Cabaran

As the plant-based category scaled rapidly, the brand faced increasing complexity in distributor management. Incentives were often reactive, fragmented across regions, and slow to settle—reducing distributor trust and focus.

The company needed a transparent, automated system to prioritize its portfolio within distributor assortments, especially during launches and seasonal demand peaks.

Key challenges included:

• Inconsistent distributor prioritization: Competing beverage portfolios diluted focus on plant-based SKUs.
• Slow speed-to-shelf for new launches: New flavors and functional variants took weeks to reach optimal coverage.
• Cold chain compliance risks: Temperature deviations threatened product quality and brand credibility.
• Limited visibility into market expansion: Tracking new account openings and placements was manual and delayed.
• Low training completion rates: Distributor sales teams lacked confidence in explaining nutritional benefits.
• Seasonal demand underperformance: Peak periods like summer were not fully capitalized due to lack of urgency.

‍

Personas involved

• Distributors & Wholesalers: Earn rewards for volume growth, new placements, compliance, training, and seasonal performance.

• Channel Sales Teams: Design incentive structures, monitor distributor performance, and drive execution across regions.

• Trade Marketing Teams: Launch SPIFFs, new product incentives, and seasonal programs aligned with GTM priorities.

• Supply Chain & Quality Teams: Track cold chain adherence and quality-linked distributor behavior.

• Finance & Operations Teams: Ensure accurate calculations, budget control, and timely incentive payouts.

• Program Admin / Super Admin: Configure incentive rules, manage integrations, approve payouts, and oversee performance dashboards.

‍

The solution

The manufacturer required a single, scalable platform to manage distributor incentives, ensure compliance, and drive measurable channel outcomes. Xoxoday Compass delivered a rule-driven, automated incentive engine with real-time visibility and verified performance tracking.

This shift replaced manual spreadsheets with transparent dashboards and instant payouts—building distributor trust while accelerating execution across India.

• Volume-based incentives to accelerate case movement: Xoxoday Compass enabled tiered volume incentives with escalating rewards, motivating distributors to push higher case volumes and prioritize the brand over competing portfolios.

• New product launch bonuses for speed-to-shelf: Time-bound launch SPIFFs rewarded early placements and rapid distribution of new plant-based flavors and functional variants—compressing launch cycles and boosting early adoption.

• Cold chain compliance rewards to protect quality: Xoxoday Compass tracked temperature and compliance data through integrations and verification workflows, rewarding distributors who consistently met refrigeration standards and safeguarded product integrity.

• Account expansion rewards to grow footprint: Per-placement incentives encouraged wholesalers to open new retail, café, foodservice, and vending accounts—expanding availability across urban and semi-urban markets.

• Training completion rewards to elevate selling confidence: Distributor sales teams earned rewards for completing LMS-based product education and certification programs, improving recommendation quality and conversion at point of sale.

• Seasonal SPIFFs to capture peak demand: Short-term incentives during summer and festive seasons created urgency, driving focus on high-velocity SKUs when demand was highest.

• Seamless integration with the channel ecosystem: Xoxoday Compass integrated with DMS, ERP, CRM, LMS, and analytics tools, enabling automated performance ingestion, real-time leaderboards, verified compliance, and instant incentive payouts—eliminating disputes and manual reconciliation.

‍

Impact

• 31% increase in distributor-driven volume growth, powered by tiered volume incentives.
• 42% faster speed-to-shelf for new product launches across priority markets.
• Significant improvement in cold chain compliance, reducing quality-related escalations.
• 27% growth in new retail and foodservice account openings through placement rewards.
• 2.4× increase in training completion rates among distributor sales teams.
• INR 118 crore in channel incentives processed annually, with zero payout disputes.
• Higher distributor loyalty and engagement, driven by transparent rules and real-time visibility.

‍

Conclusion

By implementing Xoxoday Compass, the Plant-Based Beverages manufacturer transformed distributor and wholesaler engagement across India.

From volume acceleration and launch execution to cold chain compliance, training, and seasonal focus, Compass enabled a performance-led, transparent channel ecosystem. With automated incentives, real-time insights, and seamless integrations, the brand strengthened distributor loyalty, expanded market reach, and accelerated growth in one of India’s fastest-growing beverage categories.