Trace One’s Post

☕❤ Love and Comfort- are they things you associate with your brand? For me I first think hot baths, cups of tea and puppies - but according to research these emotions and motivators are key when it comes to making any purchase. "In a new survey, carried out by Product of the Year and Kantar, 8,000 UK consumers were asked to reveal their main motivators/emotions they feel when making a purchase. ‘Value’ (56%), ‘comfort’ (37%) and ‘love’ (23%), made the greatest incremental increases when compared to the same study carried out in 2023, in which the stats were up to 5% lower for each." What do you guys do to make Customers love and feel comfort in relation to your products? Is it the service? The branding and Marketing? The product itself? RAW Chocolate The Cheeky Panda | Certified B Corp Pip & Nut | B Corp Two Chicks Fussy https://lnkd.in/eW2H5wWr #retailtrends #brands #Consumerinsights

How Ice Cream Brands Innovate To Meet Winter Demand During Festive Season. Do read this insightful story by Amisha Sharma and check out how Baskin Robbins speak about their product innovations, tie ups and strategies.

#expowest is just the beginning of your product discovery journey. Whether you're a: 👉 Retail Buyer looking to build lasting relationships with their customers and brands 👉 Conscious Company searching for meaningful, authentic ways to connect and foster relationships with buyers and consumers Newtopia Now will expand on what you built in #anaheim, deepening those relationships and connections that are integral to your growth and success. Read more below about how you can join us in charting the future of CPG at #newtopianow this August 👇

In the competitive world of the food industry, brands often find themselves engaged in battles not only with direct competitors but also with various other sources of competition. As a passionate waffle enthusiast, I eagerly anticipated The Belgian Waffle Co Waffle Co.'s celebration of National Waffle Day. However, faced with a long line, I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to try Naturals' delectable ice cream instead which was next to Waffle shop. This experience led me to explore the concept of multi-market competition, where brands compete against businesses offering similar benefits or catering to comparable customer needs, regardless of their core products or services. Unveiling Multi-Market Competition: Multi-market competition goes beyond conventional industry boundaries. It highlights the presence of indirect competitors, substitutes, and even seemingly unrelated businesses that compete for the same consumer base. While The Belgian Waffle Co. is a waffle outlet, my choice to opt for ice cream showcased how ice cream parlors, as indirect competitors, vied for my dessert craving. Reframing Our Perspective: In the relentless pursuit of outdoing direct rivals, businesses may inadvertently overlook potential threats from substitutes and indirect competitors. Focusing solely on direct competition may lead to missed opportunities for growth and differentiation. Recognizing the intricate web of multi-market competition allows brands to develop strategies that address a broader spectrum of competitors. The Power of Versatility: Acknowledging multi-market competition empowers businesses to be versatile and adaptable. By understanding that competition can come from various sources, brands can explore innovative ways to set themselves apart. This could involve expanding product offerings, refining customer experiences, or even establishing unique brand positioning to capture a larger share of consumer loyalty. The dynamic world of multi-market competition necessitates a fresh approach to brand rivalry. Beyond traditional direct competitors, businesses must be mindful of substitutes, indirect competitors, and even unrelated players that cater to similar consumer needs. Embracing the complexities of multi-market competition opens up new avenues for growth and differentiation, allowing brands to thrive in an ever-changing market landscape. So, let us embrace this challenge, redefine our strategies, and unlock new heights of success for our brands. As the complexities of multi-market competition continue to unfold, a thought-provoking question lingers: Is it getting tougher for brands to make customers stick to their brand?

