J. Schall Consulting’s Post

CPG industry innovation presents a paradox... Consumers continue to demand new CPG products. And to meet that continual consumer demand for newness, CPG companies have gotten innovation drunk, and it has caused a proliferation of products/brands. Yet only around one-tenth of new CPG products launched annually survive their first few years in-market... So, while new product development is highlighted as a universally important growth driver for CPG companies…remember it can also be a resource-intensive process that results in a questionable return on investment. Interested in more around how to manage innovation risk, we explored this in a longer form content piece 👉 https://bit.ly/3ZzwOW2 #strategy #trends #markets #food #beverages #fmcg #cpg #supplements #sportsnutrition #innovation #productdevelopment #branding #marketing #merchandising #retailing #retail #business #businessintelligence #entrepreneurship #consultants

What's your process of predicting "the next big thing"? A prospective client recently asked us about how we approach trend forecasting...and our answer likely surprised them a bit! While examining historical/current retail sales data is important, we most often use it for validation purposes... Instead, we typically start by watching shifts in consumer behaviors that transcend the category because they drive demand. After this perspective is established, we can look for possible connections with consumer-driven areas that are emerging within the category. #strategy #trends #markets #fmcg #cpg #food #beverages #sportsnutrition #supplements #innovation #productdevelopment #marketing #branding #merchandising #retailing #retail #business #businessintelligence #entrepreneurship #consultants

When you're an early-stage CPG brand founder...each individual customer means the world to you. But then as you scale (and your customer base grows), CPG brands (oftentimes unintentionally) wrongfully distance themselves from those original core customers...making them feel like just a number. And that’s becoming a bigger issue in today’s CPG marketplace where customers expect brands to add value to their lives beyond simply providing a great “made to stock” product. So, CPG brands must focus on building a company culture that rewards the creation and adoption of unscalable customer-centric strategies. The goal would be to prioritize customer intimacy even as the CPG brand goes through the typical growth/adoption construct... #strategy #trends #markets #fmcg #cpg #cx #customerexperience #food #beverages #sportsnutrition #supplements #innovation #productdevelopment #branding #marketing #merchandising #retailing #retail #business #grocery #businessintelligence #entrepreneurship #consultants

We love when a CPG industry CEO has enough conviction to "call" his/her shot! With an almost 20% share on Amazon...plus literally growing 10 times its size compared to three years ago (when he made this prediction), should you have really bet against John Fieldly that CELSIUS Holdings, Inc. would reach $2 billion in retail sales one day soon? P.S. - The energy drink brand just crossed that retail sales threshold in TTM IRI data 😲 #strategy #trends #markets #fmcg #cpg #beverages #energydrinks #sportsnutrition #convenience #supplements #wellness #innovation #productdevelopment #marketing #branding #merchandising #retailing #retail #business #businessintelligence #entrepreneurship #consultants

Whether you're a old-school categorical purist that only watches "sports drinks" retail sales data trends or a JSC strategy disciple that opens up the aperture to consider the various puts/takes within the broader functional hydration space...it has gotten increasingly difficult to totally overlook the impact from the “beverage identity crisis." While still accounting for less than 5% of the broader functional hydration space total retail sales, the ready-to-mix (RTM) powder format has expanded significantly...with sales more than doubling over the last two years! We believe this RTM to ready-to-drink (RTD) "build model" will become extremely popular amongst functional beverage founders over the next decade...thus causing more “beverage identity crisis” scenarios in the future. #strategy #trends #markets #fmcg #cpg #supplements #sportsnutrition #beverages #sportsdrinks #hydration #wellness #innovation #marketing #branding #productdevelopment #retailing #merchandising #retail #grocery #business #businessintelligence #entrepreneurship #consultants

Formerly commanding significant #brand strength, now reduced to nominal value. What factors are contributing to brands faltering in the perception battle and the growing preference among #consumers for #privatelabels? Let's explore these trends and identify #strategic actions leaders can take to position their business for future growth. #Huron #BusinessOperations #ConsumerProducts #CPG #Retail #FMCG #Strategy #Innovation #Technology #OrganizationTransformation #Digital Pavan Kampli

At #EXPOWEST this year I found myself saying many times that a product was not priced correctly for success. It then surprised the brand when I told them that they needed to RAISE their market entry price. It is SO important to hit the market at the right price at the right time. Emerging brands will always need this money for getting into retail, for driving sales through social media, and for in-store promotions. Having placed CPG products in Whole Foods, Sprouts, Walmart, Independents, and more - I use my expertise to help companies with #pricingstrategy using both market analysis and sourcing for supply chain efficiency. It is NOT necessary to under-price your competition. If you have a great product AND a great mission, then it will work. Message me for a free 20 minute pricing strategy consultation. #cleanlabelconsulting #CPG #strategy #pricing #GTM #gotomarket #organicproducts #naturalproducts #foodindustry #entrepreneurs #foodbusiness #organic #nongmo

