Mandy Fields

Rapid grocer Gopuff launches B2B offering for DTC players, as reported by George Nott for The Grocer. In a strategic move to diversify its revenue streams and drive profitable order volume, Gopuff has unveiled "Powered by Gopuff," a groundbreaking platform enabling brands to utilize the rapid grocer's dark store and courier network for deliveries ordered through their own websites. With "Powered by Gopuff," shoppers can seamlessly make purchases on a brand's direct-to-consumer website, with orders automatically directed to the nearest Gopuff micro-fulfilment center. Here, orders are swiftly picked, packed, and delivered to customers, promising delivery times as fast as 15 minutes. Over the past six months, the platform has undergone rigorous testing with 20 FMCG brands, including industry giants like Ben & Jerry’s, Unilever, Mondelez International, and Nestlé. This initiative marks a significant shift for Gopuff, extending its proprietary fulfillment and logistics capabilities beyond its own app for the first time. Daniel Folkman, Senior Vice President of Business at Gopuff, emphasized the company's commitment to meeting customer demands for fast, reliable delivery. "With the launch of Powered by Gopuff, we're also becoming the fabric of instant commerce, empowering brands to deliver seamless experiences to their customers," Folkman stated. As part of the launch, Gopuff introduces "Storefronts," a Shopify-based online store theme integrated with Gopuff APIs. This allows brands to swiftly launch DTC sites, streamlining the process from weeks or months to a matter of days. Jay Tandan, Global Head of Digital Marketing at Ben & Jerry's, expressed enthusiasm for the partnership, highlighting the simplicity and convenience of Gopuff's micro-fulfillment centers. "Storefronts Powered by Gopuff solves that struggle for us and for Ben & Jerry’s fans across the country," Tandan remarked. Currently available across the US, Gopuff is considering a UK launch for its Powered by Gopuff offering. Additionally, the company plans to roll out "Fulfillment Powered by Gopuff" in Q2, a standalone warehousing and logistics service enabling brands to integrate and promote instant delivery on their existing DTC websites. While Gopuff is not the first to offer such services, with Deliveroo and Jiffy exploring similar models, its move signifies a significant advancement in the quick-commerce sector. As brands increasingly seek efficient delivery solutions, Gopuff's "Powered by Gopuff" platform emerges as a transformative force in the industry, poised to redefine the future of e-commerce fulfillment. Stay ahead with the latest in food delivery news from the weekly Boolanga Business Bites newsletter, brought to you by Wear Your Brand. Sign up for our LinkedIn newsletter now to receive weekly updates directly to your inbox every Monday.

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"61% percent of Gen Z individuals voiced intentions to drink less in 2024, which is up from 40% in 2023. Millennials are also joining this movement, with almost half (49%) planning to take a step back from alcohol consumption, representing a 26% spike from the year before." Great to see the below piece via RetailWire (Lavina Suthenthiran) on the overall importance of retailers expanding their wider nonalcoholic drink offerings to keep up with the ever-evolving consumer.   Modern consumers are actively looking for brands that align with their mindsets – which for many are focused on all things “better for you.”   To keep up with the times, retailers must meet these customers where they are through offering products that cater to these more conscious drinkers. Is this consumer shift surprising to you? Should all retailers make this shift?   Full article below:

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I love seeing how Jones Road Beauty and Founder Bobbi Brown is innovating with product launches. Here are a few strategies I'm breaking down from her most recent launch, the Miracle Balm Palette, launched last week. Retail Strategy Spotlight: Jones Road Beauty's Brilliant Move with the Miracle Balm Palette: A perfect example of leveraging customer favorites to drive growth. Here's why it's genius: 1️⃣ Customer-Centric Approach • Builds on the popularity of their limited-edition mini miracle balms • Addresses customer demand for variety and portability 2️⃣ Smart Price Positioning • Lower price point ($32) reduces barrier to entry • Encourages experimentation with multiple shades 3️⃣ Acquisition & Conversion Strategy • Attracts new customers with an accessible product • Potential to upsell to full-size products later 4️⃣ Limited Edition 2.0 • Brings back popular limited mini sized SKUs in a fresh format • Creates urgency and excitement among loyal customers 5️⃣ Travel-Friendly Design • Taps into the growing travel beauty trend • Perfect for on-the-go touch-ups 🔮 My Future Product Predictions: I'd love to see Jones Road apply this strategy to their Face Pencil next. Imagine: • Double-ended pencils with complementary shades • Mini travel pack with 3 shades + blender brush What do you think? How could other beauty brands apply these strategies to their product lines? Share your thoughts in the comments. #RetailStrategy #BeautyIndustry #ProductInnovation #CustomerCentered

