Brainforge Knowledge

2026-01-08_russell_retail

14 min read

Meeting Agenda: Russell (Retail) Discovery Call

Date: TBD (January 2026)
Time: TBD (1 hour)
Attendees: Russell (LMNT Retail Manager), Uttam Kumaran, Awaish Kumar, Shivani Amar

POST-MEETING SUMMARY

Fill this section out after the meeting concludes - see MEETING_WORKFLOW_GUIDE.md for instructions

Key Learnings

Current State:

  • Add major insights about retail operations today
  • Pain points discovered
  • Unexpected findings

Data Sources & Systems:

  • List of systems Russell uses
  • How data flows between retailer portals, Emerson, SPS Commerce
  • Data quality/trust issues

Quick Wins Identified:

  • High-impact opportunity (e.g., automate retail reporting)
  • Automation opportunity
  • Reporting improvement

Answers to Key Questions

Reference question numbers from below and provide concise answers

Q1-5: Retail Business Model

  • Q1: Retailer account structure → A: Fill in after meeting
  • Q2: Product mix by retailer → A: Fill in after meeting
  • Q3: Promotional calendar → A: Fill in after meeting

Q6-16: Current Data Sources & Reporting (CRITICAL)

  • Q6: Systems used → A: Emerson (confirmed - transitioning away), SPS Commerce (EDI), retailer portals, others TBD
  • Q7: Emerson vs. SPINS clarification → A: Fill in - is Emerson for operational data, SPINS for benchmarks?
  • Q8: Sample reports → A: Attach screenshots/exports received
  • Q9: SPINS coverage → A: Fill in - which retailers covered vs. not?
  • Q10: One-off retailer data sources → A: Fill in for Vitamin Shoppe, Costco Canada, others

Q17-26: Key Retail Metrics

  • Q17: Revenue tracking → A: Target ~2.1M Drink Mix (Oct 2025 confirmed)
  • Q18: Fill Rate % → A: Target 100%, Walmart 100% (Oct 2025 confirmed)

Q27-36: Emerson Transition

  • Q27: Current Emerson scope → A: 1.8% of gross retail sales (confirmed)
  • Q28: Transition timeline → A: Feb 2026 target (confirmed)

Q42-54: Retailer-Specific (including one-off data sources)

  • Q49: Vitamin Shoppe data sources → A: Fill in after meeting
  • Q52: Costco Canada data sources → A: Fill in after meeting
  • Q54: Other retailers and data sources → A: Fill in after meeting

(Continue for other question groups as needed)

Decisions Made

  • Decision about tool/process
  • Alignment on metric definitions

Follow-Up Needed

  • Russell: Action item (Due: Date)
  • Brainforge: Follow-up task (Due: Date)

Meeting Objectives

  1. Understand retail channel structure and key accounts (Target, Walmart, Vitamin Shoppe, Costco Canada)
  2. Review current retail data sources and reporting workflows
  3. Deep dive into Emerson transition and EDI integration (SPS Commerce)
  4. Document retail KPIs and metric definitions
  5. Explore retailer portal data and third-party sources (Spins)
  6. Identify pain points and automation opportunities for retail analytics

Demos/Walkthroughs Requested

  • Retail account overview

    • Walk through each major retailer relationship (Target, Walmart, Vitamin Shoppe, Costco Canada)
    • Account structure and key contacts
    • Current performance tracking process

  • Retailer portal walkthrough

    • Target Partner Online / Retail Link
    • Walmart Retail Link
    • How you pull data from each portal
    • Frequency and time spent

  • Emerson order/deduction management

    • Current workflow for order processing
    • Deduction management and chargeback handling
    • What’s changing in the Feb 2026 transition
    • SPS Commerce EDI setup

  • Retail performance reporting

    • Monthly report contribution process
    • Key dashboards or spreadsheets you maintain
    • How retail data flows into James’s monthly report

  • SPINS data walkthrough (if used)

    • Sample SPINS reports - can we see screenshots?
    • What retailers are covered vs. not covered?
    • How SPINS benchmarks are used for decision-making
    • Difference between SPINS data and retailer portal data

  • Emerson vs. SPINS comparison

    • Show side-by-side what data comes from each
    • Where do they overlap vs. complement?
    • Which is the “source of truth” for different metrics?