🌟 Competition & Competitive Analysis in the FMCG Industry 🌟 The FMCG sector is a fast-paced, ever-evolving market where consumer demands, pricing, and innovation are key to success. 🚀 With high demand, thin margins, and fierce global & local competition, how can companies stay ahead? 🔍 Competitive Analysis is the Answer: 1- Product Portfolio: Are your products matching or surpassing competitors' offerings? 2- Pricing & Promotions: Is your pricing competitive enough to attract price-sensitive consumers? 3- Distribution Channels: Are you leveraging the right platforms—whether retail or e-commerce? 4- Brand Positioning: How are you perceived? Competitors often stand out with health-conscious or sustainable branding. 5- Customer Loyalty: What keeps your customers coming back to you over competitors? 🛠️ Tools like SWOT, Porter’s Five Forces, and social media monitoring can give FMCG businesses an edge. Companies like Unilever and P&G are great examples of staying competitive through product innovation and sustainable practices. In an industry where consumer preferences shift constantly, competitive analysis is not just important—it's critical to survival. 💡 https://lnkd.in/dsHNy22v https://lnkd.in/dJQzffXd https://lnkd.in/djRJqa_G https://lnkd.in/d5jhUcu9 #communication #skills #personalgrowth #WorkHard #StayHumble #SuccessTips" #MarketingStrategy #TimingIsEverything #BusinessSuccess #BrandImpact #StayAheadOfTheCurve #Teamwork #SalesManagement #SuccessInTheMaking #love #instagood #photooftheday #beautiful #happy #picoftheday #motivation #success #business #entrepreneur #inspirationtion #mindset #entrepreneurship #personaldevelopment #professional #professionaldevelopment #mahmoodsadiq #FMCG #CompetitiveAnalysis #Marketing #BusinessStrategy #ProductInnovation #Leadership

Had a CPG Legend give me some wisdom a few months back, and the advice hit me like a ton of bricks. If you're not price competitive within your category, you'll never be a viable business. This advice is particularly pertinent in today's market where consumers have a value/price metric that they weigh when considering any purchase. As the Founder & CEO of a brand selling fantastic products, my mentor shared a valuable lesson: “we were selling great at $9.99, but when COVID raised some input costs, we raised our shelf price to $10.99 and still sold very well. When we raised our price to $11.99, sales dropped significantly, almost haulted.” So, heeding this advise with our Fresh Vintage Farms brand, we leaned into our COGS, efficiency and supply chain, and improved drastically over the past few quarters. We've been able to get shelf pricing closer to our neighbors on the shelf, which is a huge WIN! Our Fresh Vintage Farms brand is still considered premium, but we have bridged the value/price gap. This $9.99 price point at Raley's is a proud moment for us, considering our initial runs with the brand yielded shelf pricing of $16.99 and $19.99. (Full Disclosure: this is during a TPR period, so we’re normally at $12.49 on shelf) The moral of the story is that you can be a premium brand, but if you're not bridging that value/price gap, you'll sit idle on the shelf and collect dust en route to the inevitable DISCONTINUE from your Retailer.

I believe that launching your CPG brand in a single region with key regional grocers is the smartest strategic and financial move you can make. Here’s why I stand by this approach: 1. Distribution – Partnering with UNFI or KeHE in a focused region unlocks all the retailers there. Expanding across multiple DCs at once is expensive. Concentrating on one region lets you maximize your marketing ROI, show strong velocities in the distributor's DC, and build momentum. Launching in Gelson’s (SoCal), Central Market (Texas), and Wegman’s (NY) at the same time means juggling two distributors, three DCs, and marketing in three distinct regions—each with its own customer base. Instead, focus on three retailers using just one UNFI DC for the best results. 2. Diversification – Getting discontinued happens. By securing multiple points of distribution within a single region, you protect yourself from the risk of losing your distributor entirely if one retailer drops your product. 3. Funding – You can launch in one region with a few hundred thousand dollars. But every time you add another region, you're stacking on similar costs. 4. Product-Market Fit – Some chains will perform well with your product, and others won’t. But if they’re all in the same region, you’re dealing with a more similar customer base. 5. Supply Chain – Managing ingredients, materials, and logistics for one region is far simpler than trying to scale across multiple areas, even if the store count is the same. #CPGStrategy #ProductLaunch #RegionalGrowth #DistributionSuccess #UNFI #KeHE #RetailExpansion #SupplyChainEfficiency #BrandBuilding #ProductMarketFit #CPGMarketing #Entrepreneurship #GrocerLaunch #FoodAndBeverage #StartupGrowth #cpg