Mars Romania has implemented in SaaS the HERMES Merchandising & Marketing questionnaire-based mobile system for collecting field data developed by Transart. Equipping a mobile sales force of over 50 representatives that carry out field work (Field Sales Coordinators) with the HERMES system running on Android-based Samsung Galaxy Tab tablets, Mars Romania has significantly improved its execution monitoring services in the major points of sale.
“We turned to Transart after a thorough analysis of the alternatives. What mattered to us was Transart’s experience in working with major players in the FMCG, as well as the fact that they could provide exactly what we wanted and that we had received positive references from other users of the HERMES system. Other advantages of Transart were: a competitive price, availability and the ability to perform a pilot project in an extremely short time and last but not least, the availability, friendliness and quality of the Transart team that I came in contact with during the discussion phase.” said Ms. Gina Ciubotarasu – Business Developer Manager, MARS Romania.
Previous situation vs. Benefits obtained
Before the implementation of HERMES, Mars Romania representatives coordinating field sales (Sales Coordinators) used to collect weekly field execution monitoring data based on paper questionnaires. The process of collecting and consolidating data was more difficult and involved multiple processing resources and human errors. In addition to these, there were also a number of limitations related to paper-based data collection, limitations related to the volume, as well as limitations related to the formats that could be adapted on paper. In other words, the old way of working was affected on the one hand by the freshness and accuracy of the data collected, and on the other hand by the fact that the relatively small number of data collected affected information – the global image obtained (the relevance of the set of indicators for monitoring and control seen as a whole – specific KPI Dashboard).
“After the implementation of HERMES we have benefited greatly in terms of the accuracy and complexity of the data that could be collected in the field / points of sale. It has also helped us eliminate any extra time for the collection and consolidation of data in Excel format. In short, we now have real-time data with a work stream and a set of KPIs whose monitoring allows us to quickly find out if the store execution happened under the negotiated contracts and to find out exactly what happened in case of deviations.” said Mr. Valentin Dichiu – Field Key Account Manager, MARS Romania.
HERMES Merchandising & Marketing Features
- Collection of market information using questionnaires: presence and prices (both of its own products and of those of its competitors);
- Monitoring the presence of promotional materials in the points of sale
- Monitoring the achievement of the shelf merchandising activities;
- Ability to collect data on the existing stocks for products classified as “focus products”
- Monitoring daily routes and recording the main activities conducted by the field representatives, and the locations visited (including GPS coordinates verification);
“HERMES allows us to collect a lot of data in a wide variety of formats. The system is intuitive, easy to use on tablets, integrating a complete set of questionnaires that can be completed quickly.” said Ms. Ioana Cismasu – Project Coordinator & Expert User – MARS Romania.
About Mars
Mars Incorporated is a FMCG industry company in the United States. In 2005 its turnover was 18 billion $ and it has 39,000 employees. The company has more than 100 manufacturing facilities around the world, 230 locations in over 65 countries and about 40,000 associates worldwide. Chocolate bars weigh 42.2% of the overall Mars portfolio, while the company produces seven of the 20 best selling snacks in the world. In the chocolate bars segment the company’s portfolio includes brands such as Mars, Snickers, Twix, Bounty, Milky Way, M&M, in the chewing gum segment it includes Wrigley – Skittles, Orbit, Hubba Bubba, Spearmint, Doublemint, Freedent, Juicy Fruit, while in the pet food segment brands such as Whiskas, Pedigree, Chaapa, Kitekat and Royal Canin, as well as the Uncle Bens and Dolmio sauces.