Tradeway

What Tradeway does

Tradeway (Pty) Ltd is a South African Below-the-Line (BTL) marketing agency founded in 2005 that delivers brand activations, experiential marketing, shopper marketing, field services, and digital/phygital engagement to consumer-goods clients. The company positions itself as 'Africa's largest independent BTL agency,' operating from a Gauteng headquarters with regional offices in Durban (Kwa-Zulu Natal) and Cape Town (Western Cape), each led by a dedicated regional CEO under Group CEO Lauren Durant. Its documented customer base spans 159 brands across beverages (AB InBev, SAB, Castle Lite, Budweiser, Coca-Cola), consumer goods (Unilever, P&G, SCJohnson, Beiersdorf, Tiger Brands, Nestle, Parmalat, Jacobs, Lindt, Sodastream, Godrej), telecommunications (MTN), financial services (Standard Bank, Nedbank), and vaping (Vuse).

The agency's underlying technology stack comprises two proprietary platforms: PromoForce, a cloud-based trade-marketing management system providing real-time field activity tracking, market/channel/campaign insights, POPIA-compliant first-party consumer data collection, talent and collateral management, and audit-ready reporting, distributed via a mobile app on iOS and Android; and TradeForce, a field-services enablement platform supporting brand field specialists, routes to market, channel expansion, and last-mile execution in informal markets across B2C, B2B, and B2B2C operations. Surrounding these platforms is a service catalogue covering brand activations (talent sourcing, performance management, procurement, warehousing, logistics), digital services (USSD, QR codes, WhatsApp bots, mobisites, loyalty and rewards), and field services (shopper marketing, mystery shopping, market and competitor audits, merchandising, POS execution, on-pack promotion, and staff incentive programs).

Tradeway generates revenue on a professional-services basis through custom-quoted campaign fees for conceptualization, staffing, execution, and performance management. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; deal structures appear to be project-based rather than subscription/SaaS, despite the underlying platforms being productized. Distribution is fully direct-to-enterprise, with no channel partners, and the company reports metrics of 2,498,842 annual consumer connections and 76,490 cumulative activations, underpinned by tri-regional operational scale that supports both formal retail and informal/urban/peri-urban market execution.

Name

Tradeway

Legal name

Tradeway (Pty) Ltd

Website

https://tradeway.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Tradeway is a South African Below-the-Line marketing agency (founded 2005) that delivers brand activations, field services, shopper marketing, and digital/phygital campaigns to enterprise consumer-goods clients through its proprietary PromoForce and TradeForce technology platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bryanston

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Below-the-Line Marketing Services: Full-service Below-the-Line agency providing brand activations, experiential marketing, shopper marketing, field marketing, and digital services to consumer goods brands. Revenue is generated through service fees for campaign conceptualization, staffing, execution, and performance management across South Africa.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Tradeway is a full-service Below-the-Line (BTL) marketing agency providing turnkey brand activation, experiential events, shopper marketing, field marketing, and digital (phygital) services to consumer goods and FMCG brands across South Africa. Service delivery is enabled by two proprietary cloud platforms—PromoForce for trade marketing management with real-time performance tracking and first-party POPIA-compliant consumer data, and TradeForce for field services enablement in routes to market and last-mile execution in informal markets.

