Larry Wilk

New #consumer research from Kearney's healthcare and life sciences team shows that consumers are very open to food prescriptions, but as programs shift from pilots and discussions about funding, a more consumer-oriented design approach is needed. Read more insights from Kearney's Karen Yocky and Rodey Wing about how pharmacies can better position themselves as care providers in this Chain Drug Review article: https://bit.ly/3V9V9iz

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Stay ahead of the curve with @Deloitte’s analysis on the evolving U.S. consumer landscape. Understand what drives today’s shoppers. Stephen Rogers #ConsumerSignals #USConsumerTrends

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Global macro forces and deep societal changes will unearth rich opportunities and pose new challenges by 2035 for retailers and CPGs alike, a key topic ahead of the Consumer Goods Forum's Global Summit. To help executive teams prepare more effectively for the future, we at the Bain Consumer Lab (Leah Johns, Lyne Jaroudi, Amanda Howe, Pranav Ram and myself) identified eight future consumer economies that consumer-facing companies can use to future-proof their businesses. https://atbain.co/4e0xM2x #BainatCGF

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The consumer goods industry was an investor darling for decades, delivering a reliable formula of more than 5 percent growth at healthy, stable margins. Over the past ten years, however, topline growth has faded away. In the 3rd edition of McKinsey's State of CPG report, my colleagues Jessica Moulton, Pavlos Exarchos, and Warren Teichner dive into how CPG companies can rally around an ambitious change agenda on both portfolio and performance. https://lnkd.in/gbtgt4SW

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US #grocery consumers are increasingly prioritizing low prices, quality products, and a favorable shopping experience, challenging #retailers to excel in all three areas. Differentiation is crucial: focusing on affordability, fresh offerings, or convenience can help capture greater market share. Discount chains, for example, are expanding rapidly, driven by their affordability and improved fresh food selections. Learn more about these retail strategies and how to adapt in this insightful article. https://on.bcg.com/4aPd42z

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In the face of compound volatility, #CEOs strategically balance immediate challenges—geopolitics and cyber threats—with pivotal long-term shifts, including labor market constraints and changing regulations. Despite these complexities, strategic M&A remains a focus. Paul Knopp, Chair and CEO of KPMG US, observes, “We continue to see strategic M&A moving forward. But most CEOs remain reticent to take their finger off the pause button on M&A, waiting for the opportune moment to pursue new deal-making.” 🔍 According to the recent 2024 KPMG US CEO Outlook Pulse Survey: - 48% of CEOs say their organization will wait until 2025 to pursue new deal-making seriously.  - 34% say they are waiting until the second half of 2024. - 62% of CEOs say their organization will not make significant investment decisions such as major capital expenditures and M&A activity until after the November 2024 U.S. presidential election. ⬇️ Learn more and download the full report. https://lnkd.in/eFMAUbt6. #KPMGDealAdvisory #CEOs #2024Outlook #Mergers #Acquisitions

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As kids head back to school, parents are looking for a shoe fit that provides comfort, quality, and satisfies the increasingly powerful preferences of kids themselves. Our AlixPartners 2024 Back-to-School Footwear Survey, in partnership with Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America (FDRA) reveals how #footwear companies can successfully meet consumers where they are today, even amid changing behaviors and demands. Dive into the survey results & discover our 4 key insights here: https://lnkd.in/eK7dRV8G

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Retailers that create superior value for a broad group of stakeholders—including customers, employees, suppliers, communities, and investors—generate greater long-term shareholder returns, according to Bain analysis. Discover three steps to help #retailers create enduring business value.

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Retailers are adopting AI-driven pricing and dynamic models at faster-than-ever rates. This has obvious competitive implications within the retail landscape but, also interesting, it is unmasking less sophisticated approaches by CPG vendors who are now interfacing with more skilled retail pricing teams, faster turnaround expectations, deeper insight, and unified data platforms.

