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Accurate Routing of Brands by Monitoring Retailers

Companies in today’s market require data analysis and constant observation of performance of their competitors. To survive, they need to regularly review the competitors’ sales data. To do this, companies need to get accurate data, and then take action. Accordingly, they should have good relationship with companies active in the field of market research.

One of the successful and up-to-date companies in the field is EMRC that by regular monitoring of the market provides its customers with accurate information. EMRC has recently decided to help customers in analyzing data and information in addition to providing them information. To do this the company in cooperation with “AAV School” has set up courses to teach the concepts of monitoring retailers. One of such courses was instructed by Gunther Jorge who has 20 years of experience as a leader of monitoring retailers in the Nielsen Company. During his career he has experienced various managerial positions in the company and has been in charge of the development of East European division. We had conversations with Jorge and several participants in the introductory course of getting familiar with the concepts of monitoring retailers, the contents of which will appear briefly in the following.

Familiarizing EMRC’s Customers with Monitoring Retailers

On the significance of holding introductory courses to get familiar with the concepts of monitoring retailers, Jorge says: EMRC Corporation continuously provides sales managers and marketing directors with information and other data that show the routing of the company on the specific market. Companies are sometimes confused in the face of the information and are not able to make best use of them. However, to make the data operational and how to use those in companies are of utmost importance. It has happened many times that a company’s sales manager has paid attention only to the fluctuations in retailers monitoring data and has not realized the reason and factors behind the fluctuations. Therefore, holding educational courses to familiarize companies with retail data analysis and monitoring concepts was required and that was the main factor for the formation of related courses.

Why Should Sales Be Part of the Performance of Organizations & Companies?

After explaining briefly the concept of retail monitoring, Jorge said: In monitoring retail sales, it is usually asked why sales should also be part of the performance of organizations and companies. By monitoring retail sales, companies can monitor both their own position and the situation of their competitors in the market and rate their sales according to their performance. With regard to monitoring retail sales, they can also do product pricing and become heroes in the field of their activities due to the market inflation and available data. Also, based on monitoring retail sales of companies with regard to the pricing, the competitors can also determine profit margin of their products. As a result of monitoring retail sales, the routing of companies’ retail sales will be determined in a market with many competitors. There are two levels of data in monitoring retail sales: a) data that define what has happened in the area of brands activities; b) The data that define the direction of progress of brands in the market.

Market Should Be Monitored Weekly & Continuously

On whether Iranian companies, in conditions that some of them still analyze the market in traditional ways, would be able to make retail sales monitoring operational, Jorge said: Monitoring retail sales has been introduced since 2014 while European companies have gradually used it since 2015. The monitoring system has its roots in a traditional market that is perhaps very similar to the present-day Iranian market. However, the present European market is no longer analyzing market data manually or monthly. Everything for monitoring retail sales is modernized now. The market should be monitored weekly and a number of staffs should constantly survey promotions and market conditions. In conditions that all purchased items should be scanned for today’s customers, the company too should analyze the retail market within the scope of its activities based on monitoring retail sales. Certainly the Iranian market, as compared to the time when monitoring retail sales entered European market, is presently better prepared. Because time has changed and the Iranian market, relative to Europe, has better access to more information. Although the participants in the course that was held by “AAV School” and EMRC, an international corporation, are more or less familiar with today’s concepts of market, and can easily make operational survey of retail sales in their sale system, they just need guidance and consultation which they receive in the course of training. These companies have entered the modern market, and use all modern techniques in the market. Present markets in the world as well as in Iran are competitive and if companies operate traditionally, they will have no achievements. Traditional companies may survive shortly on the market but must wait to gradually experience their bankruptcy.

Companies Should Look to Learn

Jorge suggested to companies that still operate traditionally in the market and have not yet looked for market monitoring companies, to go for receiving market data from companies such as EMRC. They can start receiving information on a monthly basis. They should also go for learning modern marketing of the world if they wish to survive. Only in this way can they catch up with their competitors in the market. Such information and using them properly will keep brands on store shelves. If brands do not know how to maintain their position in the market, they gradually disappear and will be replaced by younger competitors.

What do participants in introductory courses of getting familiar with concepts of monitoring retail sales say?

We also had conversations with the participants in introductory courses of getting familiar with concepts of monitoring retail sales and asked them questions about the course. Their remarks are as follows:

Rozita Asheghi, Hair Care Category Manager of Zarsima Company and one of the participants in the course said: The course was attractive, concise and helpful. The teaching and educational methods had positive effects on promoting my knowledge. Certainly, I will experience more progress in my work from now on. Also, I will have more accurate view and more attractive analysis of the data.

Maryam Fazaeli, president of the foumanchimie Company said: The sense of intimacy, the excitement that was formed among the participants in the course were very interesting. Getting to know how other companies use the data was one of the remarkable points of this course. In addition, the creation of appropriate strategies based on the results of submitted reports was among other items that we learned during the course.

Also speaking about the course, Mohsen Valavy, another participant from the same company, said: For me, arranging group competitions and winning was an attractive part of the course. In addition, most of the participants in the course were my old colleagues, and this provided an intimate atmosphere during the course. Among the achievements of the course for me was a better and more appropriate definition of criteria, how to combine different RA criteria and their analysis and how to prepare a summary of the findings in order to make the data operational.