Readers' Choice Survey Results 2019

Here's to the Problem Solvers CGT’s readers again select their favorite IT solution providers "They are key partners and critical to our success.” That comment was made by a consumer goods professional about the technology solution provider he considered to be the most valuable to his business. It came as part of his response to CGT’s Readers’ Choice Survey, which we present to you this month over the next 20 pages. (See the Demand Data Analytics category to find out which company he meant.) But they are the words that all solution providers should relentlessly strive to hear, because that is the level of service that consumer goods companies now need from their technology partners. Because the word “partner” can no longer be nothing more than lip service used to fill marketing sells sheets; it has to be a literal part of the solution that tech companies are bringing to the table — along with, of course, the innovative tools and unparalleled service that will help CGs solve their business objectives. With the goal of helping CGs identify the solution providers who might best fill this role of partner, CGT undertook its 19th annual Readers’ Choice Survey, which spotlights the industry’s preferred solution and service vendors across 16 vital business functions, from Artificial Intelligence to Trade Promotion Management and everything in between (alphabetically, not functionally). We made some changes to the categories this year. In addition to the aforementioned AI, we’ve added Cloud Architecture. We think you’ll agree that both technologies have become critical for the industry. On the flip side, since mobility has become required (perhaps even commonplace) functionality for all business tools, we’ve eliminated it as a distinct category. The resulting Top Providers lists can serve as a valuable first-step guide for helping your company make future decisions about your business solution and IT needs. In recent years, we’ve supplemented the Readers’ Choice results with editorial commentary about general trends within each category. Since that’s something we strive to do all year round, we decided last year to instead place greater emphasis on the solution providers themselves by profiling four “notables” in each category (which we’ll explain below). As usual, CGT also presents “Editors’ Picks,” an overview of intriguing technology and service providers that aren’t represented on any of the lists (many missed out by only a few votes) but which should be on the industry’s radar nonetheless. Survey Methodology The Top Providers list for each category showcases the companies that received the best “Total Scores” for the solutions and/or services they deliver in that area. Although the goal is to present 10 solution providers in each category, we always rely on the results to determine the final number of worthy designees. The lists are determined by responses from hundreds of professionals who work with these tools on a daily basis or evaluate their performance within the organization. Because we often encounter outright ties and “too close to call” vote totals or satisfaction ratings, we present these solution providers in alphabetical order. To ensure the integrity of the survey, only employees of consumer goods companies — the clients of these providers — are eligible to vote, and only once. (CGT has internal checks in place to detect fraudulent voting activity.) We also ask respondents to vote only in the categories that match their areas of expertise, whether that’s in supply chain, product development, sales and marketing, or general IT. In each relevant category, respondents are asked to identify the provider whose tools or services they currently use. They’re then asked to rank their level of satisfaction with that provider on a scale of 1 to 5 (with 1 being “extremely dissatisfied” and 5 being “extremely satisfied”). A company’s “Total Score” is then computed by multiplying the number of votes it receives in the category by its average customer satisfaction rating in that same category. In addition to listing all of the Top Providers in each category, CGT recognizes three companies for special recognition: Best in Category: The provider that received the highest total score in its category. Customer Satisfaction Leader: The provider that earned the highest average user satisfaction rating in the category (after qualifying by receiving an acceptable number of votes). SMB Market Leader: The provider that received the highest total score in the category from respondents whose companies generate annual revenue of $1 billion or less (small or mid-sized business). To view the Solution Provider categories, click on the links below. To view a pdf version of the full report, download the attachment at the bottom of the page. Artificial Intelligence Business Intelligence Cloud-Based Architecture Consulting Consumer Experience Management Customer Relationship Management Demand Data Analytics Digital Commerce Enterprise Resource Planning New Product Development & Introduction/ Product Lifecycle Management Outsourcing/IT Integration Product Information Management Retail Execution Supply Chain Execution Supply Chain Planning Trade Promotion Management Editors’ Picks