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I go shopping every Friday. Well, not exactly.     Every Friday, I go to a different retail store to observe how people shop for and interact with our products, and what they like and dislike.   Dan Frommer's recent trends report stresses the importance of understanding your consumer's behavior when looking at the successful rise of new beauty brands among younger consumers. Brands founded since 2014 now account for 40% of sales at major beauty retailers, and they are succeeding because they focus on understanding what Gen Z and Millennial consumers want – highlighted by authenticity in messaging while actively engaging with their younger consumers.   This shift in the consumer mindset is why I keep going back to how consumer behavior and experiences aren’t static, and how it’s our job to stay ahead of these changes. How do you learn more about the different ways consumers experience your products?

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𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞... A recent RetailWire discussion ponders whether Walmart can take on Trader Joe's with its latest private brand launch, bettergoods. My take was that the brand seemed more Target-esque (shades of Good & Gather) and that it was about time Walmart upped the ante with a "better" private brand in grocery. This weekend, I headed to the freezer to grab my new favorite plant-based ice cream only to find I was out of it. Keep in mind that 1. I'm plant-based but wasn't always. I know the standards analogs need to meet. 2. I've been hitting this ice cream several times per week. It's rich, not too sweet, with a perfect consistency, even after days in the home freezer. 😋 I started backtracking to remember where I bought it. Was it Whole Foods? Fresh Market? I remembered the bright green packaging...very "Target" - that must be it (my more frequent jaunts to Target for plant-based goods still surprise me). I wasn't completely sure so I headed to the recycle bin. Mystery solved. It was - Walmart's "bettergoods" plant-based ice cream. 😯 Well played, Walmart. Well played! ✅ 👏

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Assortment decisions are complex and critical for any retailer success. Analyzing billions of baskets a year has enabled us to build the most effective and customer-centric assortment solution in the market. We are proud to partner with Family Dollar and dozens of other retailers in this journey! #dunnhumby #customerfirst

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'Modern soda' is the latest billion $ product category in CPG. Previously known as 'functional soda', the category was rebranded last week by Walmart in an announcement detailing plans to increase shelf space for brands operating in the segment. Timely move as modern soda has been on a TEAR over the past year, now sitting +$1b in annual retail sales (per Numerator). It's a safe bet to say the growth here is just getting started. When the most powerful retailer in the US makes a move like this it's only a matter of time before others follow suit. The big question: If we're now calling this stuff 'modern soda'...what do we call regular soda? Vintage soda? Historic soda? Legacy soda? h/t to the Mt Rushmore of modern soda brands leading the charge (OLIPOP PBC, poppi, Culture Pop Soda, Zevia) h/t to Nick Scutari-Dunn for breaking the news 🙌 #cpg #soda #walmart #retail

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Navigating Inflation: A Retailer’s Dilemma Since opening my doors in 2019, I’ve experienced a cumulative 24% inflation rate. That’s 24% more expensive to operate, to source materials, and to deliver the quality my customers deserve. For nearly five years, I resisted the pressure to adjust the prices of our best-selling tees. Why? Because I believed in making them accessible while staying true to my mission and my customers. I decided to announce on Black Friday, of all days: it was time to increase our retail prices. My Black Friday "SALE" was buy now to pay 20% less than you will in the new year. It wasn’t an easy decision—but it was a necessary one to sustain my business and its quality promise. This experience is one of the many reasons I’m passionate about pricing as a strategy, not just a math equation. It’s about balancing fairness with sustainability, value with growth. If you’ve ever struggled with how to price your products in a way that reflects their worth while staying competitive, I created a resource for you. Watch The Fine Art of Pricing webinar to learn the strategies that helped me navigate this decision and align pricing with my vision. https://lnkd.in/gWFCfxqY

