Category: Operations

May 17, 2019

Shared values nurture meaningful brand-supplier partnerships

We could not agree more with this story from Natural Products Insider  on the importance of relationships that contribute to meeting consumers demands for product information and transparency.

Please enjoy the NPI story by Chris Holland vice president of sales at Barrington Nutritionals.   See also the free FMI report,  The Transparency Imperative: Product Labeling from the Consumer Perspective

Consumers demand full transparency of the products they purchase, and this demand goes beyond a “clean label.” Consumers want to look back across the entire supply chain to understand how each ingredient was handled, where it was grown and how it was manufactured. They want to connect directly with the source of their food and supplements. The relationship between the ingredient manufacturer and the consumer product brand is a vital part of differentiation as brands seek to get ahead of the competition.

May 15, 2019

How do I get the right data for retailers?

CPG brands: Here’s how you get the right data for retailers Thank you to New Hope Network for this short video featuring Bill Keith of Perfect Snacks on the importance of understanding your data and product sales movement. With so many brands competing for shelf space on local and national retail shelves, how are you […]

May 12, 2019

FMI offer: Voice of Food Retail Blog

For Emerging brands building relationships with retailers, it’s important to know the issues, trends and operational insights that you would gain from a weekly Friday digest from the FMI Blog.

Subscribe to the Voice of Food Retail Blog and see the value!  Here is a sampling from the 5/17/19 digest edition.

April 25, 2019

Insider Tips for Working with Co-Packers

The art of co-manufacturing and everything else required to move your food or beverage brand onto shelves (brick and mortar or virtual) can be a daunting task for any entrepreneur.  We have a host of resources awaiting in the community for our subscribers on this topic. We have curated articles, recorded webinars and more.

April 4, 2019

National Family Meals Month – September

Help Tell the Grocery Industry’s Story
Families have the desire to prepare and share more meals at home, but they find it challenging to make it happen more often. They need to hear the facts about the benefits of family meals and the impact this behavior can have on their family and our nation as a whole. They need to know that today’s brands and grocers are evolving to bring them new ways to make meals at home easier and more affordable. You can help grocers turn data points into compelling shopper messaging and position your company and products as supporting families as they strive to enjoy more meals together. 

March 1, 2019

Five Things Companies Do Right When Preparing for the Digital Shopper

Hints: Agility, Partnerships, Centricity, Development, North Star

In a session at the recent Groceryshop conference, “Evaluating the People, Processes and Technologies of the Digital Shopper,” which you can view in its entirety, Suketu Gandhi, a partner with the consulting firm A.T. Kearney, spoke of what happens when a business – any business – reaches the point at which 15 percent of its revenue comes via its digital channels.

A.T. Kearney’s work with clients has shown this 15 percent threshold is when that company’s digital business really begins to accelerate even more quickly, and it doesn’t always do so in a comfortable linear fashion.

However, Gandhi described a second threshold that’s even more significant than that first one: Across all industries, once that 15 percent milepost has been reached, a business can count on a lifetime increase in revenue of 30 percent—all because of the digital channels it has created.

February 28, 2019

The Category Heavyweight Poised for a Comeback: Frozen Food

The food retailing industry often touts the strength of the perimeter, namely, produce, meat, bakery or deli/prepared foods. But there’s a contender in the ring; a heavyweight that boasts $57 billion in retail sales that’s conditioning for a strong comeback: Frozen food.

Sales numbers can tell part of the story. But understanding consumer behaviors and attitudes about frozen foods, as well as the usage of frozen foods in the home, tells a much more complete story about what will drive continued growth in this category.

FMI recently teamed up with the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) on The Power of Frozento help manufacturers and retailers further align innovation, products, merchandising, marketing and branding with how consumers live, shop and cook.

February 27, 2019

The Total Food Frontier

Thank you to FMI partner, Nielsen, for this insightful review of fast moving consumer goods. Enjoy this complimentary Nielsen webinar.    For years, we as consumers shopped for groceries in a relatively contained and stable environment. Now, options for what, where, when and how to buy groceries are limitless. To say that the fast-moving consumer […]

February 26, 2019

KIND’s Leaders Share How Their Differences Fueled Company’s Success

Just before Kind Healthy Snacks Chief Operating Officer John Leahy retired from the company, he and founder Daniel Lubetzky shared how their differing personalities helped the brand grow from its startup days to a firm that offers more than 70 snack varieties. One key to Kind’s steady growth was focusing on long-term goals rather than trying to expand too quickly, Leahy said

In terms of how they were able to set aside their stylistic differences and work together, John credited a few things:

Mining Shopper Data to Build Sales

Today, tens of millions of baby boomers are entering into the declining consumption stage of life; they’re consuming less of everything. At the same time, the millennials following right behind them have not yet reached the stage of their lives where they are increasing consumption.

In his presentation at Groceryshop entitled “Compete and Thrive! Realize the Full Potential of Cohesive Shopper Insights,” David Portalatin of the NPD Group challenged food retailers to do two simple things one after the other: Focus on understanding the shopper’s needs, and then execute on the insights discovered.