How to master retail promotion optimization in 2024

How To Effectively Optimize Promotions

Promotions are a persuasive strategy to drive sales and the overall bottom line. Despite how powerful promotion optimization can be for a business’s success, most retailers struggle with promotion management from inception to execution.


Historically, retailers found it challenging to promote the right items, at the right time, using the right price points. However, with the awakening of the omnichannel revolution, retailers have had to add another complicated strategy to the mix that focuses on the customer segment level. 


To manage mass and targeted promotions, most businesses rely on past experience and pure guessing – an optimization method that is no longer manageable with the unprecedented volume of data. 


Tapping into a strategy achieving promotion optimization that utilizes advanced technology is the future for retailers. Throughout this article, discover:

Table of Contents

What is promotion optimization?

Promotion optimization involves small or large adjustments to promotion attributes based on data-driven evidence. The purpose of optimizing these promotions is to maximize results.

 

A retailer may optimize by adjusting the:

 

  • Promotion Type (Simple/Complex)
  • Promotion Longevity and Timing
  • Promotion Vehicle (Circular, email, end-cap etc.)
  • Target Customer (Mass/Targeted/Market Segmentation)

How do retailers optimize promotions?

Most retailers currently rely on manual processes and multiple systems for managing promotions. With the tools they have available, retailers optimize promotions by:

 

  1. Analyzing point of sale (POS) data
  2. Repeating past promotions that performed well
  3. Relying on gut feeling based on domain expertise
  4. Familiarizing with current trends, preferences, etc.

Though these methods work, they are not entirely foolproof and can be time-consuming. Today, with the amount of data available, and the need for personalization, optimizing promotions can be near impossible without having access to the right tools.

What is promotion optimization
Promotion optimization

Optimizing promotions with advanced technology is crucial for promotion effectiveness. A technology solution provides data-driven insights by processing all the data, running forecasts on different promotion attributes, and concentrating on the right combination of promotion attributes to meet the desired outcomes.

For a detailed understanding of retail promotion optimization attributes, check out our insights on creating targeted promotions.

 

This level of complexity and accuracy allows retailers to focus on meeting their business objectives, rather than sifting through disparate data and relying on guesswork. 

Capabilities a solution provides:

  1. Running what-if analysis
  2. Ability to optimize all types of promotions (simple and complex)
  3. Providing prescriptive recommendations that take into account business constraints and business objectives
  4. Accounting for cannibalization and halo effects to better understand how other items or categories perform when a product is on promotion.
  5. Demand seasonality, post-promotion dip, and cross-items are taken into account 

Results retailers can expect:

  1. Better alignment of promotions with business goals
  2. Running promotions that carry the highest ROI to the business
  3. Improving decision-making and execution between departments, and vendors

Overall, a solution with promotion optimization capabilities allows retailers to align promotions with their business strategy, achieve the highest ROI, and meet their customers’ needs. It is essential for retailers to invest in a solution that can process mass amounts of data and provide accurate and insightful recommendations. 

How can retailers optimize promotions using advanced technology?

In order to effectively optimize promotions, retailers need to invest in advanced technology. A technology solution provides data-driven insights by processing all the data, running forecasts on different promotion attributes, and concentrating on the right combination of promotion attributes to meet the desired outcomes.

 

This level of complexity and accuracy gives retailers the space to focus on meeting their business objectives, rather than sifting through disparate data and relying on guesswork.

Promotion optimization with advanced technology

Capabilities a solution provides:

 

  1. Run what-if analysis.
  2. Ability to optimize all types of promotions (simple and complex).
  3. Prescriptive recommendations that take into account business constraints and business objectives.
  4. Accounts for cannibalization and halo effects to better understand the impact of how other items or categories perform when a product is on promotion.
  5. Demand seasonality, post-promotion dip, and cross-items are taken into account.

Results retailers can expect:

 

  1. Better align promotions with business goals.
  2. Run promotions that carry the highest ROI to the business.
  3. Improve decision-making and execution between departments, and vendors.

Overall, a solution with optimization capabilities allows retailers to align promotions with their business strategy, achieve the highest ROI, and meet their customers’ needs. It is essential for retailers to invest in a solution that can process mass amounts of data and provide accurate and insightful recommendations.

Why Cognira’s PromoAI?

PromoAI puts Promotion Optimization front and center, empowering retailers to make strategic, data-driven decisions. By assessing trade-offs and comparing scenarios, PromoAI helps identify the most effective promotional strategies to meet campaign objectives and align with business goals.

What makes PromoAI stand out from the crowd:

 

  • AI-driven automated engine for faster optimization
  • Real-time recommendations
  • Evaluate opportunity and risk of new strategies
  • Optimize all promotion types (circulars, emails, in-store ads, targeted promotions)
  • Optimize vendor funds for the most effective deals

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