Circana Unpacked

IRI has been publishing weekly COVID-19 Thought Leadership reports and also recently hosted a webinar with FMI: Consumers Face the Reality of COVID-19: Observations and Implications for CPG and Retail. IRI Growth Insights host Joan Driggs was recently invited to participate in Joe Tarnowski’s ECRM podcast, based on IRI’s COVID-19 Thought Leadership. For this podcast, entitled COVID-19’s Impact on CPG and Retail, Joan and Joe discussed another of topics, including:

• What we can learn from recessions and other crises that can inform CPG retail.
• The opportunity for smaller brands and private label products to gain new buyers.
• And whether the rise in e-commerce will have staying power.

Unprecedented times call for changes to marketing and optimization. It’s critical for CPG manufacturers to show their support and what they stand for to consumers in order to win their loyalty. New buying habits are creating a shift in brand and category that’s never been seen before. IRI’s Senior Vice President of Omni Channel Media, Jennifer Pelino gives an update on the state of the industry and tips on how to advertise during a pandemic.

Just about every shopper has an out-of-stock story to share, and the upheaval of COVID-19 still hasn’t run its course. Join IRI’s Theresa Scheingraber and Scott Love, Principals, Retail Client Solutions to learn the supply chain realities and opportunities presented by the pandemic – now, as the virus recedes, and what life will look like as we emerge from COVID-19.

COVID-19 has completely upended the way we live from day to day. Consumers have been rushing to stock up on needed supplies and they’re increasingly being told to stay home. Not only are CPG and grocery retail critical to survival, they’re also working tirelessly to ease anxiety and best serve consumers. Hear IRI’s KK Davey, President, Strategic Analytics, discuss this fast-moving pandemic including what we can learn from other hard-hit areas, lessons from past recessions, shifting shopper behaviors and how retailers are responding.

From day time radio dramas in the 1930s to TV ads in the ‘50s, “winning” was determined by understanding your audience more than your competitors. That hasn’t changed but the marketing world sure has. We are in the digital and direct to consumer (or DTC) era which sometimes leaves CPGs on the bottom shelf. IRI’s Tanya Shuckhart, Dir., Analyst Relations, Global Marketing and Nishat Mehta, President of IRI’s Media Center of Excellence uncover the nuances of why online behavior may not be a good indicator of your audiences’ future CPG purchases.

While mainstay categories of tobacco, tobacco-less products, beverage alcohol and energy drinks are still the top sellers in convenience stores, learn how fresh foods, CBD/cannabis and new technologies will keep the momentum going for this fast-growing and fast-serving retail channel, according to IRI’s Larry Levin, EVP, Market and Shopper Intelligence.

The way we shop and eat today is increasingly complex. Technology continually influences consumers’ expectations, and there are nearly infinite choices for where and how we shop, especially for fresh. Shoppers are looking for solutions – they want positive experiences when they shop, and that includes the right assortment, services and convenience. CPG and retail marketers have the opportunity to use their greatest asset – the entire store – to drive bigger baskets and swing the pendulum to growth. Join IRI’s Sally Lyons Wyatt, EVP, Center-of-Store and Produce, and Jonna Parker, Principal, Fresh Center of Excellence as they discuss actionable strategies for grocery retailers and manufacturers to win back share without breaking operational budgets.

We have been closely monitoring and evaluating the rapidly evolving global COVID-19 virus outbreak to ensure we are taking the necessary measures to protect the health and wellbeing of all our Summit attendees. After careful consideration, IRI has made the difficult but important decision to cancel the 2020 IRI Growth Summit originally scheduled for March 30 – April 1, 2020, in Orlando, Florida.
 
IRI made this decision to ensure we are putting our clients’ and employees’ safety and wellbeing first, being sensitive to our client’s and partners’ current travel restrictions, and doing our part to try to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Every year, we look forward to hosting our customers, partners, friends and employees at the IRI Growth Summit to talk about the future, examine business challenges and opportunities, unveil the latest innovations, and get inspired together as an industry and community.

We are evaluating options to reschedule the event for later this year and will announce those plans as soon as possible. 

Which media touch point inspires a consumer to buy? Is it a mobile ad, a billboard, how about in-store merchandising? IRI’s Tanya Shuckhart, Dir., Analyst Relations, Global Marketing and Vijoy Gopalakrishnan, Product Development Lead, IRI’s Media Center of Excellence, delve into Multi-Touch Attribution to learn how reliable and valid data, proprietary algorithms and reporting can define and measure a shopper’s path to purchase, helping marketers measure and improve their marketing mix. Tune in and you’ll also learn how to make a perfect old fashioned. Cheers ensue.

Both consumer products manufacturer and retailers agree that cannabis products, including hemp-derived CBD, will impact the entire CPG marketplace. Some companies have already jumped into the CBD marketplace, while others are waiting for more guidance from the Food and Drug Administration before moving. But even companies that are sure they won’t be competing with their own cannabis products need to know how they’ll be impacted and what other opportunities sales of cannabis might create for them. Jessica Lukas, SVP of Commercial Development, BDS Analytics and Chris Von Der Linden, EVP, Market and Shopper Intelligence, talk about the spectrum of involvement, from first movers to those who can benefit just by being in the same retail space with cannabis products.