Fielo helps you align distributor incentives with real business outcomes, and measure ROI every step of the way.
A look at the numbers behind the industry Fielo was built for
$1.5 billion
CPG companies invest $1.5 billion annually in trade marketing programs.
Source: Bain & Company / McKinsey & Company
5x ROI
Best-in-class programs return five times more than the least efficient ones.
Source: Bain & Company / McKinsey & Company
About those inefficient trade marketing programs...
Why CPG trade programs fail
Traditional approaches to distributor incentives leave billions on the table
Manual, error-prone tracking
Spreadsheets, email chains, and manual calculations mean most trade promotions are impossible to audit. By the time you know what didn't work, the budget is already spent.
One-size-fits-all incentives
Fixed rebates and flat discounts don't account for distributor capabilities or market conditions. Small partners get left while big distributors coast on volume.
Slow time-to-activation
Traditional promo programs take weeks or months to design, launch, and measure. Market windows close before you see results.
Unclear ROI attribution
Is that sales lift from the promo or from other factors? Without real-time dashboards and clean data, you can't isolate which incentives actually moved the needle.
Distributor disengagement
When promotions aren't transparent or rewarding, distributors deprioritize your products. You lose shelf space and mindshare to competitors who are more engaged with partners.
Budget overruns
Without predictable ROI models, trade marketing budgets balloon with no clear guardrails. You're essentially guessing how much to spend and hoping for returns.
Fielo's intelligent trade promotion solution
Replace spreadsheet-based trade promotions with an intelligent, real-time platform designed specifically for CPG distributor management
How we eliminate trade promo waste
Traditional trade promotion management is plagued by fragmented data, delayed payouts, and margin erosion. Fielo’s Channel Performance suite provides a unified, data-driven platform that optimizes CPG distributor management, drives volume, and secures maximum ROI on trade spend. By moving from manual workflows to intelligent automation, consumer goods brands can transform their incentive strategies into a competitive advantage:
Design flexible, incentive programs in days — not months.
Use S-GRIT to structure fair, behavior-driven incentives.
Automate payout processing and eliminate spreadsheet errors.
Track ROI in real-time with built-in analytics.
Engage distributors with a branded partner portal.
Scale promotions across hundreds of partners seamlessly.
1
Design with data
Use S-GRIT to structure incentives around specific distributor behaviors — whether that's volume growth, product mix, account development, or new customer acquisition. One-size-fits-all is out.
2
Automate execution
Let Fielo handle tracking, calculations, and payouts. No more spreadsheets. Distributors see real-time progress, leaderboards, and transparent reward structures — driving engagement and accountability.
3
Measure & optimize
Built-in analytics show ROI by distributor, by product, by region — in real time. Optimize programs on the fly. Prove value to finance and confidently allocate bigger budgets to what works.
Why CPG brands choose Fielo
Real outcomes for real distributors
Personalized Engagement
Tailor models to distinct customer segments and motivations, speaking directly to what drives them.
Predictable ROI measurement
Real-time dashboards show exactly which distributors are responding, which incentives are working, and what's driving sales lift — not guesswork.
Automated payouts
No more manual calculations or payment disputes. Fielo automates rebate calculations, workflows, and payout processing, eliminating errors and delays.
40-60% faster Launch
No more waiting months to launch a promo. With Fielo's no-code platform and S-GRIT framework, design and launch incentive programs in days.
Fairness at scale
Use S-GRIT's Performance Improvement model to reward distributor growth fairly, whether they're a small emerging player or a national account.
Budget control
With predictable ROI models and automated tracking, you finally have guardrails. Spend smarter, measure more accurately, and prove trade promo value to finance.
Distributor engagement
When promotions aren't transparent and rewarding, distributors deprioritize your products, and you lose retail shelf space to competitors.
Fielo vs. Traditional trade promotion management
Frequently asked questions
What is trade promotion management in CPG?
