May 18, 2020 – Before executives at paper-goods giant Kimberly-Clark rushed to shut their offices on Friday the 13th of March, they convened for one last emergency meeting. Commuting home that final time, Arist Mastorides, president of family care for North America, stopped at his local Walmart, on the edge of Lake Winnebago in Neenah, Wis., to see the emergency firsthand. Mastorides oversees toilet paper brands like Cottonelle and Scott, but that evening he could find none of his own products. “A long gondola shelf that’s completely empty of bathroom and facial tissue, I never in my life thought I would ever see that,” he says. “That’s a very unsettling thing.”

May 15, 2020 – Consumer packaged goods marketers are discovering that in an uncertain world, consumers are maintaining their reliance on the most established brands.

People want to stick with what they know. That’s the conclusion offered by a new NCSolutions Loyalty survey.

The report, called “Loyalty in the Time of COVID: Why Branding and Targeted Advertising Matter More Now than Ever,” looked at buying decisions in more than 51 million households for more than 50 brands spread across 16 different advertisers.

New NCSolutions Loyalty Study Confirms Strong Return on Ad Spend for Brands Invested in Advertising and Brand Loyalty

NEW YORK, May 15, 2020 — The unprecedented 34% growth of consumer packaged goods (CPG) sales since March 22 of this year has created a significant growth opportunity for major brands to grow their market share. Consumer brands with high levels of brand equity and consumer trust, and which consistently advertised through the current marketplace disruption, have been the major beneficiaries of consumer loyalty and expanded market share. Continue reading “INCREASED DEMAND FOR CONSUMER PACKAGED GOODS CREATES ATYPICAL GROWTH OPPORTUNITY FOR BRANDS” →

The outbreak of the coronavirus has dealt a shock to the global economy with unprecedented speed. Following are developments Wednesday related to national and global response, the work place and the spread of the virus.

TRAVEL & LEISURE: Boeing said this week that it’s gone another month without a single airplane order, cruise ships are devoid of passengers and gasoline prices are plunging because few people are commuting to work or taking road trips. Global travel is close to a standstill.

Hand sanitizer, baking supplies, drink mixers and frozen poultry categories show the most growth compared to a year ago

NEW YORK, MAY 13, 2020 — American household consumer packaged goods (CPG) spending declined 8% in April compared with March, a month characterized by a period of extreme buying as COVID-19 concerns took root in the U.S. In March 2020, grocery sales increased by an unprecedented 36% compared with March 2019. These findings are part of new data released by NCSolutions (NCS), the leading company for improving advertising effectiveness for the consumer packaged goods ecosystem.  Continue reading “CONSUMER PACKAGED GOODS SALES DOWN 8% IN APRIL FROM MARCH PEAK, AS BUYING PATTERNS ADAPT TO HOME-CONFINED LIFESTYLES” →

April 30, 2020

ALEXANDRIA, Va.—The pandemic is dragging on and many Americans are still in self-quarantine, but pandemic panic buying is declining, reports Progressive Grocer. Consumer concerns about the availability of food and consumer packaged goods (CPG), such as household cleaners, is easing.

It started with the empty shelves.

You show up to the grocery store, stocking up on beans and pasta, and as you turn your cart into the toilet paper aisle, it hits you.

The absence.

At first you’re confused. Is this the right aisle? Did they move it? But within seconds, reality sets in.

APRIL 28, 2020 – LONDON/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – U.S. consumers have begun spotting rare Quilted Northern and Charmin toilet paper rolls on store shelves across the United States, as stocks start building after weeks of severe shortages.

April 23, 2020 – Earlier this week, I posted refrigerated and frozen food sales numbers from research firm IRI for the week ending April 5, which showed a rise in purchases again after a dip from the early March COVID-19 stockpiling frenzy that sent sales skyrocketing and disrupted the cold food supply chain. The year-over-year (YOY) numbers compared to 2019 continue to be astronomical despite the dip.

April 9, 2020 –The outbreak of the coronavirus has dealt a shock to the global economy with unprecedented speed. Following are developments Thursday related to the global economy, the work place and the spread of the virus.

GLOBAL SHOCK: There is no place on earth inhabited by humans that is not being hit by the economic shock of the pandemic. The U.S. rolled out a $2.3 trillion plan to stabilize the economy Thursday.

— Oxfam is warning half a billion people in the developing world could be pushed into poverty. In a report based on research at King’s College London and the Australian National University, Oxfam is calling for the immediate cancellation of $1 trillion in debt payments due from developing countries this year.