Growzz provides a structured, transparent, and efficient way for suppliers to collaborate with retailers on their Joint Business Plan (JBP). The process is designed to align commercial goals, improve category performance, and ensure both sides are working from the same data and expectations. Here's how suppliers can support this process, step by step.
1. Sign Up and Onboarding
To begin, suppliers are invited by the retailer to join Growzz. Once registered, the onboarding process guides users through platform orientation, getting a subscription to access and build your JBP, and adding your team to help you. We ensure your team starts work from a consistent foundation of knowledge.
2. SKU Validation
Suppliers must validate the SKUs they will be planning against. This ensures that the correct assortment and product data are in place before planning begins. You need to complete SKU validation before you start building your plan.
3. Supplier Plan Development and Submissions
The exact steps in this phase are somewhat dependent on how the retailer's planning cycle works, but they typically mirror the following process.
Suppliers are given time to build and submit their first draft plan directly in Growzz. This includes setting the Latest Year Estimate and Targets for the JBP, and then adding your preferred External Factors, Ongoing Changes, Promotions, and Investments. The initial submission triggers a review phase led by the retailer, where they start by reviewing each individual plan submitted.
Initial Feedback: Merchants provide structured feedback on the supplier's initial submission within Growzz, to ensure appropriate building blocks for each JBP are in place.
Supplier Initial Revision: Suppliers respond with a second submission, refining the plan based on the feedback.
Final Feedback: Retailers then review all the plans together across the category to identify conflicts and gaps for the category as a whole and provide further feedback to suppliers in Growzz.
Supplier Final Revision: Suppliers refine their plans again based on the merchant feedback and make a final submission.
Confirmation. The retailer concludes its internal review of the final supplier submissions as part of its Annual Operating Plan review, and, subject to any last-minute amendments, then locks the annual plan in Growzz with each supplier. The locking of a plan does not create a strict legal contract and instead is treated as a non-binding agreement stating clear intent.
4. In-Year Adjustments & Execution
Once the annual plan is locked, a copy is saved for reference, and a new copy is created that can be edited in-year to support inevitable in-year changes. The plan will continue to evolve to support customer needs, operational realities, and the competitive environment.
Approximately 10 weeks before execution, suppliers upload relevant activities into the retailer’s contracting systems, based on the in-year adjusted plans.
This triggers the retailer to brief the stores and its logistics operation on what needs to be executed and the supplier to build and supply the stock and any required point-of-sale materials.
5. Reporting and Review
In the first year of your use of Growzz, you won't be able to assess performance versus your plan, as you won't have a plan that's been executed yet to track results against.
In later years, you'll be able to assess performance in Growzz throughout the year to understand what's working and not plan and adjust future plans accordingly.
By following this process, suppliers not only meet the retailer’s expectations but also build stronger, data-driven relationships that lead to better commercial outcomes.
Growzz makes the entire journey visible, collaborative, and easy to manage.