  • One-off retailer data sources

    • Vitamin Shoppe data access and reporting
    • Costco Canada data access and reporting
    • Any other retailers with unique data processes

Questions to Ask

Retail Business Model

  1. Can you walk me through LMNT’s retail account structure?

    • Target (~$2.9M Drink Mix in Oct 2025)
    • Walmart (~$2.1M Drink Mix in Oct 2025)
    • Vitamin Shoppe (~$445K Drink Mix in Oct 2025)
    • Costco Canada (national expansion in progress)
    • Any other retailers we should know about?

  2. How does the product mix differ by retailer?

    • Drink Mix vs. Sparkling distribution
    • SKU assortment (30ct, 12ct, 10ct, 3ct, singles)
    • I see Target has Grapefruit x Lemonade 10cts and Choc 3ct - how are new SKU launches decided?

  3. What’s the promotional calendar look like?

    • I see in October: Stocking Stuffer 10/19-12/14, B3G1 Free, Roundel search ($15k)
    • How far in advance are promotions planned?
    • How do you track promotional lift?

  4. How does key account management work?

    • Who manages the Target relationship vs. Walmart vs. others?
    • Anderson Merchandising for Walmart ($65-73k/month) - what’s their scope?
    • Any other third-party support?

  5. What’s the retailer onboarding process?

    • How did Costco Canada expansion come about?
    • Typical timeline from first conversation to on-shelf?
    • What data/reporting requirements do retailers impose?

Current Data Sources & Reporting

  1. What systems do you use to manage retail operations?

    • Retailer portals (Target Partner Online, Walmart Retail Link, etc.)
    • Emerson (confirmed - order and deduction management, 1.8% of gross retail sales)
    • SPS Commerce (confirmed - EDI provider)
    • SPINS or other syndicated data?
    • Internal spreadsheets/dashboards?
    • Any other tools?

  2. CRITICAL: Emerson vs. SPINS clarification:

    • Is Emerson primarily for retail operational data (orders, shipments, deductions)?
    • Is SPINS primarily for benchmark/syndicated data (market share, category performance)?
    • Do you use one over the other, or are they complementary?
    • What’s the overlap, if any?

  3. Can we see sample reports from each system?

    • Emerson report examples (or screenshots)
    • SPINS report examples (or screenshots)
    • Retailer portal exports
    • This will help us understand the data structure and fields available

  4. SPINS coverage and limitations:

    • Does SPINS have data for retailers beyond Target and Walmart?
    • Vitamin Shoppe coverage?
    • Costco Canada coverage?
    • What retailers are NOT covered by SPINS?

  5. One-off retailer data sources:

    • Vitamin Shoppe - Where does this data come from? (separate portal? direct reports?)
    • Costco Canada - Data source and access method?
    • Any other retailers with unique data sources we should know about?
    • Are there retailers where you have NO automated data and rely on manual processes?

  6. Walk me through your monthly reporting process:

    • What metrics do you report?
    • Where does the data come from?
    • How long does it take to compile?
    • Do you contribute to the same monthly report as Carlos? (His e-commerce section takes 10-15 hours)

  7. What’s currently manual vs. automated?

    • Data pulls from retailer portals
    • Emerson exports
    • SPINS data pulls
    • Report compilation

  8. How do you reconcile data across different systems?

    • Retailer POS vs. shipment data vs. Emerson orders?
    • SPINS data vs. retailer portal data - any discrepancies?
    • Any discrepancies you commonly encounter?

  9. How does retail data flow into company-wide reporting?

    • Connection to James’s monthly CEO report
    • Integration with Carlos’s e-commerce dashboard
    • Finance reconciliation process

  10. SPINS deep dive (if used):

    • How often is SPINS data updated?
    • How accurate/useful is it compared to retailer direct data?
    • What do you use SPINS for that you can’t get elsewhere?
    • Cost of SPINS subscription?