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Putting yourself in the shoes of your dream retailer can yield an understanding for their priorities. Each year, major U.S. retailers open a crucial window to evaluate new and established brands. This is your golden opportunity to pitch to buying teams. Retail Insight: Product resets in retail are both time-consuming and costly for retailers. Store teams continue to do the things they always do: – Restocking shelves – Serving customers – Maintaining store cleanliness Buying teams are also inundated with extra work: – Creating new blueprints for stores to lay out the new items – Meeting with 100+ brands that all have exciting newness to share – Landing on a strategy that will yield growth Major resets also involve: – Printing new shelf labels – Rearranging product placements – Managing discontinued items – Communicating big bets and strategy from corporate to stores These resets can evoke mixed feelings among retail teams: • Excitement about new products and the potential growth they bring. • Anxieties over the additional workload. Why am I sharing this? Because timing is important, you get one window annually to pitch your brand at big retail. So when you approach the retailers treat it like this is your one shot. Prepare your pitch → Nail it. Share your brand purpose → Inspire them. Understand what it takes to be successful →  Make them believe in you. Take this opportunity to show buyers all of the things your brand has done. Shine bright. PS - Have you pitched to a retailer? Share your experience in the comments. – 👋🏾 Hi, I’m Monique, a former retail buyer turned beauty industry advisor who helps emerging brands ready to scale at big retail. If you are ready to scale and invest, book a discovery call, and let’s see if we can work together.

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In my experience as a buyer, I viewed brand-buyer relationships as collaborative, but it's crucial to recognize that not all collaborations are equal. When you seek a retail partner for growth - look for a retailer that is collaborative Understand that the retailer still operates as a for-profit business But, know that you play a role in helping them achieve their goals Here are some areas to consider when looking at collaboration with retailers Door Count Bigger does not necessarily mean better. If your original doors aren’t “ALL” that’s ok. Discuss a tiered plan for growth and expansion. Placement Every brand wants to be seen. Your shelf placement, or location in the store can determine how many consumer eyes see your product. Ask where you’re being placed. Marketing Yes, ask for support from the retailer in their advertising vehicles. But know this is the place where the brand does the heavy lifting. Be ready to shout to the rooftops where you are. Forecasts Work closely with buyers, planners, and your ops team to understand projections. Have a reserve stock to plan for overperformance. Sales Expectations Ask upfront about the retailer’s benchmarks. Consider how the category performs too. Check-Ins As a new brand, having regular check-ins with your buying teams is great. This could be quarterly, or monthly depending on the projected sales volume. A lot to cover, and I know you might not be there, yet. So save this for that future retail meeting - cheers! – 👋🏾 Hi, I’m Monique, your bridge from niche market to major retail. I’m a former retail buyer turned beauty industry advisor who helps emerging brands ready to scale. Ready to expand your reach? Book a discovery call and let’s explore how we can elevate your brand together.

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eCommerce & CPG: The Role of Amazon 🎯 Great write up by the EMARKETER team. Fun Fact: (1) 🎉 40% & ~$500b — “Amazon will account for 40.4% of US retail ecommerce sales for a total of $491.65 billion this year, according to our February 2024 forecast.” Key Themes: (3) 🔐 7% — “Despite its ecommerce dominance, Amazon will make up just 6.6% of US retail sales, per our forecast. Amazon’s retail share will grow to 7.0% in 2025 as more spending goes to ecommerce.” 🔐 8 of 10 — “Over the next two years, Amazon’s market share will increase in 8 out of 10 product categories, per our forecast. Those two remaining categories are home improvement (due to established home-improvement retailers) and auto (due to Tesla and Carvana).” 🔐 14% vs 11% — “Among major US retailers, only Walmart is growing its ecommerce sales faster than Amazon at 13.6% compared with Amazon’s 10.5%. Walmart has Amazon outpaced in digital grocery specifically, which could pose an increasing threat to Amazon as the category matures.” #ecommerce #digital #omnichannel #strategy #cmo #cdo #ceo #cro #leadership #retailecommerceclub #cpg #privateequity #playtowin

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Instacart continues to outperform with a double (top- & bottom-line beat). Rare for a tech company that IPOed only back in Sept 2023 Instacart also announced a new partnership with UBER for restaurant delivery 'that will have positive unit economics from day one' (Instacart CEO, Fidji Simo) It now counts >600,000 Instacart shoppers picking online orders in store. Impressive Stock price since IPO is now up 15% Time for all FMCG companies to craft their Instacart strategy & leverage its unique assets/ capabilities. Exciting times Full Q1 results in details: • NR: $820M (Transaction NR: $603M, +8% y-o-y | Advertising NR: $217M, +9% y-o-y ) • GMV: $8,319M, +11% y-o-y • NR OSG: 8.0% • GM%: 75%; -200 bps vs Q1 FY23 • A&P: 22.4%; +180 bps vs Q1 FY23 • Adj. EBIT%: 24.0% | $198M; +17% y-o-y abs. growth 𝗧𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀, 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝘀/ 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗠𝗖𝗚 𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿: https://lnkd.in/ea4gy65y #fmcg #ecommerce #cpg The Coca-Cola Company Nestlé Procter & Gamble AB InBev Kraft Heinz Unilever L'Oréal General Mills Campbell's The HEINEKEN Company Diageo Pernod Ricard Mondelēz International Danone Bel Henkel PepsiCo Coty Reckitt The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. https://lnkd.in/e8RmhfCx

