InfoMetrics Data Program Embraced at the AWMA Show
LAS VEGAS – AWMA’s new InfoMetrics program, a powerful new tool to aggregate distributor product movement data to provide a new source of information for the c-store distribution industry, was demonstrated to a group of distributors and suppliers during the 2010 AWMA Show in Las Vegas March 10.
“The response of both manufacturers and distributors to the presentation has been outstanding,” said AWMA President & CEO Scott Ramminger, “and additional demonstrations were provided on the show floor. This is going to be an outstanding service for distributors and manufacturers alike.”
The AWMA InfoMetrics Program involves centralized collection, processing and sales of distributor retail store sales data from participating distributors to the manufacturing community. InfoRhythm, based in Pittsburgh, PA, is AWMA’s exclusive partner for the delivery of this important AWMA initiative – designed to help improve category management and tracking of retail incentive programs.
The service involves distributors providing retail store shipment data at the SKU level on a weekly or daily basis (as required) to InfoRhythm, which processes all SKUs and serves as the distributors’ selling agent, providing participating companies with a financial reward for the use of their data. Manufacturers and buyers of the data are provided a rate card menu to select and buy the desired data under an AWMA-approved pricing structure. InfoRhythm also provides various services to AWMA and participating members to enhance the value of the data and to aid the entire distribution community in leveraging technology and information.
The service provides manufacturers with a single source for obtaining timely, clean and accurate data at a predictable price. Manufacturers and buyers can select retail stores by category, regions, store type and/or for an entire distributor.
In opening a special dinner Wednesday evening to promote the InfoMetrics program, Mark Davenport, president & COO, J.T. Davenport & Sons, Inc. said the program provides “real time information and benefits vendors and distributors alike.” Davenport is chairman of AWMA’s Data Committee, which helped develop the program with InfoRythm, So far, 51 distributors, including 14 of the largest 20, have signed up, providing data for product movement from 80 warehouses that serve about 70,000 stores in the U.S.
“For manufacturers, it is the largest c-store data base that they will have access to,” said InfoRythm’s president, Viv Penninti. “They can look at total sales across all markets for companies in the program, as well as drilling down to specific stores by category and by product.
Penninti encouraged all distributors and manufacturers to participate. “This provides everybody with an opportunity that can make you better,” he said.