  11. How do you track competitive data in retail?

    • Share of shelf (SPINS?)
    • Competitor pricing
    • Category performance

Key Retail Metrics

  1. What are your primary KPIs for each retailer?

    • Revenue targets (by retailer, by product line)
    • From October: Target Drink Mix actual 1.7M (+68%)
    • How are targets set?

  2. Fill Rate % - How is this tracked?

    • Target: 100% in October
    • Walmart: 100% in October
    • What causes fill rate issues?

  3. On Time Delivery % - What’s the tracking process?

    • Target: 95% in October (11 POs delivered late - actually received late at DC)
    • Walmart: 99% in October
    • How do you investigate delivery issues?

  4. In-Store Weighted Out of Stock % - Critical metric I see:

    • Target: 0.58% in October (improved from 0.74% in September, lowest since launch!)
    • Walmart: 1.9% in October
    • Target is <6% - how is this measured?
    • What actions do you take when OOS rises?

  5. POS Velocities - How do you track sales per store?

    • By SKU?
    • By region?
    • How do you identify underperforming stores?

  6. Distribution metrics - Store count and expansion:

    • Target: 1,300 locations for Grapefruit x Lemonade 10cts
    • How do you track new store additions?
    • Planogram compliance?

  7. Chargebacks and trade spend - Major concern area:

    • October report mentions “chargeback and trade spend adjustments” excluded from retail figures
    • How significant are chargebacks?
    • How do you dispute invalid chargebacks?
    • Chargeback Win Rate tracking?

  8. Gross margin by retailer - Do you track this?

    • Different pricing/terms by retailer?
    • Trade spend impact on margins?

  9. How do you define “revenue” for retail?

    • Shipment revenue vs. POS revenue vs. recognized revenue?
    • When is revenue recorded (ship date vs. delivery date)?
    • How does this align with Carlos’s e-commerce definitions?

  10. What retail metrics are missing or hard to get?

    • Data you wish you had but can’t access?
    • Retailer data limitations?

Emerson Transition (Critical Topic)

  1. Walk me through current Emerson scope:

    • Order management process
    • Deduction management
    • 1.8% of gross retail sales fee - what does this cover?

  2. What’s the Feb 2026 transition timeline?

    • Key milestones
    • What’s already been completed?
    • What’s still at risk?

  3. What are you bringing in-house?

    • Purchase order processing
    • Deduction management
    • What’s the new CX Associate role that’s being scoped?

  4. SPS Commerce EDI setup:

    • Direct connections being established with Target, Walmart, Costco Canada
    • What data flows through EDI?
    • Any integration challenges?

  5. What will change in your day-to-day after the transition?

    • New workflows
    • New tools needed
    • Training requirements

  6. What are the risks of this transition?

    • Data continuity concerns?
    • Process gaps?
    • Retailer relationship impacts?

  7. How will this transition impact reporting?

    • Will data sources change?
    • Historical data migration?
    • New metrics or dashboards needed?

  8. What support do you need for this transition?

    • From IT/Jason’s team?
    • From external partners?
    • From Brainforge?

  9. After Emerson, what’s the long-term vision for retail operations?

    • NetSuite integration (Q4 2026)?
    • Automated retail analytics?

  10. What’s the backup plan if the Feb 2026 timeline slips?

Retail Fulfillment & Supply Chain Integration

  1. How do you coordinate with Supply Chain on retail fulfillment?

    • Fill rate and delivery tracking
    • Inventory allocation decisions
    • Replenishment planning

  2. Anderson Merchandising relationship (Walmart):

    • What do they do exactly?
    • $65-73k/month spend - how do you measure ROI?
    • Any similar relationships for other retailers?

  3. How do you handle inventory allocation across channels?

    • Retail vs. DTC vs. Amazon prioritization
    • When inventory is tight, who gets priority?

  4. What’s the process for new product launches at retail?

    • Lead time requirements
    • Retailer approval process
    • Initial inventory allocation

  5. How do you track retail vs. DTC cannibalization?

    • Is Target cannibalizing Shopify sales?
    • Any analysis on this topic?
    • How would you want to measure this?

