Frequently Asked Questions
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Frequently Asked Questions
TPM
What is Trade Promotion Management?
- Business capability to manage and optimize promotional investments.
- Spans planning, execution, settlement, and evaluation.
- Connects Sales, Finance, Supply Chain, and ERP.
- Goal: maximize promotion ROI, not just execution.
Why do companies invest in TPM?
- Promotions are a major P&L line — often 15–25% of revenue.
- Without structure, spend leaks and ROI is invisible.
- TPM creates control, visibility, and measurable improvement.
What is the difference between TPM and RGM?
- RGM is the strategy: pricing, portfolio, mix, trade investment.
- TPM is the execution layer: planning, running, and evaluating promotions.
- Effective RGM requires a strong TPM foundation.
Is TPM only relevant for large FMCG companies?
- No — but complexity and ROI scale with size.
- Mid-size companies benefit from structure and control.
- Enterprise companies need scale, governance, and multi-market capability.
What does a TPM system actually do?
- Plans and approves promotions.
- Calculates funding, accruals, and expected uplift.
- Tracks execution and claims.
- Evaluates ROI and profitability post-event.
What is the difference between TPM and a promotion planning tool?
- Planning tools manage calendars.
- TPM manages the full financial lifecycle of promotions.
- TPM includes accruals, settlements, ROI analysis, and compliance.
What systems does TPM typically integrate with?
- ERP (SAP, Oracle, Microsoft) for financial data.
- POS / sell-out systems for evaluation.
- Demand planning / S&OP tools.
- BI and reporting platforms.
What is Visualfabriq?
- Enterprise TPM platform used by global FMCG companies.
- Covers planning, analytics, and AI-assisted decision support.
- BPX is an experienced implementation partner for Visualfabriq.
How long does a typical TPM implementation take?
- Depends on scope and market complexity.
- Phased delivery — early value in months.
- Full enterprise rollout typically 12–24 months.
What makes a TPM implementation fail?
- Treated as an IT project, not business capability.
- Unclear ownership post go-live.
- Finance logic not embedded from day one.
- Adoption not managed as a continuous workstream.
Commercial & Sales
How does TPM help Sales teams?
- Faster promotion design with pre-built templates.
- Predictive uplift and scenario planning.
- Less time in Excel, more time selling.
- Better negotiation with data-driven arguments.
Can TPM replace the need for manual promo files?
- Yes — for planning, approval, and evaluation.
- Replaces Excel risks: errors, version confusion, no audit trail.
- Data remains exportable when needed.
What is AI Agent Mike?
- AI assistant embedded in the TPM platform.
- Automates repetitive tasks, answers commercial questions.
- Suggests best promo options based on historical data.
- Guides KAMs through the planning workflow.
How does TPM improve Joint Business Plan (JBP) processes?
- All promotions linked to JBP targets.
- Real-time budget and forecast tracking.
- Data-supported customer conversations.
Can TPM help with retailer negotiations?
- Yes — data-driven scenarios replace gut feel.
- Historical performance and benchmarks available instantly.
- Profitability simulations for every mechanic.
What is post-promotion evaluation (PPE) and how does TPM automate it?
- PPE compares planned vs actual volumes, spend, and ROI.
- TPM automates baseline, uplift, and profitability calculations.
- Results feed directly into next cycle planning.
How does TPM reduce time spent on admin for Sales?
- Industry benchmark: 30–50% of Sales time on promo admin.
- TPM + AI Agent Mike removes most of that burden.
- More time for customer-facing activities.
How does TPM support scenario planning?
- Simulate mechanics, depth, dates, and durations.
- Instant ROI and profitability estimates.
- No Finance dependency for basic scenarios.
What does TPM mean for Key Account Managers?
- One place for all customer promotions.
- Built-in RGM guardrails prevent costly mistakes.
- Faster approvals, cleaner execution.
How does TPM improve commercial execution quality?
- Standardized templates and validation rules.
- Fewer re-uploads and corrections.
- Full audit trail for compliance and governance.
Supply Chain & Demand Planning
How does TPM improve demand forecast accuracy?
- Predictive uplift replaces flat assumptions.
- Promo calendar changes reflected automatically.
- 10–25% improvement in promo-week accuracy (industry benchmarks).
How does TPM reduce out-of-stocks during promotions?
- Earlier visibility of high-volume weeks.
- Accurate load-in requirements per customer.
- Risk flags for high-uplift events.
Does TPM integrate with demand planning systems?
- Yes — event-based uplift signals feed into DP tools.
- Replaces manual overrides with structured promo inputs.
- Supports IBP and S&OP consensus processes.
What is the difference between planned, committed and forecasted demand in TPM?
- Planned: modelled but not yet approved.
- Committed: approved and locked.
- Forecasted: integrated into statistical demand signal.
