10 Signs You’re in the Dark About Your Trade Spend
For many consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies, trade spend is one of the largest budget items—but also one of the easiest to mismanage. Without clear visibility and control, promotions can quickly turn into a black hole of inefficiency, eating into margins without delivering measurable results.
If you’re wondering whether your company is managing trade spend effectively, here are 10 key warning signs that your trade dollars may be going to waste.
1. You Can’t Track Promotional Performance in Real-Time
If you’re waiting weeks or even months to understand the impact of a promotion, you’re already too late. Without real-time visibility, you miss opportunities to optimize active campaigns or course-correct ineffective ones.
2. You Rely on Spreadsheets Instead of a Centralized System
Spreadsheets might be familiar, but they aren’t built to handle the complexity of modern trade promotions. When different teams manage their own data in disconnected files, errors creep in, version control becomes a nightmare, and valuable insights slip through the cracks.
3. Your Deductions Take Months to Reconcile
Slow reconciliation means you’re potentially leaving money on the table. When deduction disputes drag on, you may end up paying for promotions that were never properly executed or reimbursing retailers for costs you shouldn’t be responsible for.
4. You Can’t Calculate the ROI of Individual Promotions
If you’re running promotions without knowing whether they’re profitable, you’re gambling with your trade dollars. A lack of granular performance analysis means you may be repeating ineffective strategies without realizing it.
5. You Struggle to Align Sales and Finance on Trade Spend Data
Sales and finance teams often have different priorities—but if they’re working with inconsistent trade spend data, inefficiencies are bound to occur. Misalignment can lead to budgeting issues, forecasting errors, and overspending.
6. Your Competitors Seem to Execute Promotions More Effectively
If your competitors are seeing stronger sales lifts from similar promotions, they may have a better handle on trade spend efficiency. Gaining visibility into what works (and what doesn’t) can help level the playing field.
7. You Consistently Exceed Your Trade Spend Budget
If trade spend is becoming a financial black hole, chances are you’re lacking visibility into where the money is actually going. Without a clear framework for planning and tracking, costs can quickly spiral out of control.
8. You Run Promotions Out of Habit, Not Based on Data
Just because a promotion worked in the past doesn’t mean it’s still the right move today. Consumer behavior, market conditions, and retailer strategies change—yet many companies continue to run the same promotions year after year without evaluating their effectiveness.
9. You Lack a Clear Approval Process for Trade Deals
Are trade promotions being approved on an ad-hoc basis? Without a structured approval process, you risk inconsistencies, budget overruns, and promotions that don’t align with broader business objectives.
10. Retailers Dictate Your Trade Spend Instead of You Controlling It
When retailers hold all the power in trade spend negotiations, brands often end up overspending without clear ROI. If you’re agreeing to deals without deep visibility into their profitability, it’s time to take back control.
How to Regain Control of Your Trade Spend
If these warning signs sound familiar, the good news is that you can take action to fix them. By centralizing data, improving promotional measurement, and aligning internal teams, you can transform trade spend from a cost center into a growth driver.
TrewUp helps CPG brands gain full visibility into their trade dollars, ensuring every promotion delivers real value. Our platform streamlines trade spend management, prevents revenue leakage, and empowers brands to make smarter promotional decisions.
👉 Get in touch with TrewUp today to take back control of your trade spend!
