FOCUS ON CONSUMERS



Consumer change has accelerated in the past year and CPG companies are beginning to respond to the need for more consumer focused execution. Leveraging best practices and turning insights into action are key to driving more profitable consumer interactions in-store.

RW3's focus on consumer-driven strategies is evident through our continual monitoring of shifting market drivers, expertise in integrating available sources of consumer data, and development of innovative solutions to meet the diverse needs of our clients and key prospects.

"Innovation is the Word"
at RW3 in 2008. Not only is our NPD (New Product Development) department staying up to speed on developing technologies, but we have also created
an incentive plan for our employees to innovate both internally and with our clients. An "Innovation Contest" is currently underway and is yielding some extremely viable and creative ideas that can benefit both our clients and the RW3 team.

Our annual EPG is a great opportunity to explore some of our recent innovations, gain insights, obtain objective feedback from your peers and get up-close case study knowledge of what can impact ROI favorably in the industry.
The value of shared learning is undeniable!
EPG 2008 will be held October 13-15 in Austin. Follow the links in this newsletter for more information.

We hope to see you at EPG in October!

Company News

Innovation Rocks
EPG 2008
Client Update
Other News
Upcoming Events
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Links:

EPG 2008
RW3 Website
 

Client Update: ConAgra
Richard Power, Account Manager

ConAgra Foods continues to make an impact at both Wal-Mart and grocery retail channels through their investment in a Direct Wal-Mart Pilot Team and a Broker Dedicated Sales Team. Working collaboratively, the ConAgra Retail Effectiveness Team and RW3's InSight Group have developed the following deliverables to measure overall ROI:

• Sales Ranking Report - measures sales by person, team and account as well as average number of calls per day and average dollar sales by call.


• Combined New Item Report - allows ConAgra to measure speed to shelf integrating three independent data sources: IRI, Acosta syndicated, and ConAgra audit data. ConAgra management now has immediate visibility of new item penetration on a national, account and store basis, aggregated both by ConAgra's Retail Effectiveness Team and the Broker hierarchy.


• Phantom Inventory Report - developed to help ConAgra identify potential long-term issues where items are not moving or inventory is not accurate in the store system.


• Sales by Store - Utilizing POS, same store sales impact is being measured at Wal-Mart between last year and this year, in order to show the effectiveness of their direct retail sales team. Results since the team’s inception in January have been very positive.
  

Other News

SIFE Nationals
Several employees recently had the opportunity to judge the SIFE National Competition in Chicago. SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) is a non-profit organization that trains college students in market economics, entrepreneur-ship, and business ethics through educational outreach projects. RW3 is proud to support SIFE and is currently developing partnerships with local chapters in Austin and Bentonville.

Friendly Whiteboard "Takeover"
In an effort to better serve our clients on their visits to Austin, we have officially completed a major remodel of the Austin office after a whirlwind 6-week schedule.  With every wall, divider and glass window serving as a Whiteboard, the remodeled space and state-of-the-art conference rooms have become a more effective environment for client meetings as well as for our entire team.  Off-site staff also benefit from private “travel” offices equipped to ensure their success while working in Austin.  Kudos to Scott Wahl, Director of Customer Support, who spearheaded this enormous effort!

Bentonville Office
Business is hoppin’ in BV as Jenny and Dan continue to meet with several new prospects as well as deepening relationships with local clients.  Projects underway include:

• ConAgra Wal-Mart’s pilot project to expand into new markets, and additional new projects in development
• Exploring reporting opportunities around Category Development
• “Speed to Replenishment” project for ConAir
• Relational Database for FUJI Film

Recent Industry Events: NACDS & FMI
Tom Garry, Director of Account Services

We attended the NACDS Annual Meeting in West Palm Beach this spring. The Drug Store industry is making great strides in solidifying its place within the healthcare network. Pharmacists are playing an ever increasing role in family healthcare, and the Association is working hard to have this recognized. The swell of in-store clinics has meant increased traffic in the drug stores, which have afforded vendors an opportunity to capture additional sales and promotionals. This is cause for great optimism for the Chain Drug Stores and their suppliers. The NACDS Meeting provides manufacturers and service providers the opportunity to network and capitalize on mutual opportunities. We met with several manufacturers during the 4 day event – a very productive and informative few days!

Las Vegas was the new venue for FMI's annual meeting this year. Manufacturers and service providers had a chance to meet and discuss the state of the industry and to share new items, new ideas and meet around new opportunities. The change of location provided some renewed excitement around FMI, and our team had a chance to meet with many interested parties.
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RW3... Insights. Innovation. Real World Solutions.

Upcoming Events

RW3 Executives and representatives will be in attendance at the following industry conferences, keeping up to date on key issues and trends:

GMA MSM Conference – September 21-23; Florida
HSM: World Business Forum – September 23-24; New York
NACS Show – October 4-7; Chicago
*EPG 2008 – October 13-15; Austin

*RW3 sponsored event
If you would like more information or to make an appointment to meet with us during one of these events, please email us or call 800-444-5793.

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