Two additional groups launch around independent insights and global category leadership

August 1, 2023

By Jackie Lewis, VP of Content for CMA | SIMA

As the inflationary environment?has started to cool?CMA and SIMA members are looking to the back half of 2023 for how shoppers will behave in the time of year traditionally characterized by higher discretionary spending. If Amazon’s annual?Prime Day?is any indication, sales were aided by deep discounting and a new?‘Buy Now Pay Later’?option.

Our private networking groups of small to mid-sized manufacturers and private label met over the last few months, focusing on the growth in private label share and trade down in the wake of inflation. Suppliers across categories face the challenge of needing productive SKUs to remain on shelves while also pushing innovation as retailers are starting to lean more toward disruptive, differentiated brands.

We are excited to announce?two new private networking groups launched in 2Q23?around independent insights and analytics and global category leadership. The former is made up of category management and shopper insights teams reporting up into a centralized independent insights and analytics function internally to discuss the pros/cons of this unique but increasingly common structure. The latter is a group of non-competitive global manufacturers that discuss what category leadership means across countries, and share ways to standardize measurement, reporting, and metrics. These high-level executives also examine the value of advisorships in different regions and help each other share best practices across their various teams.

The CMA and SIMA strive to stay on top of industry trends and specifically how they impact the category management and shopper insights functions. One of the ways we do this is through our?quarterly private networking groups?(PNGs) made up of suppliers and retailers to discuss industry pain points and best practices.

While the full notes remain available to participants only, we wanted to share some of the key takeaways from meetings held in 2Q (April-June). These are meant to both inform on real-time industry topics and make members and non-members aware of the networking opportunities available through ARC (The Association for Retail and Consumer Professionals).

Key Takeaways on Shopper Behavior

1. Up-to-date shopper segmentation research was shared among participants. Price-driven segments remain a challenge for suppliers to win given persistent inflation, and there’s a sense these shoppers can’t be won back until prices cool.
2. Even with elevated prices, shoppers are devoting some funds to treat themselves, but in budget-minded ways, leading to changes in purchasing behavior. In the alcohol category, shoppers have traded down to smaller package sizes, but also traded up to larger bottled spirits to make dollars go farther.
3. Participants agreed that getting real shopper insights fast and inexpensively is a major goal for their teams. To that end, TikTok has become indispensable for monitoring consumer trends in real-time.

Click Here to read the Key Takeaways from the NEW Independent Insights & Analytics Group and the New Global Category Leadership Group.

Want to Get Involved?

Private Networking Groups are a great benefit for CMA and SIMA members. Connect with other peers in a non-competitive setting, share knowledge and see how other companies are dealing with the same issues you face every day.

Check out the entire list of?Current PNGs, and for more information or to participate, feel free to contact Communications Manager Mike Wilkening: [email protected].