Trade marketing
Helps products sell in shops and through distributors.
You'll like it if you're curious about what happens inside a supermarket.
What it is
Trade marketing is about selling products in physical shops and through distributors (supermarkets, chains, wholesalers). Whoever does it works on two fronts: convincing the shop to stock the product and convincing shoppers to pick it from the shelf.
Works with
- Sales reps and key account managers (who deal with chains)
- Brand manager
- Logistics
- Point-of-sale agencies
What they actually do
Retailer agreements
Prepares proposals for retail customers with the sales team: range, prices, promotions.
Shelf
Decides where and how to display products: height, space, which products sit nearby.
Promotions
Organises discounts, leaflets, displays and in-store events.
Point-of-sale materials
Has signs, displays and special packs produced.
Sales analysis
Looks at what sells in each shop and compares sell-in and sell-out.
Store visits
Checks in person that promotions and displays are done well.
How the work is measured
The indicators (KPIs) they look at most often. The charts are just drawings, not real data.
- Sell-out
- How much the shop sells to end customers.
- Distribution
- How many shops stock the product.
- Promotion return
- How many extra sales a promotion brought compared with its cost.
- Out-of-stocks
- How often the product is missing from the shelf.
How to get started
People often start with internships at consumer goods companies (food, cosmetics, drinks). Being good with spreadsheets makes a difference.
1. Skills you need
- Spreadsheets and numbers
- Negotiation
- A practical, hands-on attitude
- Organising materials and deadlines
- Understanding how people move around a shop
2. Free tools to practise
- Google Sheets
- Canva
- Google Slides
Tools by other companies, free or with a free plan: we mention them only as examples.
3. In job ads it's called
- Trade marketing assistant
- Junior trade marketing specialist
- Category assistant
4. Later you can specialise in
- Shopper marketing
- Category management
Try it
Exercise 1 · Five Leaf in the supermarket
Giorgio from Five Leaf writes to you: "We've made it into the supermarket!"
4 parts, nothing to type: just choices, with a professional's solution at the end.
What you learn
- shelf and position
- sell-in and sell-out
- in-store promotions
- working with the buyer