Selling is a science: Why Suhas Misra likens Channelplay’s ops to the NASA floor

The retail and distribution industry in India has undergone significant transformation in recent years, driven by advancements in technology and evolving consumer preferences. Companies are increasingly relying on data-driven insights and innovative strategies to stay ahead in this competitive landscape. As the retail sector expands, the need for effective channel management, visual merchandising, and sales outsourcing services has become crucial for brands aiming to maintain their market presence and drive growth. The rise of technology-driven solutions and the demand for personalized consumer experiences have created a dynamic environment, where only the most adaptive and innovative players can thrive.

In this interaction with Adgully, Suhas Misra, Co-CEO & Co-Founder, Channelplay, shares insights into the company’s journey from its inception in 2006 to becoming a leader in sales outsourcing services in India. He delves into the key strategies that have fueled Channelplay’s impressive growth, including their scientific approach to channel management, the critical role of technology in visual merchandising, and their plans for future expansion. Misra also highlights how Channelplay’s commitment to data-driven processes and innovative solutions has differentiated them from competitors, setting the stage for continued success in the rapidly evolving retail sector.

Channelplay has experienced significant growth since its founding in 2006. What key strategies have contributed to your rapid expansion and garnering Rs 450 crore in revenues?

The biggest reason for Channelplay’s growth is our origin thesis, which holds strong to the day: selling is a science. This has helped us approach the channel with a scientific temper and solve complicated problems such as recruitment, people management, addressing training needs, and managing performance at scale. Hitherto, most channel thinking used to start with ‘why?’ and end with ‘what?’

At Channelplay, we have privileged the ‘how?’ Figuring processes and technology systems along the way, we now have the strongest tech-enabled channel management system and, therefore, are better placed than most to build and manage sell-in and sell-out systems, do visual merchandising, rollout new stores, run loyalty programs. In a nutshell, if a client has an idea in the channel, we make it happen! It is a rather sweet—if unusual—kind of outsourcing, but clearly, it has many takers.

How does Channelplay maintain its position as a leading sales outsourcing services company in India? What differentiates you from competitors in the retail and distribution solutions space?

Being a process-driven company, we are constantly investing in processes and technology. Most companies in the space do not have similar investments because they are not professionally managed. The impeccable credentials of the co-founders (IIM Calcutta alumni, having worked at leading companies such as TCS, Coca-Cola, CTS, Nokia, etc., before starting the company) are seen by many as the big differentiator, but for us, it is probably the strong core. A lot that got built around the core is because of the excellent client portfolio who always expected the very best from the company. This expectation, combined with a nerd-like intent to measure all that could be viably measured in terms of outcomes or performance has created a powerful differentiator.

The other big differentiator is our values. We actively reward our managers for taking ownership, and this is not common among service providers. This ownership—now well ingrained among all at Channelplay—is the answer to thorny, near universal “execution issues.” Our teams do not shy away from finding answers to those questions, which for many others are ‘somebody else’s problem.’

Could you provide examples of how your data-driven approach has led to successful visual merchandising campaigns for your clients?

The biggest visual merchandising problem is combining high attention to detail with massive scale. It is one thing to look at a sticker on a client brand’s refrigerator or TV at a store in Ambience Mall or Phoenix Mall and spot that it is not as aligned to the edge of the unit as it should be, and a completely different thing when the said store is a general trade one twenty thirteen from the Jhansi City Centre. If a system can act with similar precision in what it sees and what it does, then it can hope to deliver a successful visual merchandising campaign. We have built such a system using data. The eyes that scan the tens of thousands of images captured by our visual merchandisers every day have noted enough for us to have a smart GenAI-driven model in place now.

Attention to detail and scale management are also essential in rolling out experience stores. Of course, there are a number of stakeholders, but our in-house task management system makes sure that client brand stores look as they are intended to look, whether in Shillong or Udaipur.

How do you measure the effectiveness of your visual merchandising campaigns and ensure continuous improvement?

“Why is productivity down in Bihar today?”

“I need to shave off six hours from the TAT; tell me how?”

Just a couple of examples of what I hear when I walk through the VM floor in our office. The team needs a floor because it is filled with high-intensity program managers who take their dashboards very seriously. I have never been on the kind of floor at NASA, where Ed Harris makes a last ditch calculation to save the mission, but I imagine it would feel a bit like this! A lot of very smart, very passionate people going deeper into the data to find an answer. The other common thing with the NASA floor: they are all specialising in something that would seem strange to a layperson. Someone is a specialist in high-impact short-term programs (because privileging TAT over other parameters is key), while another is focused on a number of stores covered per visual merchandiser (because the client’s business means that ROI is key.)

All sorts of objectives within VM, leading to all sorts of parameters, come together in our in-house 1Channel app, and our managers and indeed, client managers, have access to real-time updates from wherever the action is. It is like the NASA floor after all, I suppose.

What role does technology play in Channelplay’s visual merchandising and overall retail solutions? Are there any upcoming innovations or tech advancements you are excited about?

Technology is at the heart of all our solutions, including visual merchandising. The location of retail assets—glow signs, boards, posters, on-product POSM—going up, the quality of deployment, and the lifespans of these assets all get tracked by our in-house app, 1Channel. Not only does technology help the retail manager get a sense of the brand’s share of voice in retail, it also helps plan better. Our calculations show that the savings brought about because of our tech in printing and fabrication, along with our inventory management are greater than the costs of our visual merchandising services! Makes it an easy decision for our clients, therefore.

Like most people in and around tech, we are excited about GenAI. We have been very quick on adopting GenAI in our way of working and there is a wave of excitement around the company around the future. The spectrum of possibilities are immense. From image recognition to client management, it seems everything will be improved with this early adoption.

How does Channelplay stay current with evolving market trends and consumer preferences in the retail sector?

The most powerful way of staying current is to create an environment that welcomes young people and encourages them to voice their opinions. As founders, we are aware of our age (mid 40’s!) and one important parameter we look at every quarter is Channelplay’s median age, and are happy to report that it has been staying young!

Apart from this, our middle to senior management spends at least one day a week in the market to observe and absorb. The stories from the market supplement the knowledge from various resources—many of them on the internet—to keep us, well, young!

What are Channelplay’s future goals and strategic plans for expanding its services and impact in the retail sector? Are there any new markets or segments you plan to enter?

Channelplay has been growing tremendously, and we intend to keep it that way. The opportunities in the retail space are immense, and given our strong right to win in the space we are confident that the long-term growth outlook is strong.

We are all set to live in Saudi Arabia soon. As an economy, Saudi Arabia has been on many an analyst’s (and indeed, many an investor’s, many an entrepreneur’s and so on) radar for a while. As a market it holds great potential because of the sizable middle class, and the efforts on ‘Saudi-isation.’ We are putting together solutions that should be live by September, and early interest from our clients to partner with us in that market is strong.

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