Lower-Trade Consulting for CPG Companies
Lower trade drives scale — and complexity.
TransCPG Inc. specialises exclusively in transforming lower-trade operating models using modern, execution-ready technology.
We help CPG companies leapfrog legacy models and move directly to the current state of FMCG execution.
Why Lower Trade Cannot Be Solved with Generic Consulting
Lower trade is the largest and most misunderstood part of FMCG.
It is fragmented, informal, operationally expensive, and deeply dependent on legacy practices that no longer scale. While modern trade has benefited from decades of optimisation, lower trade still operates with high cost-to-serve, limited visibility, and outdated execution models.
Most consulting frameworks are designed for organised retail. Lower trade requires a fundamentally different lens.
That is why TransCPG built DART — Digitally Advanced Retail Trade, a consulting practice dedicated exclusively to solving lower-trade complexity.
DART™ – Digitally Advanced Retail Trade
DART is TransCPG’s specialised consulting practice focused on re-engineering lower-trade FMCG using technology that is finally ready to scale.
Unlike traditional approaches that incrementally evolve from one operating model to the next, DART enables CPG companies to leap directly to the current state — where AI, automation, and digital workflows absorb complexity instead of pushing it onto people.
DART is not about tools.
It is about redesigning how work itself gets done in lower trade.
What Is Structurally Broken in Lower Trade
Fragmented outlet universe with poor coverage economics
Sales-visit–centric execution that does not scale
Beat plans and sales calls as legacy constructs
Price leakage and channel conflict with no visibility
Data stopping at distributor billing
Heavy reliance on training and manpower for change
Lower trade does not need more effort.
It needs a different operating model.
Technology Changed the Way Work Gets Done. FMCG Is Catching Up.
In everyday life, technology eliminated complexity.
One smartphone replaced phones, cameras, calculators, maps, wallets, and manuals. AI now designs, analyses, and decides in minutes — without training.
FMCG, however, evolved slowly:
- Paper& pen → SFA → retailer self-ordering
- Decadesof incremental change driven by training and manpower Today, technology is democratised and intelligent.
The old barriers of cost, adoption, and training no longer apply.
DART helps FMCG leapfrog directly to the current operating state— not evolve step by step.
Practice Leadership
DART™ is led by a practitioner, not a career consultant.
The DART practice is led by Madhusudhanan Janakarajan (“Madhu”), a lower-trade transformation specialist with over two decades of experience across FMCG distribution, sales execution, and technology-led transformation.
Madhu has worked inside core CPG organisations, partnered with global FMCG brands on sales and distribution platforms, and built a lower-trade commerce ecosystem from the ground up across complex markets such as India and the GCC.
This practitioner-led background enables DART to move beyond theory — focusing instead on operating-model redesign and intelligent application of technology that works on ground.
How We Work
We design for execution — not just presentation.
What Clients Typically Engage Us For
- Coverage optimisation without adding headcount
- Sales role and distributor role redesign
- Cost-to-serve reduction in lower trade
- Pricing leakage and channel conflict visibility
- Data visibility beyond billing
- Migration away from visit-centric execution
- Designing future-ready lower-trade tech architecture
How Brands Engage DART
Focused diagnostic sprints
Lower-trade strategy and operating-model redesign
GTM rollout enablement
Optional Build-Operate-Transfer support
Technology adoption is always prescriptive and optional.
This Practice Is Built For
- CPG CEOs
- CIOs / CTOs
- Sales & Route-to-Market Heads
- Transformation & Strategy Leaders
Start with a Focused Lower-Trade Diagnostic
Answer a few questions. We’ll help you identify where lower-trade complexity is limiting scale —and what to fix first.
Ready to Fix Lower Trade Ecosystem? — Properly?
Start with a focused diagnostic led by specialists who understand lower-trade complexity and modern technology.