For decades, India’s FMCG engine thrived on one timeless truth: availability is king. But today, the definition of availability, including where, how, and at what cost, is being rewritten. As consumer behaviour evolves, retail channels multiply, and micro-markets emerge at an unprecedented pace, we’re entering a new era of sales and distribution. It’s no longer about scale alone; it’s about intelligent scale with precision, agility, and profitability. At Marico, we anticipated this shift early. Project SETU, our largest sales transformation initiative, is not just a response to change, it’s a leap ahead. Designed to build a future-ready Go-To-Market (GTM) model, SETU is driving this through: - Direct distribution expansion - strengthening rural and urban reach - AI-driven assortments for outlet-level precision, micro-nuancing, and premiumization - Offline-friendly digital tools with near real-time KPI tracking to empower frontline teams Our ambition is clear: profitable growth for all stakeholders while building sustainable competitive advantage. What’s working? - Pin-code precision over one-size-fits-all approaches because similar markets often behave differently - AI-led forecasting to anticipate micro-festivals and category triggers, reducing stock-outs and improving service levels - Tech and training for our salesforce to navigate India’s most fragmented terrains effectively The next decade belongs to companies that combine advanced technology with the intuition of retailers and frontline teams. At @Marico, we’re proud to lead that charge. I’m curious to know – according to you, what are the newest innovations and perspectives reshaping India’s sales and distribution ecosystem? #ProjectSetu #SalesTransformation #FMCGSales#SETU
Well put, Ashish. The real shift I am seeing is how availability is becoming far more precision led than scale led. AI can read micro-markets and frontline tools that help teams act on those signals, are quietly reshaping S&D everywhere according to me. SETU seems to be ahead of that curve.
Would like to see more innovation in packaging, an area relatively under attended to by companies. Packaging that works in cramped GT outlets (not just spacious MT), enhances brand presence on shelf, is P&L friendly and combines form and function.
Lovely to see this Ashish Goupal . retail transformations on the back of technology make the channel more efficient and more effective. Have a look at Ubora from SharedReach .. and how they are driving not jist availability, but visibility and customer experience at scale. Retail in India still has legs.. its about time industry leaders gave it share of mind and transformation. Kudos!
Ashish Goupal - one critical point rightly pointed is at what "Cost". There is a good possibility that in years ahead finding a good frontline sales rep for even rural will become difficult and the companies who would have build a skill of sales calling digitally (referred as insider sales rep) would benefit. In many countries a good % of sales in FMCG already getting driven digitally from a distance and Indian ecosystem is seen often fast to disrupt in such cases.