As per the report shared by The Boston Consulting Group, a global management consulting firm, CPG companies grew up to 10.4% in 2021. The retail industry is expected to look forward to the following trends in 2022. 1, CPG companies would shift their channel preferences from DTC to e-commerce, personalization, and customer contact centre. Retailers would integrate the operational systems and customer experience, featuring both online and in-store platforms. 2. Acosta, a sales and marketing firm, claims that 47% of adults have eaten breakfast and lunch, plus 35% of them have snacked regularly at home while working and now they are looking forward to new options. 3, The report from Juniper reveals that investments in AI would continue to grow in 2022, reaching $7.3 billion. 4, CPG and retailers would explore new types of data and the latest analytics in the supply chain along with strengthening the internet of things (IoT). 5, The 2019 UNGC-Accenture CEO study holds that sustainability will be the new normal in 2022, as 99% of the CEOs from big firms think that CSR activities can drive success for their business. Read more from Risnews

The YouGov’s International Omni-Channel Retail Report 2021 presents the shopping trends and insights featuring the following key findings. 1, Globally, consumers prefer both physical and e-commerce channels for shopping, as the penetration percentage of online and physical channels is 81% and 86%, respectively. 2, Channel dependence fluctuates relying upon item types, as essentials are more likely to be bought from physical stores (78%) than online (57%), while optional things are more regularly purchased online (72%) than in-store (57%). 3, Digital platforms have secured the dominant position, including Google, Samsung, Netflix, YouTube, and WhatsApp. 4, Netflix secured the top spot in Bet Brand Rankings in the UK while Disney+ is the top improved brand of 2021. Read more from Businessyougov

A research report shared by Pinterest shows revelations regarding Gen Z’s evolving shopping behaviours. Companies can reimagine their strategies by keeping these three attractive markers in mind: 1, Video ads are one of the most crucial sources for marketing and attracting Gen Z’s attention. 2. Gen Z prefers brands that respect their values and preferences. Therefore brands should collect personalized data and support charitable movements via their posts and content. 3, Gen Z consumers choose brands that give them individuality and a unique aesthetic style. Read more from Socialmediatoday

Following five restaurant trends are expected to be seen in 2022. 1, Restaurants would be employing automated robots and artificial intelligence, replacing waiters in the restaurants. 2, As per National Restaurant Association’s What’s Hot 2022 Culinary Forecast, restaurants would offer downsized and streamlined menus. 3, The alcohol-free beverage trend of 2021 has influenced the drink and beverage industry to debut booze-free beverages in 2022. 4, Restaurants would remain considerate regarding sustainability and offer ethically sourced food packaging. 5, Consumers will explore dishes with ancestral roots, which implies that they will look for “authentic” recipes. Read more from Smartbrief

Johnson & Johnson plans to focus more on pharmaceutical and medical devices instead of consumer health products like Listerine and baby powder. The brand aims to separate the categories in 18 to 24 months and it will invest $500 million-$1 billion. The pharmaceutical and medical devices would preserve the company’s name, while J&J would spin-off without paying tax. Although consumer health products have been the top-notch items of the company, the pharmaceutical and medical equipment, including cancer treatments, vaccines, and surgical tools, are anticipated to make $80 billion in sales this year. Read more from Reuters

At the Virtual Barclays Global Consumer Staples Conference, executives of the major CPG companies revealed how they are coping with the labour issue in the post-pandemic era. Mark A. Clouse, CEO of Campbell Soup Co., mentioned that they have attracted and retained labour by offering flexible work schedules, improved environmental facilities, and converting most gig workers into permanent full-time workers. Jonathon J. Nudi, president of General Mills Inc., said they had employed major and minor control towers at the working team levels to address the labour issue and remove hurdles. Andre P. Callahan, CEO of Hostess Brands Inc., added that they coped with labour issues through employee value proposition by providing safety and giving the employees their due liability. Read more from Foodbusinessnews

Blas Maquivar, President of Mars Wrigley, has discussed the evolving snacking trends, strategies to accelerate digital capabilities. According to him, three trends shape consumers’ snacking behaviours 1, Boost in e-commerce 2, Interest in home-based activities like cooking and indoor games 3, Health consciousness. He added that the company had built digital capabilities by transforming its digital portfolio. In India, the company has offered personalized M&Ms, while in Mexico, a chocolate gifting brand named Turin is established with Turin Digital Store. He emphasized that the company has excelled through mental availability. The brand created awareness via digitalization and physical availability to reach the right consumer at the right time. Besides this, he stated that the company’s purpose is to create better moments to make the world smile by offering a sustainable range of snacks to its consumers, so they choose as per their needs and taste. Read more from Mckinsey

Beiersdorf, the Nivea cream making firm, anticipates a recuperation in travel retail and interest for sun care items in 2022. The Nivea maker also expects a boost in the sales of adhesives which would reboot the automotive industry. Beiersdorf anticipated it because the last quarter deals rose by 4.3% to $2.2 billion. The consumer business saw a rise of 4.1% in the sales of organic items. As individuals returned to beaches, the Nivea brand saw soaring demand for sun creams, shower gels, and deodorants. Beiersdorf plans to dispatch its Eucerin Sunline in the US towards the beginning of 2022. The Tesa adhesive category, which makes about a fifth of sales, reported an increase of 4.6% organic sales, helped by development in the Chinese electronic business. The firm has expanded its 2021 outlook up to 11% to 13% to grow Tesa’s organic sales and expects the automotive industry to recover from the shortage of computer chips in 2022. Read more from Reuters

