Joel Cartwright

Industry Principal, Consumer Products at Vistex

Category Management Strategy 7 Insights Needed Before Annual Planning Begins

Category managers preparing next year’s plan should lead with 7 questions designed to evaluate category performance, promotion effectiveness, retailer results, and category growth planning.

September 10, 2026

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How AI Can Help Manufacturers Identify Trade Spend Waste To Improve Trade Promotion ROI

Learn how AI software helps identify trade spend waste before budgets are finalized. Predictive forecasting, scenario modeling, and integrated financial planning improve trade promotion ROI.

August 31, 2026

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Which Retailers Drive Profitable Growth? A Framework For Retail Account Performance

Learn how consumer products manufacturers evaluate retailer profitability, promotion performance, trade spend effectiveness, and deduction management with a retailer scorecard framework.

August 4, 2026

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Trade Spend Management Strategies That Drive Profitable Growth For Consumer Products Manufacturers

Learn how consumer products manufacturers can improve trade spend management through better forecasting, promotion analysis, accrual visibility, and cross-functional alignment to increase profitability and maximize trade ROI.

July 29, 2026

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What is Demand Forecasting in Consumer Products? Manufacturers and Retailers Can’t Afford to Get it Wrong

Learn what demand forecasting is in consumer products, common forecasting challenges, AI’s role, and how manufacturers improve accuracy and profitability.

July 17, 2026

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Turn Your Consumer Products Annual Operating Plan into a Continuous Growth Engine

Modernize your annual operating plan with a connected framework for pricing, trade promotion, and cross-functional alignment in consumer products.

June 4, 2026

How Facility-Level Pricing Optimization Enables Margin-Driving Decisions

Learn why AI in foodservice strategy fails without facility-level pricing optimization. Discover how leading manufacturers turn fragmented data into margin-driving decisions through adaptive revenue management.

May 13, 2026

Drive More Accurate Demand Forecasts. Integrate Fragmented Financial and Commercial Data

Learn how CPG finance teams can improve demand forecasting accuracy through data digitization, better trade data, and integrated finance operations.

March 9, 2026

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How to Build an Effective Joint Business Planning Process Driving Alignment and Trade Promotion ROI

Data, predictive analytics, and technology enable a Joint Business Planning process that drives trade promotion ROI and retailer performance for CPG manufacturers.

February 25, 2026

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Joint Business Plans Build Profitable Retail Partnerships

See the new joint business planning paradigm for CPG manufacturers, including roles, KPIs, market forces, and how to build more profitable retailer partnerships for revenue growth management.

February 11, 2026

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From Cloudy To Clear: How AI-Driven Trade Promotion Forecasting Leads To Better Results

Trade promotions are one of the largest line items for consumer products manufacturers, with P&L often accounting for up to 20% of gross sales.

January 14, 2026

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How to close the books on trade spend liability

Year-end trade spend reconciliation is a critical and challenging process for CPG manufacturers. As Q4 promotional activity peaks, Finance teams must accurately calculate outstanding retailer liabilities, align trade accruals with actual promotional spend, and identify budget variances before closing the books.

January 12, 2026

Maximizing Margin and Growth: What are the Consumer Products Trade Spend Trends Shaping 2026?

Consumer products manufacturers are entering 2026 at a crossroads, one that demands agility and direction to find a good stride.

December 15, 2025

CPG Pricing Strategies That Turn Market Noise Into Harmony

November 12, 2025

Price Pack Architecture Strategies to Weather Any Storm

The foodservice industry is seeing several changes due to multiple economic and political factors, increasing uncertainty and sharpening a focus on value among consumers and distributors alike.

September 17, 2025

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Data Flow & AI: Powering Trade Promotion Optimization

Consumer products manufacturers can achieve stronger trade promotion optimization by harnessing structured and unstructured data with AI and LLMS, turning data chaos into real-time insight and ROI.

September 16, 2025

The Price Is Right…Or Is It?

