New Australian Technology a Game Changer for FMCG Sector
Australia’s multi-billion dollar fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector is set to be revolutionised by new technology which enables FMCG companies to control their brand’s point of sale (POS) inventory worldwide, quickly and easily. The innovative software program, ouvar® has been developed in Australia and will be officially launched at the Shop! Marketing at Retail Summit in Sydney on September 13, 2018.
ouvar® allows companies to consolidate and control their brand’s POS material via a secure online platform where their teams can view, order, monitor and track their POS items from any desktop or mobile device. The subscription program allows companies complete control and management of their POS inventory, including the support of a dedicated ouvar® account manager.
ouvar® founder, Jennifer Porter was inspired to create the POS solution based on her first hand experience manufacturing POS materials through her highly successful 5P Group company and for clients including Nestle, Havaianas, Mars and Dulux.
“I saw an incredible need for a solution to help clients track their brand’s POS material and to easily access sales performance, costs, specifications, storage and delivery information,” Ms Porter said.
“When I saw that one didn’t exist, I decided to create it. ouvar® gives enterprises total control of their brand’s POS assets, which in turn enables them to reduce spending at each stage of the assets’ journey.”
Ms Porter said that many FMCG companies stored their point of sale material at several storage locations including large third-party logistics warehouses, factories, storage sheds and even sales representative’s cars. The challenge for companies is calculating accurate storage charges, knowing where their POS material is at any given time, and even how much of it is reaching its desired destination.
“The costs for third-party logistics and warehousing can be especially crippling for this industry and sadly there’s often a lack of accountability when it comes to tracking a brand’s POS materials from the point of manufacture to the retail outlet.
“Our system allows a company to view their total inventory at a glance, including location and value, at any time and from anywhere in the world, Ms Porter said.
“The industry response we have had so far has been absolutely overwhelming and an indication that this type of innovation for the FMCG sector was long overdue.”
ouvar® , which is a play on the French word ouvert or open, is a completely new system, fully dedicated and purpose-built from the ground up for FMCG enterprise. It operates on two levels to support both management and representatives in the field and is optimised on both desktop and mobile and across IOS, Windows and Android platforms.
It will launch in Britain and the US in 2019.
POPAI Director UK and Ireland, Phil Day said: “The ability to centrally manage, distribute and measure display and its component parts across the country in this way, with live reporting and field management will provide brand owners with a double-win. It will prevent them from over-ordering and stockpiling displays, and also give them key performance data on a real-time basis, enabling them to better manage the display that is already in the field.
“Brand owners should look very carefully at these solutions and embrace the technology to make their in-store execution more efficient and effective.”