Product overview

Tradeway is Africa\'s largest independent Below-the-Line (BTL) marketing agency since 2005, operating as a full-service agency offering integrated services across four main pillars: Shopper Marketing, Brand Activations, Digital Services (including Phygital experiences and mobile entry mechanics), and Field Services (enabled by TradeForce). The company\'s proprietary technology platforms—Promoforce for trade marketing management and TradeForce for field services—power their service delivery, enabling real-time tracking, data-led optimization, and nationwide campaign execution across formal, informal, retail, wholesale, and digital channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brand Activations Full-service brand activation offering turnkey execution for consumer goods brands, including talent sourcing and management, data-led optimization, performance management, incentive and reward programs, procurement, channel expertise, and asset management, warehousing, logistics and distribution.
• Field Services Comprehensive field marketing service covering shopper marketing, mystery shopping, market and competitor audits, routes to market and channel expansion, distribution and merchandising, staff incentive programs, POS strategy and execution, and on-pack promotion for consumer goods brands.
• Digital Services Platform-agnostic digital engagement offering including USSD, QR codes, WhatsApp bots, mobisites, and loyalty and rewards programs designed for digital consumer engagement and customer acquisition.
• Phygital Concept of using technology to bridge digital and physical worlds through virtual and hybrid experiences, social media and influencer campaigns, amplification, and content creation for brands.
• PromoForce Platform Proprietary cloud-based trade marketing management platform providing real-time field activity and performance tracking, market/channel/campaign insights and optimization, first-party POPIA-compliant consumer data collection, talent and collateral management, campaign accessibility, and audit-ready reporting.
• TradeForce Platform Field services enablement platform supporting brand field specialists and foot soldiers for routes to market, channel expansion, penetration increase, and last-mile strategies in informal markets across South Africa, covering B2C, B2B, and B2B2C operations.
• Shopper Marketing Solutions Tailor-made shopper marketing solutions across formal, informal, retail, wholesale, and digital/mobile channels that optimise point-of-purchase shopper experiences and win consumer consideration for FMCG brands.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,498,842 consumer connections per annum
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers23 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The Coca-Cola CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 July 2024Tradeway created an immersive launch event for The Coca-Cola Company's Jack Daniel's and Coca-Cola ARTD spirit cooler debut in South Africa. Tradeway led event conceptualization and execution with over 13 immersive activation elements, 50-60m LED screen, DJ performances, and experiential brand engagement. Described as a 'ground-breaking launch' and 'privilege' to work with the Coca-Cola team.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MetropolitanRepublic: South African integrated creative and BTL agency with strong FMCG heritage and a 'Africa-first' positioning. Comparable to Tradeway in target clients (large consumer brands), South African footprint, and blend of brand activation with broader marketing services.
• Smollan: South African field marketing and sales execution services firm working with major FMCG clients across retail and informal channels. Directly comparable in service model (field merchandising, in-store execution, activation) and enterprise client base to Tradeway.
• The Creative Counsel: South African integrated marketing agency offering activations, shopper marketing, and brand experiences for major enterprise clients. Directly overlaps with Tradeway's BTL/experiential service lines and target market.
• Joe Public United: Large independent South African advertising and brand activation group. Directly comparable to Tradeway as an independent local competitor chasing enterprise FMCG accounts with integrated creative and below-the-line capability.
• Promise Group: South African brand activation and shopper marketing agency serving major FMCG clients. Closely mirrors Tradeway's BTL/experiential proposition and enterprise customer base within the same domestic market.

Broad incumbents

• VMLY&R South Africa: WPP-owned global brand and customer experience agency with significant South African presence across activations, digital, and shopper marketing. Overlaps with Tradeway on BTL and brand experience work for multinational FMCG clients.
• Publicis Groupe Africa: Global network with a substantial South African footprint across creative, media, and shopper/activation disciplines. Competes with Tradeway for the same multinational activation RFPs while offering integrated AOR solutions.
• Ogilvy South Africa: Local arm of WPP's global network operating across creative, shopper marketing, and brand activation in South Africa. Comparable in serving the same enterprise FMCG client base, but with a wider portfolio of services and global scale advantages over Tradeway.
• Dentsu South Africa: Dentsu's South African operations span creative, media, and customer experience management, including shopper and activation work. Comparable multinational FMCG client overlap with Tradeway, but as part of a global network offering.

Regional players

• Primedia: South African media and out-of-home operator that also runs branded experiential and mall activation properties. Comparable to Tradeway on consumer touchpoint execution and mall/event activation, with a regional rather than independent-BTL focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@tradewaypromotions
• Facebookfacebook.com/TradewayPromotions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/2683216?trk=prof-0-ovw-curr_pos
• Instagraminstagram.com/tradeway_agency
• Xx.com/tradewaypromo

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tradeway