The challenges of geographic business development in retail

Deploying a commercial strategy in retail – whether in supermarkets, specialized stores, hotels/restaurants, food services, or pharmacies – is not limited to product quality. Success also – and above all – relies on the organization and performance of sales teams that are often scattered across the entire territory. A demanding model where every day counts and where challenges multiply.

In this article, we look back at the main problems encountered in this context of indirect sales, and the concrete levers you can activate to address them.

Effectively Coordinating Dispersed Teams

Problem

When your sales representatives are spread all over France, coordination becomes a real headache. How do you ensure consistency in working methods, pursued objectives, and actions taken? How do you avoid overlaps or abandoned areas?

CRM Solution

A tool for centralizing accounts and points of sale allows each salesperson to access a single, up-to-date database. Thanks to a clear segmentation by territory, each team member knows their scope and priorities. Action planning becomes fluid, and management gains clarity.

Concrete Example

A regional manager can thus supervise the activity of their team members in real time, ensure that each strategic point of sale is well followed up, and adjust zones if necessary.

Benefits

• Reduction of duplicates

• Better territory coverage

• Alignment between national strategy and local actions

Optimizing Field Routes

Problem

According to a study by OpinionWay, sales representatives spend an average of 25% of their time on the road. However, poorly planned, these routes result in a considerable waste of time and high logistical costs.

CRM Solution

An intelligent planning engine allows routes to be organized based on the geolocation of points of sale, business priorities, and salesperson availability. In just a few clicks, an optimized route is proposed, maximizing time spent on visits rather than in transit.

Concrete Example

A mobile salesperson can plan their week according to priorities, goals, and points of sale to visit. All of this, of course, while respecting precise and logical zones for an optimized route, respecting expected visit frequencies.

Benefits

• Time-saving

• Reduction in travel costs

• Increase in the number of visits per day

Standardizing Field Information Collection

Problem

In retail networks, gathering information from the field is essential for managing operations. However, it is often incomplete, inconsistent, or even non-existent. As a result, strategic decisions are based on fragmented data.

CRM Solution

A structured system of customizable forms and surveys allows salespeople to fill in all the important and requested information by their company, perform shelf space surveys, or promotional audits, and record their visit reports quickly and consistently. This data is immediately available at headquarters in real time.

Concrete Example

During a shelf check, a salesperson can enter the percentage of occupied shelf space directly on their mobile, attach a photo, and add a comment on compliance with the current promotion.

Benefits

• Reliable and consistent data

• Real-time visibility in the field

• Increased responsiveness of support teams

Tracking and Managing Local Sales Actions

Problem

In retail, national campaigns must be adapted locally. The tracking of actions in points of sale becomes complex, especially when each salesperson uses their own tracking method.

CRM Solution

The ability to create custom objectives, associated with specific campaigns or products, allows tracking of actions taken at each point of sale. Managers can visualize results by region, salesperson, brand, or retail chain.

Concrete Example

During a promotion campaign for a new product, managers can track, point of sale by point of sale, whether the display was set up, if the signage is present, and if the target volumes were reached.

Benefits

• Better execution of action plans

• Detailed tracking of local campaigns

• Marketing-sales alignment

Analyzing Sales Performance in Real Time

Problem

Managing blindly is still too widespread. According to Forrester, 65% of sales directors believe they do not have a sufficiently detailed view of field performance. The absence of unified reporting prevents the identification of areas for improvement.

CRM Solution

Dynamic dashboards allow the tracking of key indicators: number of visits, actions taken, shelf share, numeric distribution, conversion rate, etc. These KPIs are updated in real time based on data reported from the field.

Concrete Example

A national sales director can detect a drop in activity in a specific region, analyze the causes (drop in visits, low numeric distribution, insufficient coverage), and react quickly.

Benefits

• Clear and immediate vision

• Better decision-making

• Quick adjustment of strategy

Developing a sales strategy in retail requires meeting numerous challenges: team coordination, route optimization, reliable data collection, local action execution, and performance management.

Faced with this complexity, digital tools play an essential role. By centralizing data, automating key tasks, and providing a real-time view of the field, they allow sales directors, regional managers, and field managers to stay on course, act faster, and strengthen the impact of their sales network.