Jason Smith

Wondering what is happening in Food Service in convenience retail? #NACS and #NIQ have recently discussed these trends at our latest conference as NIQ rolls out the first POS based Food Service market measurement for convenience in the US. Link below to read the highlights. #NIQandGfK #TheFullView #MovingMeasurementForward #NIQ #GFK #nielseniq #retailanalytics #retailinsights #cpg #cpgindustry #retail #groceryretail #convenience #beverageindustry #quickcommerce #collaboration #future #business #manufacturing #collaboration #connectedcollaboration #media #investments #onlineadvertising #sales #retail #growth #grocery #retailing #technology #sustainability #techanddurables #generalmerch #computing #electronics #devices #IoT #PrivateLabel #ownedBrands #telco #AI #GenAI #AskArthur #Leading #DesignTheFuture #LeadingNotFollowing #NeverGiveUp

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Look who I bumped into enroute to #Phoenix for NielsenIQ annual #C360 conference for retailers and manufacturers. Looks like Denver is a popular hub for all of us United Airlines 1K travellers! Don’t judge that Jessie Mazur is ready for business and I am dressed casual. Been almost 6 hours flying plus layovers and it is 12noon local time…. #NIQandGfK #TheFullView #MovingMeasurementForward #NIQ #GFK #nielseniq #retailanalytics #retailinsights #cpg #cpgindustry #retail #groceryretail #convenience #beverageindustry #quickcommerce #collaboration #future #business #manufacturing #collaboration #connectedcollaboration #media #investments #onlineadvertising #sales #retail #growth #grocery #retailing #technology #sustainability #techanddurables #generalmerch #computing #electronics #devices #IoT #PrivateLabel #ownedBrands #telco #AI #GenAI #AskArthur

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In a strategic move towards enhancing operational efficiencies, retail powerhouse Walmart has announced a significant shift to digital price tags on shelves, departing from the conventional method of daily paper tag replacements. This transition not only presents evident advantages but also opens avenues for potential adoption of surge/dynamic pricing models or real-time price adjustments based on demand and inventory dynamics. Additionally, the retailer might explore monitoring online competitive pricing to ensure it maintains the every day low price advantage. While these strategies are not officially confirmed by Walmart, they hint at heightened competitiveness within the industry. The implications of Walmart's adoption of digital price tags are poised to capture the attention of CPGs, particularly those who employ strict MAP policies or make allocate large trade budgets to the retailer. Proactively researching competitive strategies will empower CPGs to approach business planning with a strategic outlook and adapt swiftly to potential market shifts. The evolving landscape of retail pricing strategies, as showcased by Walmart's innovative approach, underscores the importance for CPGs to stay vigilant and agile in anticipation of industry changes. #CPG #CompetitiveIntelligence #Fletcher Source: CBS News - Walmart Digital Price Tags in Stores

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One of my favourite events is the annual NACS show. I remember the first time I went to this show, stood in the lobby entrance and paused for a good two minutes to absorb everything around me. It was post Covid, my first trade show in 3+ years, and as I stood in the atrium at the #McCormick Centre in Chicago, I was in awe of the size, the displays, the number of people, the content, the energy, the buzz, and education sessions that I was about to partake in over the next 4 days. NielsenIQ has also come a long way with our support of convenience retail. Only NIQ has the most granular coverage in the US, and the only company that measures convenience around the world. We are the only company with Fresh Food measurement, and we enable our retail partners to solve their merchandising and customer needs with our #NextGen solutions in #Connect. Come see Jason Zelinski J.J. Tellez Adam Horowitz Arthur Dmitruk Scott Yamada Rebecca Kozerski Jeffrey Dzyacky Steven Severino Jalan Shaw Cassandra Moren Kaleigh Theriault at our booth and Lorelei Bergin (Samuelson) and Sarah Squires who will be speaking on the mainstage #NIQandGfK #TheFullView #MovingMeasurementForward #NIQ #GFK #nielseniq #retailanalytics #retailinsights #cpg #cpgindustry #retail #groceryretail #convenience #liquorindustry #beverageindustry #quickcommerce #collaboration #future #business #diy #home #auto #manufacturing #collaboration #connectedcollaboration #media #investments #onlineadvertising #sales #retail #growth #grocery #retailing #technology #sustainability #techanddurables #generalmerch #computing #electronics #devices #IoT #PrivateLabel #ownedBrands #telco #AI #GenAI #AskArthur #Leading #DesignTheFuture #LeadingNotFollowing #NeverGiveUp

