Whole Foods Cuts Local Marketing Staff
From the supply side of the equation, I’m hoping that Amazon will create a buying atmosphere more user-friendly to consumer brands so that Whole Foods will look at new items, and new innovations, on a chain-headquarters basis. I think that Whole Foods misses out on many new opportunities due to the current store-by-store buying mentality.
Here’s a link to the original story in RetailWire.com.
What do you think? Tell us in the comments.
David on launching consumer products with India’s Bloomberg
David Biernbaum was a special guest on India’s Bloomberg Business Channel last week. He discussed how to launch consumer products in the United States. With 40+ years of experience in consumer behavior and bringing CPG products to market, David had lots of insights to share with people in the burgeoning Indian market.
If you want help bringing your consumer product to market, let David know by filling out a contact form. If he feels it’s a good fit, David will contact you. In the meantime, be sure to check out some of his past blog posts for tips and tricks for success in the CPG market.
Consumer data and privacy concerns
Are consumers getting more comfortable with exchanging personal information for more individualized online shopping experiences? RetailWire, a leading online discussion forum for the retail industry, recently asked this consumer data question, and I, as a RetailWire BrainTrust member, gave it some thought.
Changes in consumer data collection
During my 40+ years in the retail industry, I’ve seen much evolution in consumers’ shopping experiences. One of the biggest changes has been the incredible impact made by the internet and online shopping. It’s become very easy to collect data on consumers through online searching and shopping. With this data, marketers can make informed decisions that benefit our brands and create personal experiences for our customers. But what do consumers think about the collection and use of consumer data?
Are consumers comfortable sharing personal data online?
I am confident that most self-actualized and stable-minded consumers have adapted to the brave new world of data sharing with retailers. I think resistance today is more two-fold:
- I’m in a hurry, and I just want to make this purchase quickly. And I don’t have time to be bothered with sharing my personal information. I’m buying groceries, not a new home or car.
- I don’t want to give you all of my personal data because I don’t want your junk mail. And I don’t want you selling out my personal data to other firms that will send me mail I do not want.
If retailers and their data partners can give assurance to consumers about how the data will be used, and not used, I think there will be less resistance. What do you think? Leave a comment below!
For more insights on this topic from other RetailWire BrainTrust members, be sure to check out the original post, “Are data sharing concerns still holding back true personalization?” If you want to stay on top of what’s going on in the retail world, and you’re not regularly reading RetailWire, you should be. Click here to sign up for their informative newsletter.
Basic needs for a New Consumer Goods Brand
Basic needs for a New Consumer Goods Brand:
David Biernbaum
Funding in place including for:
- Retail fees and cost to do business with retailers.
- Basic Marketing, Promotion, and Advertising.
- Manufacturing, Inventory, Warehousing, Distribution
- Cash flow
Most Common Reasons for Disaster in the first Year:
- Lack of adequate and proper funding
- Presenting the retail market pre-maturely
- Lack of business/marketing plan
- Lack of marketing energy (funding/plans/execution) after product makes it to the shelves.
- Inability to ship on time /out of stocks
- Entering into unfavorable deals and terms with retailers.
- Pre-mature hiring of reps and brokers
- Not having finished goods, live samples, lack of complete sales presentations, lack of proper materials and incomplete information to do business.
- Inexperience working with chain drug, mass, and supermarkets retailers
- Improperly managing reps and brokers and their activities.
Most basic needs before hiring and deploying reps and brokers and going to market at retail:
- Finalized package design with exactly the right information and graphics.
- All display vehicles in place with live samples of open stock and individual samples and ready to ship.
- High and low resolution images in place for all products, all sizes, and all displays.
- Complete PowerPoint Presentation that includes every retailer interest and discussion point.
- Completely finished goods ready to ship “now.”
- Plan of action (on paper and ready to explain) for ramping up demand for retail customers
- All sales materials ready for use: (Sell sheets, pricing, complete specifications, images, etc.)
- Web site in place and up and running – fully functional for consumers, retailers, and reps.
- Complete “office” staffing (or systems) in place ready to do business 24/7.
- Ready to work with brokers
- Customer Service for retailers
- Customer Service for consumers
- Warehouse, shipping, transportation, information systems, etc.
- Broker Territories completely planned and laid out. (Do NOT let it simply evolve broker by broker!)
- Broker contacts ready to use.
- POG/placement suggestions/deletions/POA with information and illustrations or photos.
- Complete broker selling kits ready to dispense for use! (Including all sales materials, samples, sell sheets, fact sheets, company data and instructions to do business, etc.)
- Any commercial, ad, or brand promotion needs to be ready to “show and tell.” Any links, print advertising, viral, video, etc. (You might get only one chance to show your “energy” and this is of paramount interest to buyers.
- Marketing Research Data / Visual – Metrics and stats information to build our case!
- Consumer Research and testimony (visual and ready to explain.)
- Category information Data / Visual – Building our case for category expansion.
- All “how to do business” written and printed details need to be clearly outlined for reps. (Terms, shipping points, shipping information, returns, retail ad budget parameters, and company contact information, commission’s administration, etc. etc. etc.)
Trade Shows planning: Sign up and be completely prepared and ready!
- ECRM
- GMDC
- NACDS Marketplace
- Other
Trade Advertising planning:
- Chain Drug review
- MMR
- Drug Store News
- Other
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Prescription for Success in the CPG Retail Business
The Product
In this age of SKU-rationalization, it’s critical your product has a defined market need, point of differentiation and good timing.
The Right People
The CPG retail industry is complex and unforgiving, with hundreds of hidden details and nuances. Experience PAYS!
The Right Appointments
Retailers operate with specific category planning calendars. It’s critical to know the proper timing for all the people in the room—on both sides of the table.
The Right Presentation
Making a comprehensive proposal, with all the key retail elements, is essential to get the desired results.
The Right Package/Design
This is not merely a graphic artist’s function. Consumer package design will make or break your results on the retail shelves. Poor velocity of sales is often attributed to the most “subtle” and minute detail.
The Right Marketing/Promotions and Ongoing Brand Management
Your product’s survival needs thoughtful planning, detailed attention and expert consultation. This is vital from day one. Slow movers are short lived in retail stores.