Trade promotion management (TPM) is the process of planning, executing, and measuring distributor incentive programs. TPM represents approximately 20% of CPG annual revenue and is the primary lever for driving distributor engagement and sell-through performance. It bridges the gap between what manufacturers sell into the channel (sell-in) and what distributors actually sell to consumers (sell-through).
Why do most CPG trade promotions underperform?
Most promotions underperform due to: (1) Manual spreadsheet tracking makes auditing impossible, (2) One-size-fits-all incentives fail to account for distributor differences, (3) Lack of real-time ROI visibility prevents course-correction, (4) Slow activation misses market windows, and (5) Unclear attribution makes impact measurement difficult. The reality: one-third of the $500 billion spent annually on CPG trade promotions generates negative returns. Research shows 59% of global CPG promotions lose money, with 72% underperforming in the US.
What is the difference between TPM and TPO?
TPM (Trade Promotion Management) is the operational process of executing and tracking promotions. TPO (Trade Promotion Optimization) uses analytics to recommend which promotion types and timing maximize ROI. TPM answers "how do we execute it?" while TPO answers "which promotion should we run?" Modern organizations use both in conjunction with Revenue Growth Management (RGM).
How do channel incentive programs work for CPG distributors?
Programs reward specific distributor behaviors aligned with manufacturer goals using frameworks like S-GRIT: single-action (earn per transaction), fixed goals (reach volume targets), races (competitive urgency), performance improvement (reward your own growth), or top performer tiers. Effective programs combine clear targets, automated real-time tracking, transparent payouts, and enablement support (training, materials, deal support) to remove barriers to partner success.
How can CPG brands measure trade promotion ROI?
Effective measurement requires: (1) Real-time sales data tracking both distributor purchases (sell-in) and consumer purchases (sell-through), (2) Clear baseline definition of expected sales without promotion, and (3) Attribution clarity to isolate which sales came from which incentive. Modern platforms automate this with dashboards showing ROI by distributor, product, region, and promotion type. Best-in-class brands achieve 5x better ROI through superior measurement, not higher spending.
What features should a CPG trade promotion platform include?
Essential features: (1) No-code incentive design tools, (2) Behavior-driven templates accounting for distributor differences, (3) Automated calculation and payout processing, (4) Real-time performance dashboards, (5) Distributor-facing portals with progress tracking, (6) Integration with Salesforce/SAP for automatic data pulls, (7) Built-in analytics for ROI isolation and comparison, and (8) Approval workflows with audit trails for compliance.
How long does it take to launch a distributor incentive program?
Traditional approaches take 4-6 weeks or longer due to cross-functional meetings, legal/finance reviews, and manual setup. Cloud platforms with no-code design and pre-built behavioral models reduce this to 5-10 days. This speed enables brands to respond quickly to market opportunities and competitive threats that were previously missed during lengthy development cycles.
Can trade promotion management software integrate with Salesforce?
Yes. Modern TPM platforms integrate bidirectionally with Salesforce: pulling incentive structures and rules into Salesforce CRM while feeding back actual sales transaction data for automatic earnings calculation and payout triggering. This eliminates manual data entry and ensures sales and channel teams work from the same source of truth.
What are common types of CPG distributor incentives?
Common types include: volume rebates, product mix incentives, SPIFFs (immediate bonuses), tiered discounts, performance bonuses, marketing development funds (MDF), contests/leaderboards, and non-cash incentives (exclusive territories, early product access, premium support). The trend is moving from flat rebates toward behavior-driven structures that reward specific actions like stock rotation or training completion.
How do CPG brands scale incentive programs across multiple regions?
Scaling requires: (1) Centralized program design with regional flexibility on targets and payout levels, (2) Automated calculation and payout handling multi-currency, local tax compliance, and regional payment methods, and (3) Unified measurement across regions. Using tiered performance models allows small distributors in emerging markets to earn rewards for their own growth while large distributors in developed markets face appropriately higher targets. Centralized templates enable rapid cloning across regions with parameter adjustments.
Stop wasting trade promotion dollars
See how intelligent, behavior-driven incentive programs help CPG brands recover millions in wasted promotional spend and drive real retailer performance.
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