I’ve been writing in recent months about the challenges of Retailer Traction.  How can Suppliers get Retailers on board so that things happen in stores?  Many companies find this extremely difficult.  This may sound strange.  Surely all they need to do is understand what the Retailer wants, and deliver it for them? The problem is […]

Many suppliers struggle to get decent traction with Retailers and to make change happen in stores.  Part of the solution is strong Retailer Insight – genuinely understanding what the Retailer is trying to do, and how they go about things.  Also, imaginative customisation – choosing from your range, and marketing support tools to offer genuinely […]

Many suppliers struggle to get traction with retailers.  One reason is that they lack strong enough Retailer Insight –  deep understanding of what their customer is trying to do and how they go about things. But Retailer Insight is just the first step.  The second is to respond to the Insight, by customising what you […]

Many brand and own label companies struggle to engage Retailers in purposeful discussions that lead to real change in store.  There are recent industry developments that make engagement even harder – fewer buyers doing more and a tendency towards more centralised strategy and control in Retailers.  But beyond that, often suppliers just don’t approach Retailer […]

Why is it that Blue Planet was so effective at landing the message about plastic, when articles, reports and testimonies over the preceding decades had not been anywhere near so successful?  The answer is in Blue Planet’s approach to Storytelling.  First, the makers isolated a single pivotal idea that a huge number of beautiful and […]

Many UK FMCG companies aspire to sell a lower proportion of their products on promotion.  It is easier said than done.  Whilst at total grocery level there is a move towards fewer promotions, there are still many brands and categories struggling to “get off the promotional drug”.  It is not uncommon to hear of brands […]

The business book Blue Ocean Strategy challenges a paradigm held by many marketeers.  It suggests that rather than deciding to focus on product differentiation OR price, companies should aspire and plan to improve BOTH at once.  In other words, to get better AND cheaper.  That is the way to sustainable and even spectacular growth. This […]

Where are Sainsbury’s heading, now that the Asda deal is not happening? With the ending of the Asda deal, there have been questions asked about how Sainsbury’s can win sustainably going forward, in our fiercely competitive marketplace.  But we shouldn’t forget that they remain second or a close third in large supermarkets, online and in […]

In Grocery, price matters and proximity matters.  But the shopper’s choice of Retailer is also heavily influenced by the shopping experience and the product range, especially the food.  The M&S/Ocado joint venture will have serious implications for Retailers and Suppliers but it will also be a fascinating, real-time experiment in shopper decision making.  Will those […]

Lidl continues to pile growth on growth, month after month, year after year.  In Kantar’s latest data, their sales are up 7% versus a year ago, and market share is at 5.3%.  There is almost certainly more growth to come, helped by a continuing stream of new stores, as they enter many towns for the […]