Case Study: Signature Brands achieves accurate forecasting and streamlined deduction processes with AFS Technologies' TPM Retail

Efficient Forecasts and Deduction Processes, the Icing on the Cake for Signature Brands

Signature Brands, a maker of cake decorations and seasonal baking products with over 2,000 SKUs and more than half its revenue in the last four months of the year, struggled with fragmented, spreadsheet-based trade spend and forecasting processes. Managing deal sheets, approvals and deductions was time-consuming and error-prone, with open deductions sitting in accounts receivable and limited visibility into accruals. To address this, Signature Brands selected AFS Technologies and its AFS™ Trade Promotion Management Retail (TPM Retail) solution to standardize promotion capture and integrate trade spend with their SAP ERP.

AFS Technologies implemented TPM Retail in phased rollout—building hierarchies and loading sales data, then creating promotions and ERP integration—alongside targeted training for brokers, sales and administrators. The AFS solution delivered faster, more accurate promotion entry, better accrual tracking, reduced billing errors, and clearer forecasts and segmentation for overlapping events. As a result, Signature Brands significantly lowered open accounts receivable and maintained AR within five percent, improved forecast visibility with weekly extracts for sales, and gained the foundation to measure promotion ROI going forward.

Signature Brands

Lisa Seiffer

Sales Finance Manager