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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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PRIME DAY LIVE TAKES: DAY 2 We’re wrapping up the second and final day of Prime Day. It’s looking like Amazon has accomplished its goal of beating last year’s Prime Day performance… by a healthy margin. Not only that, but participation from CPG brands this year felt like the highest it’s ever been! Here are some hot takes from Day 2 (maybe a bit less rosy!): 💹 Are the deals fake? - I got questions about price increases ahead of Prime Day, which has the impression of making the deals seem “fake”. (I think this is trending on Tiktok) - This definitely exists, though it’s not so simple to pull off: requires months of planning. “Reference price” is closely monitored and if it moves ahead of Prime Day, you often have to recreate your deals or restructure - In our categories we actually worried about June or July deals or price matching which would make your reference price too *low*, requiring too deep of a discount brands couldn’t afford. On that topic… 🏷️ Price matching from other platforms is getting worse: - Chewy and Target have started price-matching promos or sales prices which can jeopardize Prime Day deals. - Because of this, it’s becoming almost table-stakes to have unique assortments for different retailers. ♻️ Amazon is emphasizing repurchase behavior: - This year, Amazon showcased deals from brands on “Buy It Again” list (appearing high on the homepage) - S&S coupons were everywhere - a 50% coupon was a great follow-on to a deep discount - The mega brands you know were some of the biggest deals - Apple, Dyson, etc. Best Buy now operates as a 3rd party seller - Paired with less prominent badging of deals, feels like Amazon focused on driving sales a bit more than new product discovery 🛠️ Prime Day also had lots of technical issues: - The Amazon advertising console was down for over an hour last night - Brands experienced several strange, new suppressions that prevented them from running coupons or promos. - Prime Day badging displayed somewhat inconsistently, causing confusion for shoppers (and frustration for brands!) The next 2 weeks is critical. The purpose of Prime Day is—and always has been—new customer acquisition. Brands should specifically target new people who visited their pages. Follow-on promos for people still in cart, emails about the follow-on promos (”Did you miss it?” FOMO is strong!), retargeting ads, and repurchase campaigns should all be launched in the coming days. Finally, want to know if your Prime Day was good? My advice: look at your Best Seller Ranking compared to your direct competitors. It’s the simplest measure of relative performance! You can use a tool like Keepa or Helium10 to track both this and price (to see if any brands pulled price increase tricks!). - - - - - Next week, we’ll be aggregating all of Cartograph’s Prime Day performance data and writing a deeper list of learnings from this year.

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#Grocery retailers are shrinking their shelf space and it's putting TREMENDOUS financial stress on #CPG brands -- according to a great article this week from The Wall Street Journal. ⚫ Between 2009 and 2023, supermarket and supercenter sq. footage decreased 3-5% ⚫ The number of unique products on shelf were cut nearly 9% between 2020 and 2023 (Data Source: NIQ) Meanwhile, retailers are giving their own brands more "slots" to attract #inflation-weary consumers, making finding a space for national brands as challenging and as expensive as finding a NYC apartment. (or so I hear) >>> SO WHAT? The imperative to maximize brand real estate on the #digitalshelf has never been stronger as a counterweight to declining physical placement. CPG sales and financial leaders MUST take their investment in #rediamedia, #content and #omnichannel analytics way more seriously. Afterall, on the digital shelf: ⚫ Space is unlimited and it's less premium to buy ⚫You can expose consumers to a much larger assortment that meets more needs -- larger bulk packs, variety packs, cross-brand bundles ⚫ You don't have to wait for the annual line reset to change where you're located -- it changes every day and you can INFLUENCE it ⚫ It's easier to merchandise cross category -- In store, you could never put yogurt next to cereal or breakfast bars but on the digital shelf it's possible using display and search ads ⚫ You can be more agile when it comes to optimization because you can get analytics daily vs the typical weekly or monthly cadence for in store -- which is especially critical when launching new products The point is: CEOs and CFOs must stop thinking of #ecommerce as secondary to their physical retail business and instead, treat it like the ENABLER and potential SAVIOR of their physical retail business. At Profitero, helping CPG executives pivot their brands and organizations toward digital shelf excellence is what we do and think about everyday. To read the article, see the link in my comments below (subscription required). Message me if you'd like a copy. 👇