Retailer-Specific Deep Dives

Target

  1. Target performance deep dive:

    • $2.9M Drink Mix in October (+68% vs. target) - what drove outperformance?
    • Sparkling: 1.07M target - what happened?
    • Seasonal normalization after Q3 promotional lift?

  2. Target-specific data and reporting:

    • What portal/tools do you use? (Target Partner Online?)
    • What data is available vs. what you wish you had?
    • Roundel (Target’s ad platform) - how is that tracked?
    • Is Target data also in SPINS, or only from Target portal?

  3. Target promotional performance:

    • B3G1 free provided ~25% lift
    • Stocking Stuffer campaign performance
    • How do you measure promotional ROI?

Walmart

  1. Walmart performance deep dive:

    • $2.1M Drink Mix in October (+46% vs. target)
    • Sparkling: $29K (2.5x target) - what’s driving this?
    • Strong baseline velocities despite limited distribution

  2. Walmart-specific data and reporting:

    • Retail Link access and usage
    • What data is available?
    • How does it compare to Target’s data?
    • Is Walmart data also in SPINS, or only from Retail Link?

  3. Walmart Sparkling expansion plans:

    • “Distribution remains limited, but baseline velocities per SKU continue to meet hurdle rates”
    • What’s the expansion plan?
    • What data would support expansion decisions?

Vitamin Shoppe

  1. Vitamin Shoppe performance:

    • $445K Drink Mix in October (+15% vs. target)
    • Sparkling paused for 12oz transition
    • Timeline for Sparkling resumption?

  2. Vitamin Shoppe data sources (one-off retailer):

    • Where does Vitamin Shoppe data come from? (separate portal? direct reports? email?)
    • Is Vitamin Shoppe covered by SPINS?
    • How different is the data availability compared to Target/Walmart?
    • Any manual processes specific to Vitamin Shoppe?

  3. How different is Vitamin Shoppe from mass retail (Target/Walmart)?

    • Data availability
    • Relationship management
    • Promotional calendar

Costco Canada

  1. Costco Canada expansion status:

    • National expansion pushed to December (originally October)
    • 1.4M replenishment expected
    • Demo program (4x per warehouse)

  2. Costco Canada data sources (one-off retailer):

    • Where does Costco data come from?
    • Is Costco covered by SPINS?
    • Any unique data challenges with Canadian retail?
    • How do you track demo program performance?

  3. What’s unique about Costco?

    • Data and reporting differences
    • Warehouse club vs. traditional retail
    • Canadian market considerations

Other Retailers

  1. Are there any other retailers not yet mentioned?
    • Current or planned retail relationships
    • Where does their data come from?
    • Any one-off data sources we should know about?

Data Quality & Challenges

  1. What’s the most frustrating part of retail reporting?

    • Time-consuming tasks
    • Data quality issues
    • System limitations

  2. Where do you feel “blind” in your retail analytics?

    • Questions you can’t answer today
    • Data gaps

  3. Which data sources do you trust most? Least?

    • Retailer portals vs. Emerson vs. SPINS
    • Where do discrepancies occur?
    • How do SPINS benchmarks compare to actual retailer data?

  4. How accurate is the data you report?

    • Confidence level in key metrics
    • Known issues or caveats

  5. What validation checks do you run?

    • Cross-system reconciliation
    • SPINS vs. retailer portal reconciliation
    • Manual verification steps

Future Vision

  1. If you could see all retail data in one dashboard, what would it include?

    • Retailer scorecards
    • Real-time inventory and OOS tracking
    • Promotional performance
    • Competitive intelligence (SPINS?)

  2. What analyses would help you make better decisions?

    • By retailer, by SKU, by region?
    • Predictive capabilities?

  3. How would you ideally spend your time if reporting was automated?

    • Strategic analysis
    • Retailer relationship building
    • Expansion planning

  4. What’s on your retail roadmap for 2026?

    • New retailer targets
    • SKU expansion
    • Promotional strategy

Data Infrastructure & Technical Questions

  1. Access & permissions:

    • Team uses SSO via Google Workspace (Jason meeting)
    • Do you have any unique access needs?
    • Who else on your team needs access?

