Circana Unpacked

COVID-19 has forced many behavioral changes including social distancing and at-home eating – even how we shop for groceries. Join IRI’s Larry Levin, EVP for IRI’s Market and Shopper Intelligence Center of Excellence, to hear about consumer and shopper marketing strategies, as we delve into the latest consumer research to learn how consumer perceptions of both COVID-19 and the economic fallout have changed during the past few months. Find out which behaviors will stick and how the CPG industry can respond.

Consumers are forming new buying patterns similar to those made in past crises.  IRI’s Jennifer Pelino, SVP Omni Channel Media is back to talk about five considerations brands can be making for the COVID-19 Economy: Tiered Offerings; Stay Top of Mind;  Develop a Private Label Mitigation Strategy; Drive Personalization at Scale; and Innovate to Prepare for the Future.

With stay-at-home directives still in place, Americans are cooking! Meat, a key element of many meals, is enjoying exceptional sales. Tune in to listen to learn from Chris Dubois, Senior Vice President of the Protein Practice at IRI, about the truth behind reported meat shortages, updates on pricing, and some inspiration on what to cook for dinner tonight.

In grocery retail, two of the highest service-level departments are in-store bakeries and delis, both of which have seen dramatic sales declines with the onset of COVID-19. Join Jonna Parker, Principal of IRI’s Fresh Center of Excellence and special guest Anne-Marie Roerink, President of food retailing research company 210 Analytics for their visionary insights into grocery delis and bakeries of the future.

Dairy sales are up considerably as consumers continue to adhere to stay-at-home directives during the COVID-19 pandemic. With consumers reluctant to return to restaurants even as restrictions ease, and with kids out of school through the summer, at-home dairy consumption will continue at elevated levels. Join John Crawford, VP of Client Insights-Dairy at IRI for a conversation about dairy category winners, how the industry supply chain is shifting to accommodate higher retail and lower foodservice demand, and how behaviors adopted during stay-at-home bode well for the future of dairy.

COVID-19 is causing drastic changes to consumer behavior. Today’s episode uncovers what that means for advertisers in terms of adjusting measurement strategies and also how the AI-ML patterns have been disrupted, and need to be adjusted for behaviors like, panic buying. Join IRI’s Jennifer Pelino, Senior Vice President of Omni Channel Media, to learn more.

Italy has been at the forefront of the pandemic since mid-March sharing learnings with the rest of the world along the way. A country that prides itself on connectedness and being social in cafes and restaurants and the outdoors, has moved entirely inside. Italians are staying connected to each other and the news through massive increases in digital and social media consumption.  Forecasts also show online home delivery won’t slow down once things return to the “new normal.”

Today’s podcast delves into key advertising learnings from the 1990’s Oil Price Shock, SARS, in 2002-2003 and the recent recession from 2008. We talk about the Flanker Strategy and the importance of marketing agility during these unprecedented times.

While the U.S. has looked to past crises, including hurricanes and recessions, to learn how to address CPG retail challenges associated with COVID-19, our best bet is to watch as the pandemic evolves in Italy, which is a few weeks ahead of the U.S. IRI Growth Insights welcomes Livio Martucci, VP of the Analytics and Shopper Behavior Insights Team at IRI in Italy for a discussion on consumption trends throughout the rise of COVID-19, changing shopping behavior and what the new normal will look like.

Shelves empty of toilet paper and hand sanitizer have been emblems of CPG retail during COVID-19, but they tell just part of the story. IRI’s Sally Lyons Wyatt, EVP, Center-of-Store and Produce, and Jonna Parker, Principal, Fresh Center of Excellence, bring their Fresh Perspectives to IRI Growth Insights to talk about how COVID-19 is vastly different from past recessions or weather-related crises, the interesting ways the fresh side of the industry is responding, and what the future looks like in terms of what’s available and how consumers will be purchasing fresh items.