With 61% of manufacturers struggling to execute promotions as planned and 75% constrained in Retail Execution capabilities, POI's 2026 Vendor Panorama examines the technologies helping Consumer Goods organizations improve decision velocity, efficiency, execution, and achieve profitable growth.
NEW YORK, Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Promotion Optimization Institute (POI) released the 2026 POI Consumer Goods Enterprise Planning and Retail Execution Vendor Panorama today, the industry's leading independent guide to the technologies, capabilities, and solution providers shaping how Consumer Goods manufacturers and retailers plan, price, promote, and execute. Now in its eleventh year, the 2026 edition evaluates 20 leading solution providers and awards Best-in-Class Category Distinctions across 35 functional areas spanning Holistic Enterprise Planning™, Revenue Growth Management (RGM), Trade Promotion Management (TPMx), Retail Execution, Integrated Business Planning (IBP), data management, advanced analytics, plus Generative and Agentic AI. Vendors recognized include Aforza, Asseco, Anaplan, BCG, Buynomics, Confido, CPGvision by PSignite, Demand Chain AI, effie.ai, Enterra Solutions, Instacart, o9 Solutions, Periscope by McKinsey, PwC, Salesforce, SAP, TELUS, UpClear, Visualfabriq, XTEL.
"The environment has changed, and decision speed has to change with it. Consumer Goods organizations are managing more economic pressure, commercial complexity, channel fragmentation, and interdependent decisions than ever. The next era of commercial transformation is about decision velocity: making better decisions faster, connecting them across functions, and acting while there is still time to influence the outcome."
- Pam Brown, Partner and Chief Commercial Officer, POI, and co-author of the report
New for 2026:
A practitioner's lens on vendor selection and implementation
The 2026 edition welcomes Jack Harnedy, Executive Vice President of Commercial Operations and Industry Research at POI, as a key author and contributor. Harnedy brings more than 25 years of manufacturer-side commercial leadership across sales and Revenue Growth Management at Newell-Rubbermaid, Kimberly-Clark, Colgate, Hostess, Smucker, and Nutrabolt, where he served as Vice President of Revenue Growth Management for the C4 Energy and Bloom brands. Throughout his career, he has selected, implemented, and driven adoption of the same classes of tools the Panorama evaluates, from trade promotion management and optimization to pricing, analytics, and retail execution.
Harnedy's buyer-side perspective shaped the questions every vendor had to answer: does it work in production, how long does it take to deliver value, and what will it take from the manufacturer's own team to sustain it?
"I have sat on the manufacturer side of the table. I have written the requirements, sat through the demos, signed the contracts, and then lived with the implementation. That is where value is won or lost. Each year we ask every vendor to show us the capability they have in production today, not on a slide. The result is a Panorama that tells a Consumer Goods leader what a solution does today, where it is headed, and what it will take from their organization to capture the value. When you are about to commit years of budget and a team's credibility to a platform, that is the conversation that matters."
- Jack Harnedy, EVP of Commercial Operations and Industry Research, POI
Expanded coverage of the commercial transformation ecosystem:
For the first time, the 2026 Vendor Panorama expands beyond technology providers with new Commercial Transformation Partner and Data & AI Partner sections. Commercial Transformation Partners include Systems Integrators, Business Transformation Consultants, and Managed Services Providers, while Data & AI Partners span Data Management, Data Governance, AI Enablement, and Information Management.
Participating partners include Baringa, BCG, Periscope by McKinsey, and NTT DATA.
What readers will find in the 2026 Vendor Panorama:
- Capabilities and emerging trends. How Enterprise Planning, RGM, TPMx, Retail Execution, data, analytics, and Generative and Agentic AI are evolving, with capabilities available today clearly separated from those still emerging.
- Independent decision-support intelligence. What is possible, what is proven, what matters, and which capabilities align with the specific business challenges an organization needs to solve.
- Best-in-Class Category Distinctions across 37 functional areas. Where solution providers demonstrate exceptional capability across Enterprise Planning, RGM, TPMx, Retail Execution, data, analytics, AI, and other critical Consumer Goods capabilities.
- Evaluate when guidance. Analyst guidance for each provider on the business situations where its solution is the strongest fit.