This may come as a shock to some, but there was a time when there was a VERY limited number of television channels to watch, and daytime programming was especially limited and boring.

July 21, 2025

The Unsolved Mystery Of Market Development Funds (MDF)

One of the most challenging aspects of working in the Consumer Products industry, or any industry for that matter, is analysis of the MDF investment. Specifically, aligning MDF to volume regardless of the investment amount.

February 4, 2025

Choose Shoppertunity Over The SALY Plan

There is an old saying in the Consumer Goods Industry: "Just run the SALY plan.” SALY is an acronym for Same As Last Year.

December 19, 2024

Jump To New Heights, Drive Revenue With AI

It’s apparent that there is minimal information on “HOW” AI can be used with shoppers. Today, I would like to provide information on “HOW” AI can be utilized in the B2C route to market.

July 29, 2024

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If I Had A Dollar For Every Time I Hear “AI”...

Repetitive business processes have never been more common – they are demanding and to complicate things further, typically require a large team. To me, AI and CP appear to be a “perfect marriage.” However, that is where the “honeymoon” ends.

May 7, 2024

All Aisles Lead To Technology

Can technology reshape how we interact with our customers, vendors and internal stakeholders? The short answer is yes.

February 29, 2024

Control What Is Controllable In CP Foodservice

Saying Consumer Packaged Goods Manufacturers have faced a monumental amount of uncertainty and pressure over the last few months, is probably the understatement of the century.

January 29, 2024

Can You Afford Not To Invest In B2B Brand Equity?

Investing in B2B brand equity is crucial for the success and growth of retail consumer products businesses

October 8, 2023

CPGs Take A Hard Right Turn Down Digitalization Lane

Prioritize RGM opportunities created by your 21st century odyssey During the last couple of years, Consumer Products manufacturers have been exposed to new challenges. Thes...

July 6, 2023

Unraveling The Mystery: Trade Spend And Year-End Close

Tips to stay focused and identify your CPG trade spend liability Flashy reporting and dashboards are an easy way to get caught up in data, predictability and “what-if” scen...

April 3, 2023

Once The Be All, End All – Are BOGOs Really Working For You?

A CPG Revenue Growth Management blog series on optimization sophistication: entry level Like all industries, consumer packaged goods manufacturers are focused on Revenue Gr...

February 1, 2023

Wrangling A Foodservice/B2B Solution Into A Retail TPM Solution

Is it possible to run retail promotion management and foodservice contract management in one place? Anyone who has worked with or for a consumer products manufacturer can t...

December 1, 2022

Keeping Your Glass Half Full

3 CPG pricing strategies for foodservice include thinking outside of your P&L As discussed in part 1 of this blog series, CPGs have begun the pandemic recovery but now...

October 10, 2022

Is Your Glass Half Full Or Half Empty?

Inflationary prices won’t lag behind for long in foodservice – shrinkflation as an alternative As the foodservice industry begins to recover from the pandemic, it also face...

July 17, 2022

Steps to optimize your CPG ecommerce strategy

Back To The Store? 

Tips to optimize your 2022 CPG ecommerce strategy and retain healthy margins It is well known that ecommerce sales shot up 70% during the beginning of COVID. Grocery online...

January 28, 2022

2022 manufacturers face supply chain problems and labor shortages

Figure It Out Or Lose Your Shirt

A look at how labor shortages are driving supply chain disruption and rising costs Consumer Products Manufacturers like you are facing multiple challenges: labor shortages,...

November 10, 2021

Trends in Digital Acceleration Retail Industry

What Are The 5 “Secret Clichés” For Success?

Key Factors in Digital Acceleration for Retail and Consumer Products While DT (Digital Transformation) may seem like an overused term, it is top of mind for CP manufacturer...

August 17, 2021

No Drones Please!

Master the tech basics first to improve retail execution There’s no doubt that technology and innovation are fascinating and progressing at a rapid pace but before you deci...