👅 Four trends that are driving consumer’s taste buds in 2024 The food and beverage industry never cease to amaze the consumers with creative innovation in term of flavors and colors. In the coming year, those are: 🔥 “Luxe self-expression” = expression of one self and life experience For example, consumers are interested in luxurious fully flavored and vibrantly colored products. A few flavor inspirations that emerged this year included caramelized fruit, cinnamon sugar, and sweet paired with umami 🔥 “Dare to dupe” = affordable alternatives with full experience of authentic flavors Flavor inspirations include pistachio, cucumber, melon and grapefruit. Color inspirations include pink power, magical marigold, playful blue, and pistachio green. 🔥 “Health without stealth” = economical health product Colors that are a part of the trend  include spectra yellow, persimmon, pistachio green, olive oil, very violet, and floral pink. Flavor inspirations include blood orange and yuzu as well as violet and cherry blossom. 🔥 “Breaking boundaries “ = embracing unconditional colors and tastes Color inspirations include bold reds, vibrant pinks, rich purples, refined blues, saturated yellows, and earthy greens. Flavor inspirations include grape, lychee, and Chinese shacha. I’m curious: How will F&B companies apply these trends in creating their new products? 🤔 #foodandbeverage #foodbusiness #trends #consumer #consumergoods #retail #wholesale #market #update #japan

The return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte is nearly synonymous with the start of fall in the US. How has a basic coffee drink managed to establish itself as a seasonal staple in the last 20 years? Is it the simple, warm sense of comfort and nostalgia it brings to lovers of the season, or could it be something more? #Brands #BrandMarketing #Marketing #MarketingStrategy

Ella Britton: "Brands need to learn how to ride the wave but keep on coming back, even if the sea is flat." Consumer fads have led certain food and drink companies to experience growth at an extremely fast rate. But what happens when consumers move on to the next trend? Ella Britton discusses ways brands can take advantage of the present whilst also planning for the long term in The Drum: https://lnkd.in/dsqFPpRZ #fmcg #food #trends #consumerbehaviour #shoppingtrends #behaviouralscience #behave

Distinctiveness within range. We’ve been talking to our clients recently about the importance of being able to see differences within a range at speed. Shoppers are often on autopilot and shopping quickly with limited ability for browsing at fixture. This often means they can't see or miss the full range. This applies across category. It could be within skincare, biscuits, fizzy drinks or sandwiches. The list is endless. Within any range, if you have different variants a good question to ask would be: “Have we done enough to make parts of the range stand out? Could a child see the differences?” Our most recent work shows that this is the case no matter what the channel. It could be a convenience store, a large supermarket or even online. Small details can have a big impact. It can impact shopper behaviour in the following ways: 🛒 Navigation can become hard and increases cognitive load at fixture ⏪ At speed shoppers can turn away from your brand 👀 Shoppers can miss the products they are looking for 🌱 Limits awareness of broader range available (e.g. ingredients, flavours etc) meaning growth is slower than hoped The impact that these small details have on behaviour applies, despite the category or channel. Semiotics shows us that we can use various ways to achieve this: 💛 The colour between the variants needs to be distinctive (and enough on pack) to cut through ™ The less dominant or challenger variant to be overall different e.g. could have a sub brand 🥕 Use of signs and symbols used across category that are familiar to shoppers (e.g. Vegan logo) In my opinion one of the best examples of this I’ve seen is Marks and Spencer’s Simply Food in herbs & spices as they use all of the principles outlined above. The Plant Kitchen contrasts well with clear stand out. You can't miss it! Who else does this well? #mrx #shopperinsight #distinctive #rangereview #fmcg #retail #behaviouralscience 

While staying abreast of consumer interest is essential, there is such a thing as being overly trendy. Trying to capitalize on too many trends may make your product seem dated before it even hits store shelves. The key is to strike a balance between being current and timeless. Read more at Insights & Appetites, a blog by Freshmade's Partner and strategic guru Vanessa Doll on brand & package design intelligence. https://lnkd.in/gMHXstzs #consumertrends #cpgbrands #brandstrategy #trends2024

Dannon Light + Fit’s recent redesign certainly stirred things up. A bold new color, increased emphasis on nutritional content, and enhanced flavor imagery definitely hit the right notes with consumers. The fresh look outpaced the old in consumer purchase preference (67% versus 33%) and earned our Redesign of the Month. See how Dannon did it: loom.ly/TsTiIAE #designmeetdata #packagingdesign #packaging #redesign #analytics #cpg #visualdesign #brand #branding #branddesign #consumerinsights #marketresearch #datadriven #data Beardwood&Co. Julia Beardwood Sarah Williams (she/her) Ryan Lynch Danone