FMCG 2026: “The Race For Low Sugar” – Accelerate Sales With eSales SFA?

80% of Vietnamese consumers are choosing to reduce sugar, pushing FMCG into a race of speed. Discover 3 core shifts in Sales Execution and how eSales SFA helps businesses optimize coverage speed, control merchandising, and capture real-time market data.

How the FMCG Market is Shifting

According to Cimigo’s 2025 Consumer Behavior Report, 85% of Vietnamese consumers are proactively improving their diets, with 37% reducing consumption of sugar‑containing foods and 49% carefully reading nutrition labels before making purchase decisions.

In Modern Trade (MT) channels, “better-for-you” product lines—such as low-sugar, low-oil, natural ingredients, and eco-friendly packaging—are being prioritized for display. Remarkably, Vietnamese goods account for 90% of shelf space, demonstrating that this playing field is no longer limited to multinational corporations but is expanding to include domestic FMCG enterprises.

Concurrently, according to the Vietnam Healthy Snacks Market 2025-2033 report, the healthy snacks market is forecast to reach $573.1 million USD by 2033 (CAGR 5.16%). Meanwhile, the superfoods* category could approach nearly $1.7 billion USD with a CAGR of approximately 10%, per the Vietnam Superfoods Market 2025-2033 Report. Specifically in the F&B sector, data records that 80% of customers choose reduced or no-sugar options, with many units reporting a revenue increase of about 10% upon implementing these alternatives. (Source: vnexpress.net)

*Superfoods are nutrient-dense foods beneficial for health, including fruits, vegetables, seeds, and grains—many of which are directly applied in confectionery, snacks, and health-oriented beverages. 

Reference: Market analysis from VDA

HQSOFT’s outlook and forecast:

Product portfolios will fragment significantly

Businesses can no longer rely on selling a few SKUs in massive volumes. Instead, they must manage numerous granular variants, with each SKU serving a specific niche demand. This results in shorter product lifecycles and increased pressure on market deployment.

Competitive advantage will shift from R&D to field execution

When multiple brands can launch similar products within a short timeframe, the deciding factors will be the speed of outlet coverage, merchandising quality, and the ability to maintain continuous shelf presence.

Real‑time market data will become a strategic asset

Companies that capture sales, inventory, and market feedback faster will be able to adjust strategies earlier than competitors.

However, FMCG Enterprises face prominent challenges:

• Speed to Market: Outlet penetration speed becomes a matter of survival when competitors launch new products simultaneously.
• Merchandising & POSM Control: Ensuring consistency is difficult without tools for direct monitoring at the point of sale.
• Sales Force Direction: Unclear task allocation leads to suboptimal resource distribution.
• Data Fragmentation: Slow updates and fragmented market data hinder strategic adjustments.
• Trade Marketing Execution: Manual implementation often leads to errors, especially during peak launch periods.

Read more: Optimizing Point-of-Sale Merchandising with AI – A Breakthrough for FMCG Revenue

eSales SFA: Turning Challenges into Competitive Advantage

From HQSOFT’s experience with leading FMCG companies, one common success factor emerges: strong investment in sales execution capabilities and field data. Technology is no longer just supportive – it has become the foundation for agile operations.

From this perspective, sales automation solutions like eSales SFA help businesses address these challenges:

• Real-Time Data Synchronization: Market data is updated in real-time and synchronized to the system, empowering leadership to make fast, accurate decisions.
• Clear Sales Force Direction: The team is guided clearly from the start of the day. The system provides targets, KPIs, trade programs, and distributor inventory data, helping staff identify exactly which outlets to prioritize to accelerate distribution coverage.
• Automated Compliance & Visibility: Supports automated check-ins, inventory checks, display photos, and POSM recording according to brand standards. This allows businesses to easily control compliance and ensure “low-sugar” products maintain consistent visual presence across the market.
• Efficient Trade Marketing: Register display programs and promotions directly on the app, minimizing information errors and maximizing campaign effectiveness.
• Smart Ordering: eSales SFA automatically suggests orders based on the purchase history of each outlet, increasing order rates and optimizing product distribution.

Read more: Optimizing Sales Performance with eSales SFA

The upcoming FMCG race will not be decided by who launches a product first, but by who executes best in the market. Is your enterprise ready to transform market challenges into sustainable growth opportunities?

Let HQSOFT accompany your enterprise on the journey of digitization and sales force optimization.

Contact our Hotline at 028 7300 6878 for a FREE consultation on the eSales SFA solution.