Kraft Heinz is relaunching its print publication What’s Cooking as a digital platform for chefs. This platform will expand their audience and find motivation, with assistance from Top Chef alum Chef Edward Lee. Created in Kraft Heinz computerized lab in Toronto, the food devoted publication permits chefs and home cooks to share their culinary voices, promote food content and work with each other. The website offers a low-upkeep source for thriving cooks to generate an audience and make their home base for their food content. The multi-stage launch incorporates new elements to assist chefs in commercializing and updating them regarding cooking hacks. Kraft Heinz has established an information centre hub inside its organization. This centre helps the firm react to changing consumers’ patterns and market demands proactively. Read more from Strategyonline

Brands can indirectly showcase their products to audiences via YouTube creators and influencers. Ipsos, a market research firm, claims that half of the US consumers feel confident when buying from a brand promoted through creators’ stories or product reviews. Brands including Ritz, Madewell, and Schick have engaged with audiences in three ways through creators that are as follows. 1, Find a creator with personal connection; creators build trust by sharing authentic and vulnerable stories. 2, Connect with diverse creators; brands can reach global and diverse audiences if they partner with global YouTube creators. 3, Increase in search rate; YouTube creators influence online and offline consumer shopping behaviour and help them discover brands through interactive videos or stories. Schick, an American razor brand, saw a 45% increase in purchase intent and a 3,540% lift in the branded keyword search on Google and YouTube. Read more from Thinkwithgoogle

Covid-19 pandemic has prepared the companies for a customer-first future. Five of the top US companies gave an insight on how they plan to deal with business in the post-pandemic world, regardless of the industry. 1, Lauren Weinberg, CMO of Square, emphasized fostering connections to create community. For this purpose, the company allows customers to share their struggling stories, which Square featured on its seller stories. As a result, the company generated an 82% uplift in customer web traffic. 2, William White, CMO at Walmart US, provided improved home delivery services, curbside pickup, and Walmart+ membership. The firm saw a 37% increase in sales. 3, Julia Vander, SVP at Hyatt Hotels, recommended putting content in context using first-party data. The brand utilized first-party data to provide the right information to the right consumer at the right time and increased its consumers by 13 times. 4, Fara Howard, CMO at GoDaddy, suggested staying authentic to the audience to cater to their emerging needs. 5, Suzy Deering, CMO at Ford Motor Company, emphasized delivering unique experiences to audiences to grasp their attention. Read more from Thinkwithgoogle

To survive in today’s marketplace, brands can no longer rely on conventional media. Instead, they must consider and reflect the real-world events by evolving continuously to welcome the new normal. Here are three changes brands need to consider: 1, Project “clean house;” Most global companies recycle their marketing campaigns yearly. Instead, they should run daily campaigns to assess whether the needs are attuned to global events. 2, Utilize available resources; In a data-driven world, brands should use data to quantify brands’ progress on embracing significant changes. 3, Create change; brands should step out of their comfort zone and create change by educating and monitoring themselves. Read more from Thinkwithgoogle

Procter & Gamble’s sales increased by 9% to $19.3 billion in the first quarter of 2021. The company’s e-commerce sales accelerated by 50% in this quarter which consequently constitutes 11% to 12% of its total sales. The brand increased the budget for marketing to $100 million while cutting media, production, and agency expenditures. P&G keeps on reducing expenses and is reinvesting in advertisements as the organization sees flooding sales of items, particularly from cleaning, wellbeing and cleanliness categories. Read more from Marketingdive

McCormick & Company, a spice manufacturer, has seen a boost in its financial earnings for the third quarter of 2021. Due to the rise of at-home cooking, the brand enjoyed an 8% or $119 million raise in sales. The operating income of the brand reached $265 million, while the adjusted operating income made up to $272 million. The company’s adjusted earnings have risen by 5% per share and expects a growth of 12% to 13% in year-over-year sales. In the future, the brand plans to continue capitalizing on the shift to at-home eating and utilize digital engagement for potential growth.

Brightpearl, a retail operating system for brands, claims that 68% of Gen Z consumers plan to utilize non-conventional channels to shop for Black Friday and Christmas. Gen Z is looking forward to shop through five “alternatives” that are Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, retailer’s mobile app, and Instagram. As far as payment methods are concerned, 58% of consumers plan to use PayPal, 51% will be using Credit Cards, while 47% would pay via Debit Cards. Other popular payment alternatives include Amazon Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Klarna.

To promote growth and expansion, 80% of CPG companies are adapting an efficient marketing framework. At the scale level, a data-driven marketing strategy can help companies achieve that growth. Companies would be able to see a boost of 3% to 5% in their net sales, while the marketing efficiency would improve by 10 to 12%. To establish an effective marketing framework, companies need to feature an AI engine and a 360° view of consumers’ demands. Plus, fit-for-purpose marketing technology is required that conveys the relevant message to the right consumer, at the right time. Besides this, to develop innovational ways of working, companies can prioritize these three actions 1, Establish an infrastructure that measures and scales tests. 2, Promote innovation, and 3, Make test-learn-scale the new business-as-usual.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, China has seen 15% to 20% increase in online shopping, while ecommerce in Italy has increased 81%. A retailer who plans to debut an e-commerce business can establish it quickly if one considers these three steps 1, Be pragmatic; instead of offering a full-blown collection across all digital markets, a company should offer limited collections targeting limited geographical areas. 2, Assign ownership to teams, not tasks; management should create four teams including, The tech-design team, The operation team, The product-assortment team, and The marketing team. Afterward, management should give the responsibility to the respective teams to solve and address the issues. 3, Learn and adapt; a company should employ performance indicators that allow to observe, learn and adopt the right strategies.