Distributor to Assist Customers with Rebate Program Compliance
CHICAGO – May 20, 2009 - Software developer Ai2 announced today that Gem State distributors will implement the RECONSM solution for automated rebate tracking. RECONSM, an acronym for Rebate Compliance Network, is currently available exclusively to members of the WAM buying group as an add-on module to Ai2's POW® and POET® sales force automation applications. Gem State currently uses the POW® handheld solution for salespeople.
Retailers in the convenience store industry participate in thousands of manufacturer rebate programs per year. When a retailer hits a certain benchmark in specific items purchased, he is eligible for a rebate from a manufacturer such as Kraft or M&M/Mars. The sales representatives who service these accounts are responsible for telling each retailer how close or how far he is from program compliance. Until now, this process involved a combination of pens, paper, faxing and other manual processes.
Using data from InfoBate, Gem State will now be able to calculate rebate data at the same time they are placing a customer’s regular weekly order. Each customer’s specific account information will be integrated into the POW® application so that a salesperson may access it with a few keystrokes. Ai2, WAM and InfoBate anticipate an increase in sales for each distributor, improved customer satisfaction and a smoother rebate process as a result of this implementation.
Gem State claims on its Web site that the company is “very committed to keeping current with information and technology. We constantly strive to stay on the cutting edge in hardware and software. You can’t have control without good information.” For more information on Gem State, visit www.gemstatecandy.com.
“Gem State is a great customer to have and we’re glad to provide them even more service,” said Ray Walsh, VP of Sales for Ai2. “These two distributors are going to get ahead of their competitors and add even more value to the experience for their customers.”
InfoBate has been a leader in the data-tracking process for the distribution community for over 40 years. Their core mission is to simplify the collection of data between manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors. For more information about InfoBate, visit www.infobate.com.
WAM is a privately owned company based in Saginaw, Michigan. WAM was founded in 1986 with one distributor (Minter-Weisman) and today, represents 22 convenience-store distributors throughout the country, with 436 full-time sales reps. WAM represents 47 participating manufacturers and 18,000 convenience stores making $4 billion in sales annually. For more information about WAM, visit www.wam-aim.com.
Ai2 is a 23-year old family owned and operated software firm headquartered in downtown Chicago. Their solutions are used by over 35,000 users each day to capture over 30 billion dollars in sales each year. Ai2 handles the order entry process for some of the nation’s largest distributors in foodservice, convenience store, grocery, beverage, hardware, medical, beauty and industrial supply. For more information about Ai2, visit www.ai2.com.
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Ai2 Media Contact
Ray Walsh
(800) 835-3200