Nearly half of food and beverage category shoppers and almost 60 per cent of health/beauty and household goods category shoppers purchase their preferred brand even when a less-expensive alternative is available, with many shoppers using coupons and price promotions simply to justify purchasing preferred brands – according to an American-based study. The initial findings of a shopper marketing study released by the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), Booz & Company and SheSpeaks,... ...Read more »

A new report has highlighted 30 business benefits that can be derived by CPG manufacturers and retailers who share critical sales data and analyse it together. The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) – a leading industry representative in the United States – released the Retailer-Direct Data Report last week, which offers a current view of sales, inventory and other data that retailers are sharing directly with their trading partners and identifies successful practices for sharing... ...Read more »

The relationship between retailers and consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies has significantly changed and CPG companies need to broaden the skills of their sales forces to meet retailer expectations, according to a new study released overnight in the US by the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), the Network of Executive Women (NEW) and A.T. Kearney. Titled Talent Triage: Raising the Bar on CPG Sales Force Talent Management, the study reports that CPG sales and human resource executives rated... ...Read more »

New research has established a number of methods to assist CPG companies prosper in spite of rising economic pressure and falling consumer demand, with important lessons for companies of all sizes. Top performers in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry achieved 3.6 per cent sales growth over and above category average while decreasing their sales costs as a percent of sales by 6.1 per cent over two years, according to the 2008 Customer and Channel Management Survey: Doing More with Less: Winning... ...Read more »

Shopper marketing, a strategy based on the in-store elements of the marketing mix to directly target customers, is reaping great rewards for the growing number of companies embracing the concept. Companies are discovering that, by using market insights, they can enhance the shopping experience to engage the customer, influence their purchase decisions and boost brand loyalty. The impact over the last couple of years has been profound for some companies and 73 per cent of participating consumer packaged... ...Read more »

More than 75 per cent of business executives and 80 per cent of information technology (IT) executives believe that IT should be a key area for investment, but only one-quarter actually believe this investment is being made, according to a report released by the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA). The report suggests that this disconnect between the desired and actual role of the IT function in company operations is the result in part of misaligned business strategy, wherein business executives... ...Read more »

Seventy-seven per cent of US-based retailers indicate that in 2008, they expect their use of direct store delivery processes (DSD) will increase or remain constant, representing a significant opportunity to drive sales growth, according to a study released by the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA). DSD, which revolves around the supplier delivering directly to the retailer, has reportedly become increasingly prevalent as focus on more demand-driven supply chains is heightened. The research,... ...Read more »

The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), which represents the world’s leading food, beverage and consumer products companies, has announced that it has awarded The Clorox Company and Kettle Foods, Inc. the 2008 CPG Awards for Innovation and Creativity. Now in its sixth year, the prize is given to companies who have demonstrated uncommon creativity, innovation, and have made a significant contribution to the industry knowledge base.”A critical function of GMA is to foster learning,... ...Read more »