Solutions were evaluated across a broad capability set, including predictive and prescriptive analytics powered by AI and machine learning, advanced imaging (IR/AR), guided selling, playbooks and customer presentations, coaching and training, internal and external collaboration, Retail Activity Optimization (RAO), retail merchandising, omnichannel engagement across eCommerce, B2B, DTC, and tele-virtual, foodservice, headquarters planning, supply chain connectivity, desktop and mobile user experience, and global deployment.
The Panorama is built for leaders pursuing a single version of the truth across their organization. By benchmarking vendor capabilities side by side against a consistent standard, it takes the burden out of capability investigation and helps manufacturers identify the solutions best suited to their business, accelerate decisions, and focus resources on profitable growth.
Why decision velocity has become the priority
Findings from the POI 2026 State of the Industry research, representing 146 leading Consumer Goods manufacturers, show why the need to accelerate Enterprise Planning and Retail Execution capabilities is urgent:
- 61% struggle to execute promotions as planned.
- 75% are constrained in their Retail Execution capabilities.
- 81% rely on manual or semi-manual compliance processes.
- 62% have not yet adopted Generative AI.
- 52% report that headquarters teams lack the pricing and trade-allocation tooling they need.
- 88% say eCommerce activation will be essential within the next 12 to 24 months.
Find more findings like this in the POI 2026 State of the Industry.
POI's Four Phase Vendor Selection Advisory
POI can partner with your organization to deliver POI's Four Phase Vendor Selection Advisory program, which guides manufacturers through a structured vendor selection process:
- Setting the Stage: Understand Consumer Products industry trends through POI's State of the Industry presentation and align on your organization's project goals.
- Business Requirements: POI collects detailed cross-functional stakeholder needs through personal interviews and shares industry best practices for enterprise planning via collaborative workshops.
- Vendor Determination: POI guides your project leadership team through the vendor selection process. We compare and align vendor capabilities with your organization's business needs for an efficient RFP process.
- RFP Execution: POI leads and manages the formal vendor selection process, including vendor demos and cross-functional decision making. The result is an aligned, cross-functional vendor decision. The POI Vendor Panorama report, plus interviews, and experience directly supports the last two phases, Vendor Determination and RFP Execution, by providing comprehensive, data-driven vendor insights to inform and streamline the solution selection.
Accessing the 2026 Vendor Panorama:
To access the report or learn about POI membership, visit: https://poinstitute.com/research/
About the Promotion Optimization Institute:
POI unites manufacturers, retailers, solution providers, analysts, academics, and other industry leaders with the specific objective of collaboratively improving enterprise planning, trade management, RGM, pricing, advanced analytics & optimization, data management, retail execution, digital transformation, omnichannel strategy, eCommerce and digital shelf, marketing and retail media investment strategy and performance, omnichannel measurement, and the distribution of consumer goods.
Members of POI exchange cross-functional best practices in both structured and informal settings. Additionally, members gain benefits through our industry alliances, the Certified Collaborative Marketer (CCM) program, share groups, and industry-leading summits worldwide. POI aims to foster a financial and metrics-based discipline not commonly found in other trade organizations. We encourage and support breaking down organizational silos to promote collaborative, holistic, and complete enterprise planning. The focus remains on the consumer/shopper through sales, marketing, and merchandising strategies while harnessing technological advancements. Our POI executive advisory board keeps us informed about industry needs and helps us deliver desired outcomes for members, sponsors, and academia.
For more information, visit www.poinstitute.com or contact:
Michael Kantor, Founder & CEO, Promotion Optimization Institute (POI) [email protected]
Pam Brown, Partner & CCO, Promotion Optimization Institute (POI) [email protected]
Jack Harnedy, Executive Vice President of Commercial Operations and Industry Research, Promotion Optimization Instititue (POI) [email protected]
The Certified Collaborative Marketer (CCM) ™ is a trademark belonging to the Promotion Optimization Institute. All other trademarks are the property of their registered owners.
Media Contact
Maya Miller, Promotion Optimization Institute ) POI), 1 7072059764, [email protected], https://poinstitute.com/
SOURCE Promotion Optimization Institute (POI)
Share this article