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When it comes to retail trends, NRF’s annual list of the Top 100 Retailers shows that the pandemic and pandemic-era spending are starting to ease. That’s what David Marcotte, senior vice president of global retail and technology for Kantar, terms the “big trend” out of the National Retail Federation’s annual ranking of the industry’s 100 largest retailers by domestic retail sales. Kantar compiles the data and explores the Power Players in a variety of categories. #nrf #kantar #top100retailers

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Let’s talk the power of RedMedia at Grocery Tech!

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I am guilty...of drinking too much coffee. I was looking at our Cataltyics Ad and Promotion Tracking data and realized I am not alone in my coffee habit! Coffee Ads are up 38% from 2022. If you are looking for a better way to track and analyze your retailer ad and promotions data, grab 10 minutes with me to get a free Ad report: https://bit.ly/catalytics #CPG #Sales #categorymanagement #marketinsights #consumergoods

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Morning beverages are engrained into our daily routines, and U.S. consumers always find the time to have them. Discover how beverages will impact the morning occasion over the next three years with Circana’s Future of™ Morning: https://bit.ly/4eKJ1vs

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DTC/Digital Native Brands struggle to achieve scale. CPG portfolio's are stagnating. Consumers are trading down, and retailers owned brands are disproportionately growing. Target, Costco, Trader Joes, and Aldi owned brands are winning. Now Walmart has launched a formidable new elevated basics brand, BetterGoods. The best way to beat the Amazon/Temu/Shein/TikTok marketplaces is to sell products they don't have.

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The term bellwether comes from shepherd's tying a bell around the lead sheep in a flock so they could track the flock's movement. Walmart is the lead sheep in the consumer landscape...the flock is moving. In this case, Walmart isn't just up against the strong performance in Q1 (something of a headwind for everyone in retail), but also a strong Q2 last year. It's a bit of a double whammy, especially as the industry clings to lower purchasing power households as the main culprit of a slowing retail environment. The thing is, Walmart has already captured those consumers looking for the lowest price. They've traded down as far as they could go...if Walmart is seeing softness, it's likely due to volume declines and higher purchasing power households pulling back more. Regardless, everyone should take note. Walmart's leadership is very aware of the potential impact of their comments, and over the past few years what they've said this early in a quarter almost always plays out (and you don't need Walmart saying this to see what's happening quarter to quarter - public releases are showing the same thing). Last thing...a rough Q2 consumer environment doesn't mean the company isn't performing. It just means its weathering a potential storm....again. #consumerbehavior #retail

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No surprise that Walmart continues to post huge numbers! However, I would look beyond the headlines of these articles for the takeaways in the context of the overall industry. Yes, we are seeing Walmart post strong numbers but that doesn't necessarily mean consumer spending is strong. A rise in Walmart is also an indication of trading down from more premium retailers. When we see budgets tightening we also see consumers start to prioritize and be strategic about where they trade down (on a retailer level or also on a product/category level with private label usage). We are approaching a very critical pre-holiday season that continues to start earlier every year. I am highly interested how current economic trends are going to impact spending not only on a product level but on a retailer level as well. No surprise in the continued rise in the RMN numbers for Walmart. I believe we will only continue to see an expansion of channels/ad products and an integration of retail media trading variables into overall retail JBPs for brands. With consumers tightening budgets and not spreading themselves too thin, perhaps it's time for brand's to take a similar approach, to prioritize a few critical retailers to their business and focus on what matters most (to me this is more flexibility with partners to drive mutually accountable BrandFormance type opportunities). https://lnkd.in/eb9368Mm https://lnkd.in/eCm8puST

