How trade marketers can solve POS execution issues—digitally

1. Top 3 reasons POS execution fails (and you don’t notice until it's too late)

Brands often assume their in-store promotions are running smoothly—but in reality, things go off track for reasons like:

Missing or unusable photos: HQ requests POP display photos, but some promoters either skip the upload or send low-quality, unreadable images.
Late execution: Stores delay setting up campaigns by 2–3 days, causing misaligned timelines and sales losses.
No visibility into who did what: You’re told the promoter visited, but there’s no proof or context—making follow-up nearly impossible.

In fact, industry research shows that 45% of retailers struggle with out-of-stocks and 43% face planogram compliance issues—highlighting just how common visibility problems still are (Simbe & Coresight Research).

The core issue isn’t communication—it’s the absence of a system that allows HQ to track store execution in real time.

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2. Manual vs. Digital Checklists: What actually improves execution?

Checklists are standard—but the format makes a big difference. Teams relying on Excel, WhatsApp, or paper often fall into inefficient, error-prone workflows:

Step	Manual Checklist	Digital Checklist
Task assignment	Excel or PDF shared manually	Tasks auto-assigned in app with alerts
On-site reporting	Notes on paper, photos via chat	Photos and comments submitted directly in the app
Data collection	Prone to errors, missing entries	Data saved instantly by item
Report compilation	Managers sort manually	Auto-generated reports and dashboards
Follow-up	Delayed and unclear	Real-time notifications and in-app feedback

✅ If you manage multiple stores or work with external promoters, a digital checklist eliminates scattered reports and lost data.

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3. How digital checklists improve store execution

With a digital checklist, your execution workflow becomes much more efficient:

The trade marketing team uploads templates by store type or campaign
Tasks are automatically assigned based on each promoter’s route
The promoter completes the checklist on-site with photo evidence
Reports are instantly generated with in-store KPIs

A typical trade marketing checklist may include:

Verifying correct installation of POP/POSM materials
Taking photos of main display and checkout area
Checking product visibility in key zones
Detecting stockouts or missing items
Validating prices and promotions

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4. Why trade marketers are making the switch

For many teams, the manual workflow still looks like this:

Reviewing dozens of WhatsApp photos
Creating reports one store at a time
Discovering missed executions after the campaign ends

Digital checklists offer more than just convenience—they’re a performance tool:

Visual tracking: See what’s happening by store, region, or team
KPI-ready insights: Real-time data feeds into dashboards automatically
Consistent brand presence: Standardize store execution everywhere
No more spreadsheets: Export campaign data in seconds

📌 Especially helpful for short campaigns and limited staff—digital tools reduce stress and boost execution quality.

In fact, one study found that resetting planograms correctly led to a 7.8% increase in sales and 8.1% lift in profits—proving just how impactful proper in-store execution can be (Deloitte, Winning with Planograms).

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