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Global investors are more interested in the semiconductor industry than ever, but geopolitics and supply chain challenges present major disruptions that require proactive solutions to overcome. Michael Mo, AlixPartners Partner and Managing Director, led a session at the International Semiconductor Executive Summits' latest event in Taiwan to discuss the 3 key factors for thriving in the semiconductor industry over the coming years. Learn how to embrace innovation to thrive amidst rising disruption:

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Easily the #1 top sector I'm hearing in client investment conversations. That investment thesis is being validated by some of the largest companies in the world. "Amazon is planning to spend more than $100 billion over the next decade on data centers, an impressive level of investment even for a company known for its spending ways. The Seattle company is now devoting more investment money to its cloud computing and AI infrastructure than to its sprawling network of e-commerce warehouses." #Investment #Amazon #DataCenters #CloudComputing #AI #Finance

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We interviewed 19 CPG CEOs to identify lessons on navigating uncertainty. Discover actionable insights on four essential themes in our latest white paper. #consumer #CPG   Learn why embracing technology innovations and proactive succession planning are crucial for CPG CEOs today. Dive into our report for more. #consumer #CPG

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The electric vehicle market in China has leapt ahead of those in the US and Europe, thanks to competitive pricing in the mass market segment. Dive into the latest data here: https://atbain.co/3USUGjh

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As a retail business coach, I found the recent McKinsey & Company podcast (Link below) on consumer trends particularly insightful for brick-and-mortar store owners. McKinsey senior partner Sajal Kohli speaks with editorial director Roberta Fusaro and outlines recent research on today’s consumer.. Despite economic concerns, consumers are still eager to spend – but their preferences are evolving rapidly (Adams et al., 2024). Here are three key takeaways for retail store owners to implement: ☑️ Embrace the "squeezed but splurging" mindset: Middle-income consumers are surprisingly willing to spend on discretionary items, especially experiences. Consider how you can enhance the experiential aspects of your store to attract these customers. ☑️ Re-evaluate your brand strategy: Brand loyalty is weakening across all age groups, with consumers more willing to try new brands and private labels. Assess your product mix and consider developing or expanding your private label offerings. ☑️ Invest in wellness-related products: The wellness market is booming across all demographics, particularly among women. Explore opportunities to incorporate wellness products or services into your store's offerings. By adapting to these trends, brick-and-mortar retailers can position themselves for success in this evolving consumer landscape. Remember, understanding your customers' changing needs is crucial for sustaining and growing your business. Again, nothing revolutionary, but retailing always falls back to basics and WE ALL NEED frequent reminders :) #retailer #indepdendentretailer #bricksandmortar #whatconsumerswant https://lnkd.in/ddqb4Y49

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I recently spoke with Robert Bowman, Editor-in-Chief of SupplyChainBrain, to examine five key levers for bringing down costs across the organizations—specifically in #supplychains, #manufacturing plants, and #logistics networks—to help leaders balance the need for immediate action while building towards longer-term ambitions. Thanks for having me in this discussion, Bob!   This is a critically important topic for leaders and I encourage you to read more from our conversation and latest research on this topic here: https://lnkd.in/eWe5A8eg

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Favorable macroeconomics were once the (consumer goods) industry’s most important tailwind. Now they are a headwind. Population growth is stagnating at 0.9 percent per annum, and developing-market wealth expansion has dropped almost 50 percent since the late 20th century. Global consumer goods industry growth was 5 percent at the turn of the century. In recent years, it has dropped to almost zero. Looking forward, McKinsey & Company forecasting indicates that consumer goods growth will rebound to an inflation-adjusted 3–5 percent, which is half of what it was in Era 1. CPGs now need to work much harder to generate growth, and share steal has become more important. Further, CPGs need to update where they look for growth.

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What will it take for #consumerproducts companies to capture the #digital future in their industry? In this article, we identify what successful companies need to focus on to achieve this digital transformation. https://atbain.co/4b6IjXj

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3 things to remember about using #generativeaAi ✅ It’s not about the #technology. “ “We’re here to solve business problems first, Generative AI may or may not be first on the priorities list, and sometimes a more basic automation strategy might solve the problems. But have your business owners work very closely with you.” ✅ Experiment, and match tools to use cases. “Businesses shouldn’t feel overly obligated to build their own vertical technology stack or perfect their data sets before experimenting with AI, Instead, companies should experiment with generative AI and put guardrails in place that encourage experimentation. learning and adapting it’s the way you get smart and comfortable: Experimenting allows you to learn and fail fast.” And foremost ✅ Don’t forget organizational implications. Some people fear using AI, and others need help managing expectations about its capabilities. Companies have to understand where people experiment, how they experiment, and what this technology means to people with different roles. How do you encourage #people to learn and participate? You can’t underestimate the organization and talent component of leading an AI and generative AI strategy.”

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