While private labels have been growing steadily for several years, retailers have to deal with increasingly complex tender management. While most of them still use non-integrated methods such as Excel files, these methodologies are becoming increasingly outdated.
In France, private labels have been growing at an annual rate of 2 to 3% for nearly ten years. In the next few years, they are expected to grow even more, reaching 6 to 8%. To make the most of this rise in private labels, supermarket chains must continue to satisfy new consumer habits. This means focusing on quality food and sustainable production. Achieving this objective requires good management of calls for tender, but these have become a real headache for producers and retailers, in a context of profound change in the private label sector.
Centralization and comparison of tender responses
The current tools for managing calls for tender are no longer adapted to the new market requirements. However, these are recurring activities, the mainstay of the retail business. "Most buyers are still using old, non-integrated methods with Excel files in particular, while managing responses to these calls for tender is becoming very complex," notes Claire Bui, Product Manager at Trace One, the global specialist in e-collaborative solutions for managing consumer goods (FMCG).
To meet the new needs of the distribution and production sectors, Trace One has designed a tool for integrated management of calls for tender. Called Trace One RFx, it is part of a range of digital solutions from design to shelf placement. Trace One RFx enables buyers to prepare tenders in collaboration with quality, packaging and CSR departments, to centralize all tender responses and to compare them easily. This enables retailers to select the best suppliers and develop products that meet consumer expectations.
Trace One, the only one in the world with such know-how
"Our customers use many digital tools: a solution for product development, a solution for supplier relationship management, and so on. They increasingly want to have an integrated solution that allows them to centralize everything, especially by covering the upstream phases of development," summarizes Claire Bui. According to this retail expert, Trace One RFx saves time and money on the launch of new products and the renewal of existing ranges, while streamlining the entire sourcing process. "Our other advantage is that we have been specialists in private label for 20 years, and we are the only ones in the world with such experience and know-how," concludes Claire Bui.
