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Posted by Ed in Animals, Business, tags: cacao, China, crops, EU, Facebook, farms, Ivory Coast, organic, Whole Foods
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Retail/CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods)
- Retailers Shut Facebook Storefonts:ow.ly/98kaO via @retailwire. Results must be really bad to be closing so quickly
- cocoa demand in china, political & ag. problems in Ivory coast, industry move to sustainable crops=supply issuesby 2020 via @JWT_Worldwide
- EU & United States to accept each’s organic regs: ow.ly/95FBL Should make it easier for U.S. organic producers to crack EU market.
- Real Time Farms Makes Eating Local Transparent: ow.ly/94Ohz More websites likes this popping up to connect farms & consumers direct
- RT @FastCompany: .@FarmPlate: A Yelp For Local Food And Local Farmers bit.ly/z1XnGt
- Crowd-sourced product information accessible at retail: ow.ly/94NIs via @keith_rng
- Whole Foods small store success: ow.ly/92E9N Smaller stores makes it harder for products to get on shelf. via @retailwire
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I caught up on some reading last weekend, which included JWT.com’s 100 things to watch in 2012. I pulled out a few for consumer product companies.
Smaller SKU’s
- What to watch: companies are rolling out with smaller packages to reach lower price points for price-sensitive consumers.
- What this means for consumer product companies: increased costs due to proliferating SKU’s and possibly, smaller more frequent shipments, raising shipping costs.
Rising Food Prices
- What to watch: food prices will continue to rise, outpacing inflation due to wacky weather worldwide.
- What this means for consumer product companies: more costs not just in actual raw materials, but possibly more personnel time to find and maintain several reliable suppliers.
Unwrapping the Process
- What to watch: companies are making their manufacturing operations more visible, making it easier for consumers to see how the products they purchase are made.
- What this means for consumer product companies: increased marketing costs to open the curtain
In summary, more costs that companies will have to absorb, unless they can pass those costs along to consumers, which is difficult to do, or cut costs elsewhere, which is also difficult to do.
Here are additional 2012 predictions I recently posted.
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Posted by Ed in Business, Training, Weather, tags: Amazon, avalanche, Barnes & Noble, Costco, farming, Food, interview, Kodak, Presentation, public speaking, snowshoe, Tesco, Wal Mart
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Retail/CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods)
Training (run, ride, hike, alpine-telemark-XC ski, shooting, weightlifting, rock climb)/Outdoors/Health/Food/Weather/GPS
- RT @tedmahon: Amazing footage of headcam snowmobiler caught in avalanche. Pulled airbag to stay on top; ow.ly/8XFYe
- Hybrid German snowshoe can glide downhill: ow.ly/8WdcE A bit of a hybrid form of AT/Randonee – intriguing.
Great image making the rounds on Google+ last week:
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There was an article earlier this week titled, “Why Amazon Needs Stores“. In summary, the article states that Amazon needs a distribution channel for brand experiences as opposed to simply products. I would agree with the statement for many products. The best example I can think of are outdoor retailers, which have made their stores destinations packed with activities that allow consumers to test out products. REI and Cabelas are great examples.
 Inside of REI Denver with the climbing wall So, what’s Amazon’s brand experience at retail? Most likely its Kindle product, which the article states and I agree. Apple has done a great job with its stores in creating a great brand experience and I think Amazon is moving in the same direction.
But what about other products, like food and consumables, which is where I do most of my work? How can a manufacturer or brand create a brand experience for these products at retail to help motivate sales? Its stretching it to say that food brands can create a retail experience on a level equal to outdoor or electronics products. However, here’s a few ways to think about how to maximize brand experience at retail:
1. Packaging: stand out and differentiate to grab the customer’s eye, either with colors, size or packaging format (i.e.: glass jar vs. carton vs. plastic);
2. Messaging and Call to Action (CTA): have compelling messaging on packaging to interest consumers; include CTA’s that drive them to use their phones right there in the aisle to visit the brand’s mobile enabled webpage to learn more about the product or receive valuable offers;
2. In-store signage: take advantage of any cost-effective opportunity to grab attention via shelf tags, posters, etc;
3. Multiple in-store locations: where can the product be sold? In the aisle, on an end-cap or stand-alone display?
4. Store-prepared foods: sell the product to the retailer who can use it in its own store-prepared foods or when it teaches cooking classes;
5. Sampling: I rarely recommend sampling because it is very expensive, but it can be very effective;
6. Advertise in store circulars: try ads in store circulars or other store-sponsored advertising mechanisms.
So, depending on the product, there could be many ways to really maximize a consumer’s experience with it in stores.
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Posted by Ed in Business, Health, Weather, tags: avalanche, Carbohydrates, category, Costco, CPG, dog sledding, Endorse, Food, Retail, Snow, supermarket, Trader Joe's
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Retail/CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods)
Training (run, ride, hike, alpine-telemark-XC ski, shooting, weightlifting, rock climb)/Outdoors/Health/Food/Weather/GPS
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