- ERP cannot distinguish these — TPM can.
How does TPM reduce safety stock requirements?
- More reliable uplift estimates.
- Earlier signal of cancellations and changes.
- Planners stop overcompensating for uncertainty.
How does TPM support S&OP and IBP?
- Provides event-based volume signals for demand reviews.
- Enables scenario analysis for demand shaping.
- Strengthens volume-to-value reconciliation.
What KPIs does TPM provide for Demand Planning?
- Forecast accuracy in promo weeks.
- Volume uplift accuracy vs plan.
- SKU-week promo demand volatility.
- Customer-level promo compliance.
How does TPM reduce firefighting for planners?
- Eliminates late promo information and calendar inconsistencies.
- Aligns assumptions across Sales, Finance, and DP.
- One definitive promo calendar.
Can TPM handle parallel promotions across markets?
- Yes — designed for multi-market visibility.
- Cross-customer and cross-market promo peaks visible.
- Global governance with local execution.
How does TPM improve collaboration between Sales and Supply Chain?
- Shared promo calendar replaces offline files.
- Volume assumptions aligned in one system.
- Real-time updates when plans change.
IT & Data
What are the key integration points for a TPM system?
- ERP: master data, actuals, pricing, settlements.
- POS/sell-out: evaluation and uplift calibration.
- Demand planning: event-based uplift signals.
- BI/reporting: dashboards and management KPIs.
Does TPM work with SAP S/4HANA?
- Yes — including ECC, S/4HANA Private, and Public Cloud.
- Public Cloud requires standard-compliant integration patterns.
- BPX specializes in SAP-centric TPM architectures.
Can TPM work with non-SAP ERP?
- Yes — Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, Infor supported.
- Integration patterns differ per ERP landscape.
- BPX delivers both SAP and non-SAP TPM programs.
What is TreXcellence and when is it needed?
- Proprietary BPX accrual engine.
- Used when standard ERP/TPM accrual logic is insufficient.
- Provides flexibility, auditability, and scale for complex trade models.
How does TPM handle data security and access control?
- Role-based access at promotion and customer level.
- Full audit trails for all changes.
- Compliance with enterprise security standards.
What cloud platforms does BPX support for custom TPM solutions?
- Microsoft Azure.
- Google Cloud Platform.
- AWS.
- SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP).
How does TPM performance scale under heavy load?
- Enterprise platforms designed for peak commercial periods.
- TreXcellence scales automatically with volume.
- Performance tested across large multi-market deployments.
Does TPM replace ERP for Finance?
- No — ERP remains a system of record.
- TPM complements ERP by adding forward-looking visibility.
- Together they form a complete picture of trade spend.
Can Finance trust TPM numbers?
- Yes, if designed correctly.
- Finance logic is embedded, accruals are transparent, audit trails are complete.
- BPX specifically focuses on finance-grade TPM design.
How does TPM support Finance forecasting?
- Predictive uplift models.
- Calendar-driven forecasts updated automatically.
- Scenario analysis for NSV and margin impact.
- Shared dataset with Sales — one version of the truth.
Procurement & Vendor Selection
What experience does BPX have with TPM?
- Multiple global TPM programs.
- Finance-heavy implementations.
- SAP-centric environments.
- Complex accrual logic and custom extensions.
Can BPX provide references?
- Yes — subject to confidentiality agreements.
- Case studies show delivery patterns and outcomes.
- Focus on results, not logos.
How is TPM pricing typically structured?
- Platform licensing + implementation services.
- Optional accelerators and custom extensions.
- Transparent cost structure aligned to scope.
Are discounts possible?
- Commercial terms depend on scope and scale.
- Larger rollouts enable economies of scale.
- Long-term partnerships preferred over transactional engagements.
Why BPX instead of a generic system integrator?
- TPM specialization — not a generalist.
- Finance-grade delivery from day one.
- Cross-domain expertise (not just IT).
- Proven accelerators and proprietary tools.
- Ownership and engagement beyond go-live.
Does BPX support custom development?
- Yes — dedicated development squads.
- Modern cloud technologies (Azure, GCP, AWS, BTP).
- AI and analytics capabilities.
How does BPX reduce implementation risk?
- Proven methodology refined over many deployments.
- Clear governance and decision checkpoints.
- Proprietary accelerators for configuration and testing.
- Experienced senior consultants — not juniors.
Can TPM scale globally?
- Yes — designed for large and small markets simultaneously.
- Global governance with local flexibility.
- Parallel rollouts supported.
How long does TPM implementation take?
- Depends on scope and market complexity.
- Early value typically delivered within months.
- Full enterprise rollout: 12–24 months, phased.
What happens after go-live?
- BPX stays engaged — adoption support and performance stabilization.
- Continuous improvement based on real usage data.
- TPM is treated as a capability, not a completed project.
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