NACDS living ‘Total Store’ commitment
Two recent projects of the NACDS Retail Advisory Board stand out as examples of NACDS’ commitment to execute the “total store” vision behind the NACDS Total Store Expo.
The NACDS Retail Advisory Board establishes members in their appropriate roles, which is driving the programs and services of NACDS. The NACDS Retail Advisory Board includes front-end suppliers and chain representatives, and they advise the NACDS board of directors on front-end issues and the association’s programming.
In June, the NACDS Retail Advisory Board and global strategy firm The Partnering Group released a report to help retailers and suppliers establish joint business plans to align and optimize shared business goals.
The report, “Creating Value Together,” brings a sophisticated approach to the growing movement of joint business planning. We know that time is one of the biggest challenges confronting truly collaborative efforts to achieve joint goals.
I applaud the NACDS Retail Advisory Board for taking steps to help companies simplify the process and streamline the time it takes to create a joint business plan. One of the results of this improved efficiency will be the ability of companies to enter into these relationships with more of their business partners.
Another of the NACDS Retail Advisory Board’s initiatives stands to help companies understand and act on an equally timely subject: digital marketing.
Today, at the NACDS Total Store Expo, during an Insight Session, NACDS and A.T. Kearney are releasing the results of the “Winning with Digital” study. The goal of the study is to answer the following questions:
Which specific digital marketing vehicles do retailers find most attractive?
What are their digital goals? and
What are the implications of these trends for consumer packaged goods manufacturers?
Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the study is that its findings gel in many ways with the collaborative spirit of the joint business planning report that I mentioned, and with the collaborative spirit of the NACDS Total Store Expo.
When it comes to understanding consumers’ desires and digital usage, nearly 40% of retailers involved in the “Winning with Digital” study expressed strong interest in collaborating with suppliers in developing knowledge in these areas. That shows significant intensity of interest, as that 40% figure does not include others who expressed some or modest interest.
The NACDS Retail Advisory Board’s work with our partners on joint business planning and digital strategies reflects a commitment to relevance. These are timely subject areas, to which NACDS and our partners are bringing actionable insights.
Such on-the-mark initiatives as these are able to thrive when an association operates in a truly member-driven format. And on-the-mark initiatives like these are bringing a consistent and “total store” approach to the member programs and services of NACDS.
On behalf of the entire industry, I want to thank the members of the NACDS Retail Advisory Board for their amazing efforts, and I want to thank the entire NACDS board of directors for prioritizing this area of focus.
Steve Anderson, IOM, CAE, is president and CEO of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.