The paradox of modern retail is striking: while retailers invest millions in AI-driven personalization and omnichannel experiences, the heart of their commercial operations—promotion management—still often runs on Excel and email.
The result? Campaigns that launch weeks late, approval processes drowning in cc’d emails, and teams working on different versions of the same spreadsheet. Missed opportunities multiply with every delay.
The Hidden Costs of Outdated Promotion Management
In conversations with retailers across the Benelux, we hear the same frustration repeatedly: “Our front office is state-of-the-art, but our back-office procedures are slowing us down.”
That complaint has real consequences. When a promotion launches a week late, it’s not just about missed revenue. It affects supplier relationships, inventory planning, staffing, and—perhaps most importantly—credibility with customers who have already seen your offer elsewhere.
The real impact becomes clear in the numbers. Among retailers who have digitized their promotion management, we typically see:
- 20–25% shorter lead times from briefing to launch
- 1,000–1,500 hours saved weekly across all stores
- Significant error reduction thanks to a single source of truth
- Improved ROI through real-time performance insights
From Operational Problem to Strategic Constraint
What begins as an operational issue—too much manual work and too little visibility—quickly evolves into a strategic limitation.
Take seasonal campaigns. In a fragmented system, it can take days to find out which promotions are active, what budget remains, and whether all assets are ready. Those days can mean the difference between riding a trend and missing it.
Or consider supplier collaboration. Increasingly, retailers run co-funded campaigns, but without a centralized system, it’s nearly impossible to track which supplier has committed what budget, how each promotion performs, or where optimization opportunities lie.
What Successful Retailers Do Differently
Retailers who have mastered their promotion processes share three common traits:
- Real-time insight: Not just into what’s running, but what’s working. Which promotion types perform best per category? Which channels convert most effectively? Which suppliers deliver consistent results?
- One source of truth: Everyone—from procurement to marketing to operations—works from the same data, calendar, and status. This eliminates errors and endless alignment loops.
- Agility: When a campaign underperforms, they can adjust within days. When a competitor launches an aggressive promotion, they can respond instantly. In an ever-evolving retail landscape, that flexibility is a competitive necessity.
From Excel to Enterprise
The shift from manual processes to integrated promotion management no longer needs to take months. With low-code platforms and ready-made templates, retailers can go live in a matter of weeks.
However, success requires more than just an IT project. It demands clear process ownership (who approves what, when, and based on which criteria), cross-functional alignment between merchandising, marketing, and supply chain, and solid change management. Gaining stakeholder buy-in early and providing proper onboarding are often the biggest success factors.
Measurable Impact in Practice
At ANWB Retail, promotion lead times dropped by 20% after implementation. At Etos, digitization saved 1,500 hours per week—time that teams now spend on value creation instead of manual work.
Both organizations report that their teams now work more strategically. Instead of firefighting and comparing spreadsheet versions, they focus on what truly matters: more creative campaigns, smarter budget allocation, and stronger supplier collaboration.
The Question Is Not If, but When
Every day your promotion management remains fragmented, you fall further behind competitors who are already more agile—behind suppliers accustomed to real-time collaboration, and behind your own teams growing frustrated by inefficiency.
The technology is available. The business case is clear. The only question is: will you wait until the pain becomes unbearable, or take the step now—before your competitors do?
About CLEVR
CLEVR helps retailers across the Benelux digitize their operational processes. With 30 years of retail experience, we combine low-code technology (Mendix and Siemens) with deep sector expertise. Retailers such as Etos, Rituals, Van Bommel, Marlies Dekkers, ANWB Retail, and HEMA use our solutions to work more efficiently and create value faster.
This is where IT-driven promotion management proves its value.
By connecting every stage of a campaign—from planning to execution—in one system, promotion automation eliminates manual work and fragmented tools. It gives retailers complete visibility and control, ensuring that offers reach the market faster and with greater consistency.
Low-code technology and automation give retailers the power to adapt quickly, simplify operations, and scale without adding complexity. By using configurable templates and automated workflows, teams can launch, monitor, and adjust campaigns in real time. This flexibility helps retailers stay responsive to market shifts, reduce manual effort, and focus on delivering impactful, data-driven customer experiences.
The future of promotion management isn’t about doing more; it’s about doing it smarter—connected, consistent, and aligned with how people actually shop today.
Originally published here.
Find out how CLEVR can drive impact for your business
FAQ
Can't find the answer to your question? Just get in touch
