Ellen Sherberg, Bizwomen Contributor

As our communities reopen, women reflect on what the pandemic has meant to their families, colleagues, clients and communities. Linda Dupree sees a post-pandemic lifestyle that includes handwashing and hugs.

“Early in the pandemic, it was impossible to ignore the extreme buying patterns of consumers as they powered through grocery stores, stocking up ahead of stay-at-home orders. The images of people leaving their local supermarket with 24-packs of toilet paper in hand are indelible.

COVID changed how people shop, but some of those new habits are not here to stay, says NCSolutions’ chief revenue officer. Continue reading “Pandemic shopping behaviors that will stick — and those that won’t” →

New report shows that summer is coming early for many shoppers already spending on barbecue products and other outdoor essentials.

It isn’t even Memorial Day yet, but U.S. consumers are in grilling mode. A new report from NCSolutions (NCS) found that Americans purchased barbecue-related CPG items at a higher rate in April than they did in April 2019, the last “normal” year before the pandemic interruption. The recently-released analysis also showed that consumers spent more on barbecue products in April this year than the prior month as they quickly warmed up to outdoor cooking season.

U.S. households increased purchases of seafood by 29% year-over-year, making it the top-growing barbecue category, while sales of outdoor essentials like suntan products rose 12%

NEW YORK, May 12, 2021 – U.S. consumers purchased barbecue-related consumer packaged goods (CPG) items at a faster clip this past April than they did over the same period in 2019, according to new analysis from NCSolutions (NCS), the leading company for improving advertising effectiveness for the CPG ecosystem. Also, consumers spent more in April 2021, compared to March 2021, than is typical at this time of year on a range of barbecue-focused products. NCSolutions found that nearly all barbecue categories grew faster over this period than compared to the same period in 2019. 

The top-growing barbecue-related categories for the 12 months ending April 2021 compared to the prior year were main courses: seafood by 29%, chicken by 18% and vegetables and imitation meats by 17%.

Continue reading “FIRE UP THE GRILL: NCS FINDS AMERICAN CONSUMERS INCREASE SPENDING ON BARBECUE-RELATED CONSUMER PACKAGED GOODS PRODUCTS IN APRIL” →

Outdoor products are a growing priority in March 2021, a sharp change from pandemic preparation
one year earlier, and a departure from convenience buying in March 2019

NEW YORK, April 20, 2021– NCSolutions (NCS), the leading company for improving advertising effectiveness for the consumer packaged goods (CPG) ecosystem, has completed analysis of three-years of shopper data for the months of March, revealing three distinct themes for 2019, 2020, and 2021: convenience, preparation, and the outdoors respectively.

The contents of the March 2021 American grocery cart are changing towards outdoor celebrations, a sharp divergence from baskets in March 2020, which were centered on pandemic preparation, and those in March 2019, which contained more convenience products.  Continue reading “CONVENIENCE, PREPARATION AND THE OUTDOORS: A TALE OF THREE DIFFERENT MONTHS OF MARCH FOR CONSUMER PACKAGED GOODS” →

If 2020 taught us one thing as marketers, it was how the power of personal connection can create authentic experiences that connect brands to consumers in contextually—and culturally—relevant ways.

We’ve long known that one of the most impactful ways to reach an audience is through the power of story. Over time, technology and data became enablers that delivered premium content and brand messages to consumers in a way that didn’t feel mass-manufactured for the many. Addressability emerged as a technology and tactic enabling brands to reach key audiences in a one-to-one or one-to-few manner—and in the right “moment.”

Since the Covid-19 outbreak altered life for millions of Americans a year ago, business has been good for the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry. More people working, eating, studying and exercising at home means more demand for household staples ranging from jars of mayonnaise to rolls of toilet paper.

March 11, 2020 was a day for the history books.

In a single day, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Covid-19 virus a global pandemic, the NBA suspended its season, the White House suspended nearly all flights from Europe and Tom Hanks announced he’d contracted the virus while filming in Australia. There were only 647 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the U.S. on this day one year ago. One year later, we’ve seen 360 million people infected and 2.6 million dead worldwide.

Adweek had already begun tracking cancellations and suspensions in the advertising, marketing, technology and media industries. We updated that list until mid-April when it became clear the pandemic would be with us far longer than anyone anticipated.

Nearly Half of Americans Have Tried New Brands or Shopped in New Categories Since the Start of the Pandemic According to a New NCS Consumer Survey

NEW YORK, January 20, 2021 — As consumers hunkered down at home during most of last year, their spending on consumer packaged goods (CPG) grew an average of 19% in 2020 compared to 2019 according to the latest data from NCSolutions, the leader in advertising effectiveness for the CPG industry.  Continue reading “FUELED BY THE PANDEMIC, CONSUMER PACKAGED GOODS PURCHASES GREW 19% IN 2020 COMPARED TO 2019 ACCORDING TO NCSOLUTIONS” →