  2. Data warehouse & reporting:

    • We’re evaluating centralized data warehouse options
    • Would you want automated retail dashboards?
    • What BI tools have you used? (Looker, Tableau, etc.)

  3. NetSuite migration (Q4 2026):

    • Phil/Finance leading this (Jason meeting)
    • How will this impact retail operations?
    • Order-to-cash process changes?

  4. Integration priorities:

    • Which retailer data is most important to automate first?
    • What’s the biggest pain point to solve?
    • Emerson/SPINS/retailer portals - what’s the priority order?

Resources Mentioned/Requested

To be filled out during/after meeting

Priority: Data Source Clarification

  • Emerson sample reports (screenshots or exports) - operational/order data
  • SPINS sample reports (screenshots or exports) - benchmark/syndicated data
  • Clarification on Emerson vs. SPINS coverage and use cases

Retailer Portal Access

  • Access to Target Partner Online (or sample exports)
  • Access to Walmart Retail Link (or sample exports)
  • Vitamin Shoppe data source documentation
  • Costco Canada data source documentation

Operational Documentation

  • SPS Commerce EDI documentation
  • Anderson Merchandising scope of work
  • Emerson transition timeline and milestones

Reporting & Analytics

  • Retail performance dashboard or spreadsheets
  • Promotional calendar for 2026
  • Chargeback/deduction reports
  • Fill rate and OOS tracking tools

One-Off Retailer Data

  • List of all retailers and their respective data sources
  • Any retailers NOT covered by SPINS
  • Manual processes for one-off retailers

Action Items

To be filled out during/after meeting

Russell

  • [ ]

Brainforge (Uttam/Awaish)

  • [ ]

Shivani

  • [ ]

Notes

Space for additional notes during the meeting

Key Insights

Emerson vs. SPINS Clarification (PRIORITY)

AspectEmersonSPINS
Primary PurposeFill inFill in
Data TypeOperational? Orders? Deductions?Benchmarks? Market share?
Retailers CoveredFill inFill in
Update FrequencyFill inFill in
Cost1.8% of gross retail salesFill in
Transitioning Away?Yes (Feb 2026)Fill in

One-Off Retailer Data Sources

RetailerData SourcePortal/ToolCovered by SPINS?Notes
TargetFill inTarget Partner Online?Yes/No
WalmartFill inRetail LinkYes/No
Vitamin ShoppeFill inFill inYes/No
Costco CanadaFill inFill inYes/No
Other:Fill inFill inYes/No

Emerson Transition Details

  • Current state:
  • Feb 2026 milestones:
  • Risk areas:

Retailer-Specific Notes

Target:

Walmart:

Vitamin Shoppe:

Costco Canada:

Quick Win Ideas

Red Flags / Concerns

Reference Data (October 2025)

Retail Revenue Summary

RetailerProductTargetActualVariance
TargetDrink Mix$1.73M$2.91M+68%
TargetSparkling$1.07M$34K-97%
WalmartDrink Mix$1.42M$2.07M+46%
WalmartSparkling$12K$29K+151%
Vitamin ShoppeDrink Mix$386K$445K+15%
Vitamin ShoppeSparkling$169K$0Paused
Costco CanadaDrink Mix$607K$0Expansion delayed

Operational Metrics (October 2025)

MetricTarget GoalTarget ActualWalmart Actual
Fill Rate %100%100%100%
On Time Delivery %100%95%99%
In-Store Out of Stock %<6%0.58%1.9%

Emerson Transition Context

  • Current fee: 1.8% of gross retail sales
  • Services: Order management, deduction management
  • Transition target: February 2026
  • New EDI provider: SPS Commerce (direct connections to Target, Walmart, Costco Canada)
  • New role being scoped: CX Associate for PO processing

Channel Mix Context (October 2025 Drink Mix)

  • Amazon: ~43% of total Drink Mix sales
  • Shopify DTC: ~35%
  • Retail: ~15%
  • Wholesale: ~7%

Graph View