Retail Revenue Insights

Hand holding magnifying glass over "PRICE REDUCED" text on pink background. The magnifying glass has a golden rim.

Markdowns happen. Every retailer has them. Every supplier funds them at some point. The problem isn’t markdown funding. The problem is markdown drift—when price protection and markdown deductions creep beyond what was approved. Wider store lists. Longer windows. Wrong base costs. Caps ignored.

Trade spend is one of the biggest lines on the P&L, yet it is still treated like “marketing math.” But finance knows better: it’s cash. And it’s huge.

Last year, you could win a dispute with a decent note and a screenshot. This year, that same package gets denied because it’s missing the lot code, the timestamp, the condition photo, and the proof of delivery. It feels personal. It’s not.