Aldata Solution, a provider of retail and distribution improvement software, today announces that Bel UK Ltd, who are responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of major cheese brands such as The Laughing Cow, Mini Babybel, Boursin and Leerdammer are now using Aldata’s Assortment Management and Optimization solutions for category and market insight and strategic assortment planning across its product range. This will allow Bel UK to advise retail partners more effectively on shopper buying patterns and maximise category performance within the cheese section of UK supermarkets.

Bel UK is using Aldata’s Assortment Optimization solutions to identify market opportunities from shopper purchasing behaviour and make tailored recommendations based on simulating category changes before placing products at the shelf. With Aldata, Bel is now also able to dramatically reduce time spent unifying data from disparate sources to quickly and accurately advise retailers on how to optimise category performance and maximise profit on every day, snack and premium cheeses.

“Aldata’s solutions have given us the tools to develop accurate category insight, but have also cut the headaches around integrating data from disparate sources. We used to spend up to 30% of our time cleaning and formatting data,” said Dani Busseni, Category Controller, Bel UK. “With Aldata, we have now generated 11 range reviews in 8 weeks and are able to focus more time on providing assortment recommendations to retailers rather than crunching numbers.”

Bel UK is also considering using Aldata’s Space Planning solution to visualize category and assortment strategies, analyze space performance and increase the speed by which it delivers tailored planograms to its retail partners.

“Shoppers today are more informed and connected than ever before and with changing economic conditions, customer engagement is becoming increasingly difficult.” said Matt Robinson, Market Development, Aldata. “This means that it is crucial for retailers and manufacturers to work together to fully understand sales trends and buying behaviour. By using category optimization tools and having the right mix of products on shelves, tailored to local shopper requirements, retailers can support their brand and build a loyal customer base.”