Legacy distribution models and generic market segmentation are no longer enough. The rise of omnichannel shopping, direct-to-consumer shifts, and fluctuating local demand mean that FMCG brands need context.

Which points of sale are actually driving repeat visits?
Where are loyal customers coming from?
Which outlets should be prioritized or retired?

These are the questions a global leader in plant-based foods needed to answer. And with Echo Analytics, they found a smarter, faster way to optimize their retail strategy.

Scaling without visibility

As this FMCG giant expanded across Europe and Latin America, it faced a common but frustrating problem: a lack of visibility at the point of sale. They were working with inconsistent POI data across countries. Their sales teams couldn’t reliably segment outlets by performance or foot traffic. And their data teams were overwhelmed with manual tasks just to validate and map new locations

Their expansion strategy was becoming slower, more expensive, and less measurable. They missed high-quality, accurate location data. They needed to understand the behavioral patterns around those outlets to expand confidently

Real-world behavior at the point of sale

They came to Echo with this issue, and we provided a scalable solution that included curated POI datasets, foot traffic and visitation data, and outlet clustering. 

With POIs, they got access to place categories and metadata customized for the FMCG retail landscape. Foot traffic and visitation data enabled them to distinguish between high- and low-traffic locations. Outlet clustering allowed their commercial teams to segment stores by more than just sales, but also real-world customer behavior.

This lets their teams answer questions like:

• “Which convenience stores get weekday commuter traffic vs. weekend locals?”
  
  
• “Which retail locations are in areas with high competition or brand loyalty?”
  
  
• “Where are new sales opportunities based on neighborhood mobility patterns?”
  
  

Strategic growth and coverage

With Echo’s data integrated into their sales and distribution dashboards, the FMCG brand reduced manual data prep time and accelerated market planning. It also allowed them to build smarter segmentation models, combining behavior, proximity, and commercial relevance. With repeat foo traffic and demographic alignment, they could prioritize retail partnerships and identify high-potential gaps for future placement or promotional investment. 

The result was better decisions, faster rollouts, and a stronger case for scaling across new territories.

Why FMCG needs location intelligence

Consumer brands rely on static retail data like lists of stores, sales figures, and basic demographics. But to compete, insights that show how people move, where they shop, and why they return are a game-changer. 

Here’s what location intelligence adds:

This type of insight is beneficial across departments within FMCG. Trade marketing teams can plan local activations, commercial strategy leads can decide where to invest, and international teams will have access to consistent data across regions.

Scaling smarter

FMCG growth requires data built on movement, dwell time, and human patterns. Not guesswork. That’s how you scale smarter. 

With Echo Analytics, you can:

• Build smarter territory plans
  
  
• Improve partner negotiations
  
  
• Win in the aisles
  

Echo provides clean, customizable POI and footfall data across 30+ countries—ready to plug into your dashboards.