PepsiCo manages large-scale route assignments for Route Sales Representatives (RSRs) and Full-Time Merchandisers (FTMs). This initiative focused on digitizing the annual route bidding process to reduce operational effort, improve transparency, and enable flexible participation across locations.
Clients
PepsiCo (Sales & Distribution Operations)
Service
Product Innovation
Industry
Consumer Goods
Year
2022
Digitizing the Annual Route Bidding Process
Route bidding is an infrequent but business-critical activity that determines sales coverage for the year. The goal of this project was to replace a manual, coordination-heavy process with a standardized digital system that supports employees and leaders through every stage of bidding.
The current scenario
The existing route bidding process relied on manually created bid books, static bid lists, and extensive coordination through meetings, emails, and calls. Employees waited for their turn based on seniority, while leaders monitored progress, resolved conflicts, and finalized assignments through disconnected tools.This approach required significant planning effort, was difficult to scale consistently across zones, and introduced unnecessary delays and ambiguity.
Explore eBidding Platform
View the digital route bidding experience enabling transparent bidding, real-time updates, and flexible participation.
Need for a Standardized and Transparent Bidding System
- Route bidding depended on manual documents and coordination
- Employees lacked real-time visibility into bidding progress
- Leaders managed bids across multiple disconnected channels
- The process was time-intensive and difficult to maintain
Benefits of a Digital Route Bidding Experience
- Clear visibility into bidding order and progress
- Faster and more predictable execution of bids
- Reduced planning and coordination overhead
- Support for remote and flexible participation
From Manual Coordination to Digital Workflow
The engagement focused on understanding the existing end-to-end bidding process, including pre-bidding preparation, employee participation, and leader review. Insights from these workflows informed the design of a holistic system that supports both employee and leader needs without increasing operational complexity.
Design efforts emphasized simplicity, transparency, and synchronization across roles.
Research & Design Phases
Research Findings
Analysis revealed that most effort was spent tracking status, communicating turn order, and resolving uncertainties rather than making informed route choices.
Understanding the Users and Their Needs
Two primary perspectives were identified: employees bidding for routes and leaders overseeing fairness, timing, and compliance.
Ideation
Concepts focused on visibility, self-service actions, and minimizing back-and-forth communication.
Design
Separate but connected experiences were designed for employees and leaders, aligned through real-time data.
Prototyping
Interactive prototypes illustrated the complete bidding lifecycle, from pre-bidding to final confirmation.
After designing the eBidding experience, the solution was evaluated by walking through a full annual bidding cycle. The emphasis was on whether the system reduced non-value-added work while preserving fairness and control.
Key observations included:
Additional benefits emerged during evaluation:
The redesigned process transformed route bidding from a coordination-heavy event into a predictable, well-orchestrated workflow.
The Impact
Improved process transparency
Employees and leaders shared a clear, real-time view of bidding status.
Reduced operational effort
Manual coordination, follow-ups, and planning time were significantly lowered.
Flexible and scalable execution
The digital model supported remote bidding and consistent adoption across zones.
MAKE