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CPG Marketing Leaders: Would you consider yourself "Data Driven? " I like to think I am. But while I jokingly call myself a data geek, the truth is, we both know that data is just the starting point for a Story 📖to impact you Brand. It's the Curation and Filtering of the data that matters--finding those elements that influence thinking and drive decisions. 🤔 I've observed, and experts smarter than I am have corroborated, that this is a skill gap in the corporate world. A data strategy expert I follow cites 3 criteria to convert data to insight: ✔ It enables a “shift in your understanding.” ✔It reveals an "unexpected reason.” ✔It inspires action based on your priorities and values My takeaway: it's all about drawing connections to tell a good story. (It's no coincidence that my business tagline is 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵™). Yet, there's still mass freakout about AI replacing our human 🧠 .. myself included at moments. But one thing I'm willing to bet AI CAN'T do, or at least without a lot of editing, is shape data into a Narrative Structure--something This English Major gets excited about!   When facing disparate data sources, anecdotes, observations, or my favorite--“Yeah, we tried that before, and it didn’t work,” I take that as a challenge: 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙄 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧, 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙚𝙗 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙖𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚’𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙨?      Not only is that Storytelling, that’s Insight-driven strategy, baby.   𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗵𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶 𝗯𝗼𝘄𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱? #insights #brandstrategy #storytelling 

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Circana reports that the U.S. convenience store channel saw a 2.4% decline in dollar sales in Q3 2024, with fewer trips and lower unit sales impacting performance. 🛒 However, higher dollars per trip indicate that consumers are spending more per visit, even with fewer trips. Discover how convenience retailers can adjust to shifting consumer behaviors to remain competitive: https://bit.ly/3UUCuH8

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Our team talked through the differences in physical retail vs. digital this week. Cole Walker presented some great insight in the differences in Instacart behaviors and typical store patterns. The big underlying theme? Visibility means something entirely different when you’re talking digital vs. physical in retail. One of my favorite things to do in store is tidy up the shelf (most CPG folks I’ve found do this 😆). The physical shelf requires price tags, inventory, some decent packaging, and merchandising to look good. It also is seen by the human eye, which has a wide lens and can capture a lot of info at once. The digital shelf largely relies on inventory, reviews, and an algorithm paired with searches. It has a very narrow lens for viewership (1 listing per 1 inch of screen essentially) and is noisy in its own way. As the two worlds grow more intermingled, it’s imperative to remember the core ingredients that fuel each medium, and the recipe need for success.

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In CPG, researchers often use scanner and panel data, with existing share estimates that make even minor share shifts significant. I just wrote a list of issues in understanding choices in CPG and the unique challenges compared to other categories, including… 1. Measuring Volume In CPG, understanding both the choice of product and the quantity purchased is crucial. However, standard methods for including quantity in choice models often fall short. 2. Multiple Sizes and Pack Counts CPG products come in a variety of sizes and counts, driven by marketing strategies. This variety affects patterns of competition and cannibalization, as well as price sensitivity measurement. 3. Multiple Categories CPG products are usually bought alongside others, unlike one-off purchases like cars. This raises the question of whether choices in one category are related to choices in another. 4. Choice of Where to Buy The decision of what to buy can depend on where it is purchased—whether it’s an outlet, an aisle, or online. CPG products are often available both in-store and online, adding another layer of complexity to modeling choices. A simpler approach works well for one-time, single-unit, same size purchases, but CPG products are purchased repeatedly, in different sizes and counts, and for different occasions. Therefore, CPG choice modeling involves not only the selection of a brand but also the choice of package size, count, price, and affordability, which are interdependent and affect consumer decisions For the full list of key issues in CPG research, check out the guide linked in the comments. #cpg #choicemodeling

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U.S. retail sales remained steady through February, yet prices continue to pose a challenge for consumers. Dive into the latest insights on #retail sales from Circana.

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Dollar General is enhancing its retail media program by teaming up with solutions provider Criteo. The commerce media platform will work with the retailer's Dollar General Media Network (DGMN) arm to support onsite sponsored ad offerings. Through this arrangement, brand partners can access inventory and campaign execution and utilize Criteo’s self-service demand-side platform. Among other capabilities, brands can leverage DGMN’s inventory within their private market through Criteo’s retailer monetization platform. In addition, the technology enables brands to reach Dollar General’s digital customers who often build lists online before making their weekly in-store purchases. Omnichannel insights will be available for marketers to see if sales are taking place online or in-store. | Progressive Grocer https://lnkd.in/gATgumgr #retail #retailmedia #grocery #shoppers #media #digital

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React faster to what’s happening in-store! Rapid Retail Reads delivers topline insights in under 24 hours to help you pivot your strategy and stay competitive. ⏰ #MarketResearch #QSRInsights

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