Advantage Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: ADV)

Advantage Solutions Inc. provides outsourced sales, marketing, merchandising, sampling, and retailer support services to consumer packaged goods manufacturers and retailers primarily across North America. The company helps clients with distribution, retail execution, shopper engagement, and private brand development in both physical and digital commerce environments. It serves more than 4,000 clients across grocery, mass, club, retail pharmacy, convenience, and other channels in over 100,000 retail locations. Advantage Solutions Inc. operates through three reportable segments: Branded Services, Experiential Services, and Retailer Services.

The company generates revenue through commissions, fee for service arrangements, and cost plus structures depending on the nature of the engagement. Revenue streams come from sales and merchandising support, omni commerce marketing programs, sampling and experiential events, private brand development services, and agency services such as print and digital circulars, merchandising display platforms, and retail media and targeted advertising. The primary customers are consumer packaged goods manufacturers and retailers.

The company operates through the following segments: Branded Services, Experiential Services, and Retailer Services.

• Branded Services provides sales, merchandising, and omni commerce marketing support to branded consumer packaged goods manufacturers. It includes brokerage services that represent manufacturer clients in their commercial relationships with retailers, supporting business development, sales planning, distribution optimization, pricing and promotional strategies, and category recommendations. Branded Services also offers field teams that execute in store merchandising activities such as shelf maintenance, promotional display installation, inventory checks, and distribution validation, and provides dedicated, syndicated, and hybrid coverage models along with logistics and supply chain support. The segment further delivers omni commerce marketing services that develop and execute shopper centric marketing programs across in store, digital shelf, e commerce platforms, social and influencer channels, and custom content programs, and provides national consumer promotion services designed to drive product trial and awareness.

• Experiential Services provides in store and digital sampling programs, demonstrations, and experiential events for manufacturers and retailers. These programs are designed to drive trial, conversion, and sustained consumer engagement. Revenue is generally earned on a fee for service or cost plus basis. The segment executes large scale sampling programs and designs and manages consumer events ranging from brand activations to premium gatherings.

• Retailer Services provides solutions that support retailers in the development of in store merchandising execution, private brands, and retail media and marketing initiatives. Revenue is recognized through commissions, fee for service, or cost plus arrangements. It includes retailer merchandising offering reset services, category updates, space management support, audits, data collection, and in store execution to help retailers with inventory accuracy, product placement, and store presentation. The segment also provides advisory services through a private brand agency that assists retailers with private brand strategy, product development, sourcing, packaging, design, and program management, and analytical teams that help with assortment planning, supplier partnerships, and ongoing brand management. Additionally, Retailer Services operates agency services that manage print and digital circular programs, merchandising and display platforms, and execute retail media and targeted advertising programs using proprietary and third party data to reach defined consumer audiences across digital channels.

Advantage Solutions Inc. competes with national and regional providers of outsourced sales, merchandising, and marketing services as well as with in house teams of consumer packaged goods manufacturers and retailers. Competitive factors include service quality, data and analytics capabilities, technology enablement, geographic coverage, and cost effectiveness. The company seeks to differentiate itself through its broad service portfolio, its extensive footprint across more than 100,000 retail locations, and its investments in technology and data analytics.

The company serves more than 4,000 clients consisting of consumer packaged goods manufacturers and retailers. These clients operate in grocery, mass, club, retail pharmacy, convenience, and other retail channels. Advantage Solutions Inc. works with a diverse range of brands and store formats across North America.