Demantra and Vision Chain Join Forces to Provide Easy Access and Usability to POS Data in Real-time

Business Wire, August 31, 2004

WALTHAM, Mass. and WASHINGTON -- Combined Solutions Provide Ability to Consumer Goods Organizations to Quickly and Accurately Determine Impact of Trade Promotions, Marketing Programs and New Product Introductions

Demantra, the leading provider of trade promotion management, marketing analytics and supply chain planning solutions, today announced a strategic partnership with Vision Chain, Inc., a provider of demand data software that collects, cleanses, organizes, and publishes retailer point-of-sale (POS) and inventory information for evaluation and analysis throughout the enterprise. Vision Chain's data adaptors will enable Demantra's clients to easily access POS data from the world's largest retailers, in order to monitor sales performance and develop more accurate baseline and promotional forecasts down to the single SKU level.

"There was a time when being able to digest and understand syndicated data was a powerful competitive advantage. Today, however, the market requires a more real-time ability to understand in-store conditions, retail demand, and inventory positions. Having visibility within a 24 to 48 hour timeframe is a huge step forward. POS data analysis in near-real-time is the next competitive advantage," said Dale Hagemeyer, research director, Gartner Intelligence.

Demantra Trade Promotion Management (TPM) suite, the first trade promotion management solution to be built on an advanced planning and analytics platform, is an integrated, closed-loop, Web-based system for managing all aspects of trade promotion activity. Demantra's TPM solution--fueled by Vision Chain's unique level of demand signal data--will provide manufacturing organizations with a opportunity to gain near real-time insight into their products' performance in the marketplace and into the business of their most important customers.

Vision Chain's capabilities integrate seamlessly with the Demantra Spectrum Suite(TM), enabling manufacturers to proactively respond to the volatility of demand that results from trade promotion and merchandising activities. Manufacturers will now be able to develop more effective trade promotion and category management strategies, enhance the impact of trade spend, effectively manage new product introductions and retirements, achieve top-line growth by reducing out-of-stocks, and measure the effectiveness and ROI of trade or channel promotions to improve customer service levels.

"We are excited to be joining forces with a key industry player such as Demantra," said Shawn Dolley, CEO and president, Vision Chain. "Demantra's sophisticated TPM capabilities, coupled with our superior POS and inventory data, will provide consumer goods manufacturers with the most effective way to analyze critical data to successfully plan and forecast."

"Revenue is made and lost at the retail shelf," remarked Bill Seibel, president and CEO, Demantra. "Our customers realize that to be the best possible supplier, they must know more about how to keep product on the shelf than the retailer--both on- and off-promotion. To achieve this level of precision, they must have immediate and continuous visibility to product and category performance at the store-level. Our partnership with Vision Chain enables our customers to act upon critical information, such as POS data, to effectively improve the quality of their trade promotion activity, enhance their shelf presence by developing product sets for specific store segments and consumer targets, and realize greater profitability."

About Vision Chain, Inc.

Vision Chain powers demand data networks for the world's largest consumer products companies. Large firms use Vision Chain to collect, organize, match and publish retailer point of sale and inventory information throughout their organizations. This results in enhanced shelf presence, category captains and advisor positions, reduced stock outs and distribution voids, and higher market visibility. These firms include Newell Rubbermaid (NYSE: NEWL), The Scotts Company (NYSE: SMG), and J. J. Heinz (NYSE: HNZ). For more information, go to www.visionchain.com.

About Demantra TPM Solutions

Demantra's sales and marketing planning and TPM solutions provide precise volume forecasting, analytics, modeling and optimization capabilities that enable companies to consistently plan, predict and profit from their trade promotion spend. The precision of Demantra's volume forecasting provides the foundation of an integrated sales planning system that aligns financial goals with marketing plans. By incorporating syndicated, retail, shipment, consumption and point-of-sale data, Demantra provides a clear picture of how products are performing in the marketplace (down to the store shelf-level), to enable better category management and promotion strategies. All of this is done in a collaborative environment that integrates internal data and planning with direct customer input. For more information click on http://www.demantra.com/solutions/trade_promotion_management.shtml