Strong relationship enables QR D2C solution in just four days

Company profile

Carlsberg A/S is a Danish multinational brewer. Founded in 1847 by J.C. Jacobsen, the company’s headquarters is in Copenhagen, Denmark with more than 140 brands in its beer portfolio, which spans core beer brands, craft and speciality and alcohol-free brews. The majority of the company is owned by the Carlsberg Foundation.

Carlsberg Singapore Pte Ltd was incorporated in 2001 and its brand Carlsberg Danish Pilsner is the number one imported beer in Singapore and the number one beer brand in modern off-trade. Other renowned brands in the portfolio include Carlsberg Smooth Draught, Carlsberg Special Brew, 1664 Lager, 1664 Blanc, Somersby ciders, SKOL, Danish Royal Stout, Connor’s Stout Porter, Asahi and Jolly Shandy.

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The challenge

Following the transformational acquisition of Shire plc by Takeda in January 2019, the onset of COVID-19 at the beginning of 2020 took everyone by surprise and caused economic pain across the globe.

Lear’s Just-in-Time operating model results in a broad manufacturing footprint that aligns with the footprint of the various customers the company serves across the region. This unique operating structure provided an opportunity to Lear’s lean regional treasury team of five in Shanghai to align and streamline its treasury systems and processes across all facilities in Asia.

The solution

In the second week of lockdown, Carlsberg connected with the bank’s relationship manager and the company stated that it was determined to jumpstart a digital route to market. The objective was to perform sales direct to consumer (D2C) for the first time, coupled with activation of its wholesale logistical resources to perform last mile delivery to consumers. Carlsberg Singapore then developed a digital sales portal while leveraging social media like Facebook and Instagram for marketing outreach. Carlsberg’s plan was to go live at the end of week two but the company could not solve the main issue of activating a secure collections channel. Commercial cards and alternative payment wallets were not available.

The bank worked in partnership with Carlsberg’s treasury and marketing teams, sharing ideas and within a short four-day window, activated a secure and effective instant collection channel with real-time notifications and detailed post transaction reports for reconciliation.

The solution achieved several objectives:

• An omni channel user-friendly mode of collection from end-customers involving the use of QR codes which could be presented on any handheld devices, online portal or app.
• A secured and encrypted collection process.
• Instant crediting to Carlsberg’s bank accounts, accelerating Carlsberg’s liquidity.
• An efficient payment verification, reconciliation, and order fulfilment process.

The solution was delivered within just four days from start to finish.