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Why is sell-in no longer sufficient to manage the on-trade?

Claire Brunaud
4 minutes ago
3 min read

For years, sell-in was the main benchmark for managing performance in the on-trade.

Delivered volumes, negotiated numeric distribution, sales pressure: once the product left the warehouse, the job seemed done.

But the market has changed.

And today, managing the on-trade using only sell-in is like driving without real visibility on actual consumption.

Sell-in: a necessary but incomplete indicator

Sell-in answers a very specific question:

👉 “Have I sold my products to my direct customers?”

It is an essential indicator to:

track sales execution
measure network coverage
manage sales teams

But it says little — or almost nothing — about:

actual rotation at the point of sale
performance versus competitors
the impact of activations
the real stock situation at the outlet

Strong sell-in figures can hide a very different reality on the ground.

The on-trade’s biggest blind spot: sell-out

In the on-trade, sell-out has historically been:

nonexistent
partial
estimated
or heavily delayed

In other words:

👉 decisions are made based on proxies

👉 action plans rely on assumptions

👉 the link between execution and consumption remains unclear

For an On-Trade Sales Director, this creates constant tension: pressure on volumes, difficulty proving real performance, and increasingly complex budget trade-offs.

When sell-in gives a false sense of performance

A delivered volume is not a consumed volume.

On the ground, several scenarios are common:

products with strong sell-in… but weak sales at the till
visible activations with no lasting impact
stock sitting idle behind the bar
SKUs being pushed at the expense of those that actually rotate

Without reliable sell-out data, it is impossible to know whether the product is truly being adopted, whether activation mechanics are working, and whether sales pressure is properly directed.

The paradigm shift: managing through real consumption

Today, managing the on-trade means answering far more operational questions:

Where are my products actually selling?

How fast are they rotating at outlet level?

Which formats, recipes, or SKUs are performing?

What is the real impact of an activation or a commercial push?

What happens after delivery?

These answers cannot come from sell-in alone.

They require a sell-out view, as close as possible to the point of consumption.

Why sell-out is becoming a strategic lever

Reliable sell-out data makes it possible to:

objectively assess commercial performance
prioritize the right outlets
refine call plans and sales routes
adjust activations along the way
strengthen the credibility of internal decisions

It does not replace sell-in.

It complements it — and makes it actionable.

From theoretical data to actionable data

The on-trade’s historical challenge was never a lack of willingness.

It was a lack of data.

By structuring POS data coming directly from venues, solutions like Fyre now make it possible to access an actionable sell-out view — at market, regional, or outlet-type level.

Data no longer stays at a “macro” level.

It becomes a true operational steering tool.

What this changes for an On-Trade Sales Director

A more granular view of performance

Delivered volumes are put into perspective with real consumption.

Successes and underperformances become clearly visible.

Stronger trade-offs

Investments can be directed toward:

the right networks
the right formats
the right moments

Better sales / marketing alignment

The link between sales pressure, activation, and sell-out finally becomes measurable.

Sell-in + sell-out: the new standard

Sell-in remains a cornerstone of commercial management.

But on its own, it is no longer enough.

In an on-trade environment that is increasingly competitive, fragmented, and demanding, performance is decided at the point of sale — not at the warehouse door.

The brands that will succeed tomorrow are those that can: