Useful ‘go-to’ resources to understand category, shopper and market trends
Rule #1 of working on your sales pitches is ‘know your market & customer’.
But how do you do this when you’re just starting out and don’t have deep pockets to spend on buying research reports? The internet is FULL of a whole assortment of websites all jammed with the latest ‘new thing’ and articles. While this can be great to do your basic market research, it also helps to know where to go find trusted sources of information (and not endless click-bait random reports…)
Below are some of the leading local (NZ), Australian and global sites that are regularly updated with all things related to selling in major retailers and supermarkets. This will help you understanding shopper trends, how your products fit into their evolving needs and what potential competitors are up to…. ticking the boxes that retailers are after!
Supermarket News (NZ) - www.supermarketnews.co.nz
One of the classics of the NZ Grocery trade with regular articles on global new products, the latest changes with supermarket retailers and local NPD.
They publish all their magazines free on their website and its worth scanning through to find useful tips and articles to support your sales pitch and help you understand the category you’re keen to grow into.
FMCG Business (NZ) - https://www.fmcgbusiness.co.nz/
All of their editions are available free online and also include reviews of pretty much all product categories including value, volume, growth rates and key segments.
This is super-helpful when you’re trying to understand the relative size of the market, potential sales in the retailer and explaining how you fit into the category. It can also be a great tool for doing your internal financial analysis and writing business case for growth.
Inside FMCG (Australia & global insights) - https://insidefmcg.com.au/
An excellent publication that have free newsletters with regular updates including regulatory changes, supply chain as well as going into all the major categories.
Check out their ‘Startups’ page to find out the latest cool brands & products launching to see how you stack up and get ideas for launching into the local market.
The Grocer (UK) - https://thegrocer.co.uk
The UK supermarket industry is like NZ on steroids… super competitive with retailers and brands doing some pretty cool things.
There are a whole lot of articles here on everything from category insights to cool new products, pricing trends and more
Go through their ‘Reports’ section to get category insights (first one free if you sign up as guest)
Their ‘whitepapers’ contain articles from others covering all sorts of topics and trends including what’s hot on tiktok (and what you can learn from them). www.thegrocer.co.uk/whitepapers/gen-zs-top-10-food-and-drink-brands-on-tiktok-and-what-you-can-learn-from-them/670030.article
Supermarket News (USA) - https://supermarketnews.com
The USA is the home of mass retail and supermarkets. There are SO many different retail chains that it can be hard keeping up with them all. This is a simple ‘go to’ for USA trends in consumers & shoppers that could help you demonstrate the market potential.
An example of where you could use this for supporting the launch of a sustainable product, is to reference an article like this which has consumer trends, statistics and projections - and then explain how & why this is relevant to your local market https://www.supermarketnews.com/consumer-trends/sustainability-holistic-health-among-top-2023-trends
UNDERSTANDING SHOPPERS & CONSUMER TRENDS
IRI New Zealand - https://www.iriworldwide.com/en-nz/insights/publications
IRI is the ‘go-to’ for large suppliers to get all the supermarket data and buy databases to track sales performance across different products and retailers.
There is an annual ‘state of the nation’ report that is WELL worth reading to understand the latest trends in all things NZ (and global) supermarket and they have great insights on potential opportunities for the future. Follow them on LinkedIn to get the latest reports and updates.
Shopper Intelligence - https://shopperintelligence.com.au/news-insights/
These guys are the experts in understanding the shopper and have blog posts that can include updates around different categories like Liquor as well as traditional supermarkets, and have talks from leaders across Australia and NZ.
Great people to follow on Instagram with insights into new packaging, beauty & skincare trends
Creative Jam - www.creativejam.co.nz // @creative_jam_nz
Beauty Independent - www.beautyindependent.com/ // @beautyindependent
BevNet (for ALL things non-alcoholic drinks) - www.bevnet.com // @bevnet
A few tips before you go digging so you don’t get lost:
Think about what the big ideas or areas that you want to focus your pitch on. Is it sustainability? new innovation in your category? cool packaging?
Make sure you are clear on which category that your product is likely to fall into - is it chilled? beverages?
The descriptions of ‘category’ when it comes to supermarkets can be a bit confusing so have a look at what they call the section or aisle in your local supermarket as a guide. For example period products fall under ‘personal care’ along with shampoo and tissues… not what you’d naturally think of.
Finally… why this is a key part of nailing your pitch into big retailers
Finding supporting trends and market information goes a long way when writing your sales pitch and helps to show that you’ve done your homework in understanding ‘what next’ and why retailers should choose YOU to be their next superstar product to launch.
Foodstuffs NZ have recently published a ‘Small Supplier’ guide and their first point for any aspiring business wanting to pitch and launch, is all about finding out what your customers want first. This means you have to take the time to RESEARCH and understand what’s going on in the market and with your potential target customers so you can create an awesome pitch.
Our aspiration is to be one of the most customer driven retailers in the world, which means everything starts with the customer in our co-op. We use insights and data from our largest groups of customers to shape our business decisions. Start by researching customer demand, what your competitors are up to, and the pricing structure of similar products.
Find out who your core customer is and use these insights to evolve your product into a winner.
If you’re feeling a little lost in creating a smashing sales pitch to launch into Retail, then get in touch.
I’ve spent over twenty years working with leading FMCG organisations and pitching into retailers to successfully launch and scale new products.