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Target didn't just miss on revenue and earnings (20%!)- this was standing in the batters box and flailing wildly at a ball 3 feet off the plate. When you permanently lower prices on 10,000 items (including staples like diapers, bread, and milk), increase same store foot traffic by 2.4% YoY, and still have same store declines of 1.9% - all while your biggest rival, WalMart RAISES their quarterly and annual revenue forecast the day before - retailers and brands would be near criminally negligent not to take notice. Even front running the Holiday sale didn't help. Other take aways for brands to consider: ➡ Forecasting - Target now expects fourth-quarter comparable sales to be approximately flat. ➡ Consumer Demand- lingering softness in discretionary categories / deceleration in discretionary demand ➡ Consumer Strategy- Target offered discounts after hearing from shoppers about “the importance of value and affordability" ➡ Category growth: Customers gravitated toward food and everyday essentials during the quarter, along with beauty items (Comparable sales in beauty grew more than 6%). Two other categories, food & beverage and essentials, posted low single-digit gains compared with the year-ago period. Other Key take aways: ➡ Groceries account for about 60% of Walmart’s U.S. business but only about 23% of Target’s. ➡ "The retailer is contending with savvy and selective shoppers who aren’t willing to buy until the price is right....Consumers have become increasingly resourceful and strategic on how they shop” - TGT Chief Commercial Officer For as long as I can remember, if you're an emerging CPG company getting into Target was the holy grail. The collab with ULTA expanded the Heath and Beauty category and the "Target Shopper" embodied who brands catered to. That strategy appears to have holes - and you can bet when your share price drops by 20% while margins reduced across the board, category buyers will be extra diligent, selective and demanding with their assortments. Unit Velocity and high margin items will carry a premium. The other take away - and this is just my opinion - consumer fatigue has set in and demand is tapering off. I've written about Care Free Carrie and Anxious Anne in recent posts, as well as consumer debt being at an all time high. With Target forecasting a flat Holiday season YoY, brands and retailers need to be prepared and not wait too long to discount. This will be a holiday season driven by bargains.... and there is nothing AI can do about it. Where do you see holiday spending trending this year? #cpg #retail #branding #RetailTrends #ConsumerBehavior #RetailStrategy #ConsumerInsights #EmergingCPG #ConsumerDemand #InflationImpact #HolidayShopping #BrandStrategy #CPGTrends #MarketingInsights #SalesAndMarketing #CategoryGrowth

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Target's shares increased by over 15% following a positive earnings report, indicating a reversal of a sales slump. The company reported a 2% rise in comparable sales for the second quarter, marking its first increase in over a year. Store traffic grew by 3%, compensating for a 0.9% decline in average transaction spending, attributed to lower prices. CEO Brian Cornell highlighted consumer resilience despite ongoing economic challenges. The earnings report reflects broader consumer spending trends, with other retailers like Walmart and Costco also reporting strong sales growth. Target's sales of discretionary goods, particularly in apparel and beauty, showed improvement, aided by new product launches. The company implemented price reductions on 5,000 items, contributing to increased customer traffic. Target's revenue reached $25.5 billion, exceeding expectations, with a net profit of $1.2 billion, a 43% year-on-year increase. The operating profit margin improved to 6.4%, surpassing the company's long-term goal of 6%. Target raised its earnings forecast for the fiscal year, reflecting confidence in sustained sales growth. #target #usretail #usconsumer #retailsales

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#HotTake: Retail stores aren’t a shortcut to success. Retail offers bigger POs, visibility, and cash flow Yet, it doesn’t ensure brand sustainability Case in point: JLo Beauty Despite celeb status and prime placement at Sephora, She faced challenges resulting in a US exit Retail alone doesn’t secure loyalty or repeat sales Placement isn’t guaranteed forever For lasting success, think beyond the retail PO Some markers of a sustainable brand include: Authenticity, community, differentiated formulas, and true fans Building a lasting brand legacy requires more than a retail presence – 👋🏾 Hi, I’m Monique, a former retail buyer turned beauty industry advisor who helps emerging brands ready to scale at big retail. If you are ready to scale and invest, book a discovery call, and let’s see if we can work together.

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