What We Do

We help clients to develop their retail plans and strategies with a multi-faceted approach that considers both high level factors and practical considerations and constraints. This includes a full understanding of the market, the competition and critical commercial considerations. It includes channel strategy, assortment, pricing and promotional considerations against the retailer’s demand for differentiation. Joint business planning with your retail customers is critical to mutually winning at the shelf.

In addition to the planning process, RDS offers a number of strategic partnership opportunities in data analytics, insight mining, concept development, joint workshop facilitation and shopper testing.

RDS offers an outsourced Key Account management solution for clients where we engage and manage retail customers on behalf of our clients. This includes regular contact, reviews and negotiations. We would work with you to develop a 3-year customer strategy, identifying strategic opportunities and financial objectives. We would then develop 12-month plans and ensure their implementation encompassing contract development, trading terms, new product planning and listings. Pricing strategy, increases and promotions would be integral to this.

We assist our clients to develop category strategies, plans and initiatives. It’s critical that brand owners think category rather than brand innovation in isolation. Retail conversations around category and how a brand or brand portfolio will contribute to driving category growth is key. Our suite of category tools helps our clients to spend less time analysing reports and preparing spreadsheets and more time using the insights generated to make critical decisions about where to play and how to win. To examine global trends and how they can be localised, to consider growth drivers and develop and test concepts. We will help you develop and deliver category strategic initiatives. This includes considering distribution opportunities and working with you to build retail category arguments around every aspect of achieving a perfect store.

We will work with you to define and scope the full extent of your sales and merchandising requirements, identifying potential partners and solutions in order to take your business to the next level. Order taking in franchise channels, shelf replenishment, POS deployment and display building as well as compliance checking are all key considerations in ensuring your plans are executed according to plan and that your brand investment achieves maximum impact on the store floor.

There are many factors to consider and balance in landing and executing your brand plans in a volatile and evolving retail environment. Experience is hard won. We can assist you to coach and develop the very best-in-class Key Account / Customer Management teams. We use an online assessment tool to help our clients identify capability gaps at an individual and team level. We then develop a capability development plan. In addition to bespoke workshop facilitation, the courses we offer include:

• 1-day: How to win in this changing Retail Landscape
• 2-day: KAM Academy (Key Account Management)
• 2-day: Joint Business Planning
• 2-day: Category / Shopper Academy
• 2-day How to Negotiate with Retailers

We also offer critical Recruitment Services. Whether you are a candidate or an employer, you remain our client, and we believe that our clients are the foundation for success. Every employer relationship must be built on trust, value and a complete understanding of culture and core competence requirements. Equally, each candidate relationship revolves around honesty and integrity.

Retailers tend to focus on their strength as the most important aspect of the business and often ignore other factors that need to be evaluated. We provide an Assessment and Improvement Plan of the Retailer’s Buying Function, Store Operations and In-store Execution to collect information on what needs to be improved.