Accenture Helps Anheuser-Busch InBev Better Target Promotion Spend in Europe with Implementation of Cloud-Based Accenture Trade Promotion Management Solution

Accenture ACN has been helping Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), the world's largest brewer, increase the efficiency of its trade promotions in Europe through the implementation of the cloud-based Accenture Trade Promotion (TPM) solution.

The implementation is part of AB InBev's digital front-office transformation program, under which the company seeks to improve the effectiveness of its significant promotional trade spend by replacing a patchwork of processes, systems and tools across Europe with a single consolidated system that will enable the company to more effectively manage its trade-promotion spend.

Built on the Salesforce Customer Success platform, the Accenture TPM Solution gives teams more visibility into and control of their trade spend, enabling better-informed decision making, improved forecasting accuracy and more-effective trade promotions ― ultimately leading to help increase sales volume, stronger customer relationships and reduced spend.

Before the implementation of Accenture TPM, AB InBev lacked a consolidated view of its trade-promotion activities across Europe, with different types of systems for each of its operations ― often even within the same country. As a result, aggregating the data necessary to assess the effectiveness of specific promotions often took several weeks. With Accenture TPM, AB InBev can now pull reports in near real-time, enabling the company to react immediately to any identified gaps in its promotion efforts.

The solution is helping AB InBev fundamentally transform the way it engages with customers, giving the company greater agility to adapt to the market, capture value and deliver benefits to customers and consumers quickly. Among the benefits the new system provides AB InBev with are:

• Centralized information, guidelines and evaluation;
• Timely feedback and reporting;
• The ability to compare performance across countries using common key performance indicators;
• The ability to react quickly to market conditions and improve customer-service levels; and
• More time to spend with customers, thanks to automated processes.

Accenture and AB InBev began working on the first phase of the solution, which focused on promotion planning, last May, and the system went live in France and Belgium just six months later in November 2018. For the second phase, expected to go live at the end of May 2019, the companies will expand the rollout to the Netherlands and add payment-planning capabilities. Ultimately, AB InBev plans to roll out the system to its operations across more than 10 countries in Europe.

"With Accenture's help, we're already beginning to reap the benefits derived from much greater visibility into our marketing programs," said Vitaliy Potlatov, Director of Digital Transformation at AB InBev. "By focusing our trade spend on the promotions that are most effective, we can ensure that we're getting a better return on our investment, which will help us accelerate top-line growth. We look forward to achieving even greater results as we continue to roll out the program throughout our other European operations."

Duncan Knight, a managing director in Accenture's Consumer Goods & Services practice, said, "AB InBev understands that in today's digitally disruptive environment, consumers' needs and expectations are evolving constantly. By gaining real-time visibility into the effectiveness of its trade promotions, AB InBev will be able to quickly take the actions necessary to achieve relevance at scale and ensure its continued success."

About Accenture

Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions ― underpinned by the world's largest delivery network ― Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With 469,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

About Anheuser-Busch InBev

Anheuser-Busch InBev is a publicly traded company ABI based in Leuven, Belgium, with secondary listings on the Mexico ANB and South Africa ANH stock exchanges and with American Depositary Receipts on the New York Stock Exchange BUD. Our Dream is to bring people together for a better world. Beer, the original social network, has been bringing people together for thousands of years. We are committed to building great brands that stand the test of time and to brewing the best beers using the finest natural ingredients. Our diverse portfolio of well over 500 beer brands includes global brands Budweiser®, Corona® and Stella Artois®; multi-country brands Beck's®, Castle®, Castle Lite®, Hoegaarden® and Leffe®; and local champions such as Aguila®, Antarctica®, Bud Light®, Brahma®, Cass®, Cristal®, Harbin®, Jupiler®, Michelob Ultra®, Modelo Especial®, Quilmes®, Victoria®, Sedrin®, and Skol®. Our brewing heritage dates back more than 600 years, spanning continents and generations. From our European roots at the Den Hoorn brewery in Leuven, Belgium. To the pioneering spirit of the Anheuser & Co brewery in St. Louis, US. To the creation of the Castle Brewery in South Africa during the Johannesburg gold rush. To Bohemia, the first brewery in Brazil. Geographically diversified with a balanced exposure to developed and developing markets, we leverage the collective strengths of approximately 180,000 employees based in nearly 50 countries worldwide. For 2017, AB InBev's reported revenue was 56.4 billion USD (excluding JVs and associates).

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