August 4, 2021

Foodservice Channels Digital Coupon Strategy

The Clash of the Coupons

The future is so redeeming As customers shifted from shopping in store to retailers’ ecommerce sites, digital coupon vs. paper coupon usage has also been impacted but to wh...

June 14, 2021

What's in store for CPG food and beverage manufacturers in 2021?

Food for thought While everyone is anxious to close or should I say, slam the door on 2020, there will certainly and unfortunately not be, a ringing in of immediate change ...

January 21, 2021

Incremental Volume, Promotion Planning, the Shift in CPG to Ecommerce and How to Contain the Fire

My observation is that CPG manufacturers are sometimes slow to change with the times. A large portion of CPG manufacturers recognized a growing shift in consumer shopping t...

January 13, 2021

What Does Your Top-Down and Bottom-Up Trade Plan Look Like in a COVID-19 World?

In the next few months, most retail and foodservice CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) manufacturers like you, will be starting their annual process for 2021 S&OP (Sales &am...

October 12, 2020

Find Your Sweet Spot by Gaining Control of Trade Promotions Against Your Plan

You have a lot on your plate. One thing you don’t want to leave behind is underutilized trade promotion funds. That would be like skipping dessert! Proper planning and exec...

August 18, 2020

Joel Cartwright

Industry Principal, Consumer Products at Vistex

More posts by Joel Cartwright

Category Management Strategy 7 Insights Needed Before Annual Planning Begins

How AI Can Help Manufacturers Identify Trade Spend Waste To Improve Trade Promotion ROI

Which Retailers Drive Profitable Growth? A Framework For Retail Account Performance

Trade Spend Management Strategies That Drive Profitable Growth For Consumer Products Manufacturers

What is Demand Forecasting in Consumer Products? Manufacturers and Retailers Can’t Afford to Get it Wrong

Turn Your Consumer Products Annual Operating Plan into a Continuous Growth Engine

How Facility-Level Pricing Optimization Enables Margin-Driving Decisions

Drive More Accurate Demand Forecasts. Integrate Fragmented Financial and Commercial Data

How to Build an Effective Joint Business Planning Process Driving Alignment and Trade Promotion ROI

Joint Business Plans Build Profitable Retail Partnerships

From Cloudy To Clear: How AI-Driven Trade Promotion Forecasting Leads To Better Results

How to close the books on trade spend liability

Maximizing Margin and Growth: What are the Consumer Products Trade Spend Trends Shaping 2026?

CPG Pricing Strategies That Turn Market Noise Into Harmony

Price Pack Architecture Strategies to Weather Any Storm

Data Flow & AI: Powering Trade Promotion Optimization

The Price Is Right…Or Is It?

The Unsolved Mystery Of Market Development Funds (MDF)

Choose Shoppertunity Over The SALY Plan

Jump To New Heights, Drive Revenue With AI

If I Had A Dollar For Every Time I Hear “AI”...

All Aisles Lead To Technology

Control What Is Controllable In CP Foodservice

Can You Afford Not To Invest In B2B Brand Equity?

CPGs Take A Hard Right Turn Down Digitalization Lane

Unraveling The Mystery: Trade Spend And Year-End Close

Once The Be All, End All – Are BOGOs Really Working For You?

Wrangling A Foodservice/B2B Solution Into A Retail TPM Solution

Keeping Your Glass Half Full

Is Your Glass Half Full Or Half Empty?

Back To The Store?

Figure It Out Or Lose Your Shirt

What Are The 5 “Secret Clichés” For Success?

No Drones Please!

The Clash of the Coupons

What's in store for CPG food and beverage manufacturers in 2021?

Incremental Volume, Promotion Planning, the Shift in CPG to Ecommerce and How to Contain the Fire

What Does Your Top-Down and Bottom-Up Trade Plan Look Like in a COVID-19 World?

Find Your Sweet Spot by Gaining Control of Trade Promotions Against Your Plan

Back To The Store? 