Retailers are working hard to figure out how to get product to consumers in our new omnichannel world. The bigger challenge looming may be how to deal with all of the stuff that they don’t want. It is inevitable that there will be returns, even in a CPG world. Consumers will make mistakes with their…
Consumer Confidence Reaches Highest Level in Six Years
With steady improvements in employment this year, the forecast for consumer spending in the United States is the brightest it has been since 2008. Consumer spending accounts for almost 70 percent of the economy today. Americans will be spending more as a whole due to the higher number of people employed. This will lead to…
Uber for Logistics: A User-Friendly Way to Transport Things
I received an email this morning announcing UberRUSH it, a messenger delivery service for NYC. The car service is branching into bikes and on-foot messengers to deliver documents or other small parcels in place of a traditional courier service. This service is a natural extension of Uber’s compelling use case, but it is not the…
Improving Health and Wellness a Top Priority
The Consumer Goods Industry Strengthens Commitment to Improving Health and Wellness for Consumers Worldwide The Consumer Goods Forum Board of Directors agrees to new strategic milestones to help ensure the wellbeing of consumers PARIS, Wednesday 18th June 2014 – Recognising the importance of health and wellness to consumers, The Consumer Goods Forum’s Board of…
A Call for Change at the Consumer Goods Forum Global Summit
The Consumer Goods Forum Calls for Binding Global Climate Change Deal PARIS, Wednesday 18th June 2014 – The Board of The Consumer Goods Forum today called on heads of state across the world to engage and act with determination, leadership and ambition to secure an ambitious and legally binding global climate deal. As part of…
Industry Leaders Gather in Paris
The Consumer Goods Forum Global Summit 2014 Gets Underway in Paris Over 1,000 industry leaders from 50 countries gather for annual consumer goods and retailer conference; Keynote opening address to be given by Laurent Fabius, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development PARIS, Wednesday 18th June 2014 – Leaders from the world’s top retail and…
On the Road: Standard Market is Anything But Standard
I spent last week in the Windy City and was lucky enough to make it to Standard Market & Grill, a grocery store with three locations in the Chicago area. In addition to being a beautiful store with fabulous merchandising and selection, the market also featured a variety of food options, including juice, wine, and…
1. 3D Supply Networks
Remember the days of the pink telephone message slips? That was back when we had one-on-one communications. Organizing a conference call was hard to do because the technology was not there to support it. Today, most of our conversations are not one-on-one; we communicate simultaneously with many people through email, online meetings, and shared documents. …
The Mobile Pantry
Have you ever eaten all three meals in a car? I have. Drive-thrus and other forms of getting food on the road are now being described as part of the “roadside pantry.” That’s when you go to Starbucks for coffee and decide to get a sandwich too so that you do not need to make…
2. Digitally Empowered Shoppers: The Consumer is King
A Changing Landscape, Where Digital is King As the world’s consumers become increasingly digitized and connected, industries are racing to engage with the new digital era. Over 274 million Americans have access to the internet, with 117 million using smartphones. Of these 117 million smartphone wielding consumers, 80% are using their smartphones to find stores,…