Sorry, you need to enable JavaScript to visit this website.

Five Reasons Why Open Source CMS is the Best Solution for FMCG Company

blog

I've been involved in Open Source development for over two years now. I participate in complex projects on digital products development for enterprises.

It so happened that from the very beginning of my career I've worked with large FMCG companies. At the moment, this is the primary sphere of professional activity – both mine personal and our company Attico.

During this period, I have been feverishly looking for a better way to make FMCG brand managers' lives easier, achieve excellent results, and leadership recognition. I've come to the conclusion that Open Source CMS solutions are the best tools that really make communication and collaboration a snap.

Thus, I've decided to write this article and share my professional expertise and know-how with others. I am convinced that upon reading it each FMCG brand manager will learn a lot of useful things that will change their lives for sure.

Reason 1. Reduction of FMCG software solutions development costs

While preparing the article, I analyzed FMCG clients' performance reviews and compared them to validate the differences before and after the application of Open Source enterprise CMS.

My clients' achievements:

  • The launch of new websites on the market was accelerated by 3 times.
  • Functionality delivery speed was increased by 40%.
  • Tech support cost was reduced by 90%.
  • The product became 100% mobile responsive and SEO friendly
  • The launch of marketing campaigns is 5 times faster: now it takes only 4 to 10 hours to create a new landing page, test marketing hypotheses, or conduct A/B tests (previously it took 20-50 hours).

Reason 2. Flexible budgeting tools

Unlike licensed software, Open Source enterprise content management software provides flexible budgeting tools.

But how?

First, each piece of software that you purchase for your business will come with an obligation to pay regular fees to ensure that you stay legal.

Open Source is software that is freely accessed and used. You are only required to pay for its implementation.

It means you can pay a service fee for Open Source solutions implementation in the billing cycle whenever you want.

Second, royalties are fixed. You will have to pay, for example, $100,000 every December – no more and no less. These are the corporate rules.

By implementing an Open Source enterprise content management system, you can flexibly allocate your budget. When having a sufficient budget, you can start developing more complex functionality. The remained funds can be redirected to advertising and testing new channels for reaching your target audience and attracting new customers to help your business grow.

If you do not fit these expenses into your budget, you can negotiate with your development contractor and pay a service fee next month.

Reason 3. Zero corruption inside a consumer goods company

Let me tell you about the pitfall of purchasing licensed software that I had to face.

Many licensed software companies have entire networks of agencies that generate revenue from selling software licenses. Sometimes employees receive “gifts” (aka bribes) from those who do business in the agency to persuade the corporation to buy their license.

Hence, there is a threat that the company will select not the software that suits them best, but the one for which a certain employee or an agency will receive more kickback.

Therefore, to eliminate the risk of corruption, I advocate for the use of an Open Source enterprise content management system. You will not have to pay royalties and the development and implementation process will become transparent as never before. In addition, it provides the possibility of a third-party audit.

Reason 4. Opportunity to leverage user data on FMCG brand websites

Open Source AI engine solutions are irreplaceable tools for content personalization. They are great at:

  • collecting user data,
  • audience segmentation,
  • offering each segment interesting content and products.

You can also develop your own analytics system similar to Google Analytics. There is Open Source analytics for collecting and processing data, which can be flexibly customized to meet your needs.

As a result, you will gain complete control over user data and exploit them to their full potential. Without tips, Google will not be able to recommend your competitors to advertise to your audience raised for your money.

Example of an Open Source solution for analytics

Example of an Open Source solution for analytics

Reason 5. Open Source CMS is a turnkey solution

I often heard from FMCG brand managers that software development is an extremely long-lasting and challenging process.

I should admit that custom software development takes a long time.

That's why I strongly advise you to use ready-made solutions to the maximum. Their advantage is obvious – they are ready-made!

The major disadvantage of ready-made solutions is that they will not meet your company's unique needs.

Over the years of working with FMCG software solutions, I became convinced that the best tool that combines both customization and ready-made solutions is the implementation of an Open Source CMS.

Let me explain why.

Open Source CMS is a ready-made solution with implementation cases from other companies. This solution evolves naturally, being affected by recent market and technology events.

Conclusion

I am sure that my experience will be useful to any FMCG company, and every brand manager can learn a lot of useful things to push their career forward.

As for the use of Open Source CMS in the FMCG industry, I would like to quote one of my clients. Once he said, "I feel calm and safe for making the right choice without overpayments".

This article is my first writing experience. Therefore, your questions, comments, and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much!