in distribution and merchandising of non-food, health and beauty care, and general merchandise products to supermarkets on the East Coast, the mid-Atlantic, and portions of the south.
The Challenge
Imperial Distributors’ 350-person service team is in the field every day, helping stores optimize their product sales. However, the team was using hand-written store audits which had to be keyed into a spreadsheet at a later time.
This manual, time-consuming process forced the team to repeat steps and kept data siloed in paper forms and spreadsheets. It was difficult to retrieve real-time information for store managers or customers, and it was next to impossible to see trends or compare performance over time.
The Goal
Imperial Distributors needed a dynamic system of record to audit the conditions in customers’ stores and connect that data with the appropriate follow-up actions. Their ideal solution would give them the tools to understand customer trends, reduce in-store issues, and drive product sales.
Key goals included:
- Increase sales by improving planogram (product display) compliance
- Utilize mobile data collection technology to ensure quality service
- Reinforce excellent in-store conditions with more effective audits
- Communicate and coordinate with store personnel to execute key merchandising initiatives
The Solution
FORM created a solution for Imperial Distributors that makes audits faster, more connected, and much more efficient. Equipped with an app for mobile devices, field auditors can quickly and easily audit for compliance, communicate issues, and make corrections. Each form dynamically responds to conditions in the field, shaping the information that auditors record and making it richer, more accurate, and fully actionable.
Now, filing a report is as simple as filling out a form and syncing their tablet. Additionally, team members can include photos within their audits. For example, when they perform a merchandising reset, they receive an in-app prompt to send back photos of the completed project. If they are working with a retail partner to introduce a new item, they can take pictures of the potential placement locations or draw notes onto an image to suggest changes.
The Result
The Imperial Distributors team can now capture data and immediately put it into action. Team members and managers can retrieve and share information, send meaningful reports to customers, and unlock deep insights—all in real time.
With FORM, we’re not sitting behind desks and managing through emails. We’re actually there in the field, capturing data and speaking with the managers. Getting in front of issues before they escalate is what’s really important to us. At the end of the day, it’s about providing outstanding service to our retail partners. Having this tool helps us achieve that.
– Derek Potter, Director of Operations, Imperial Distributor, Inc.
