Week of November 6, 2023
Accelerate Your Insights is a weekly news recap of the top trends in CPG focusing on retailer headlines, key shopper behaviors, and industry events.
Click the sources links below each headline to read more
Industry News
What marketers can expect as Google rolls out AI asset generation for ads
The latest feature for Google’s Performance Max allows agencies and brands to quickly create and test assets and rolls out in beta to all U.S. customers today.
What brands must understand about the weight of social media
In an era marked by polarization and unending culture wars, the profound impact of a single social media post on a brand’s reputation and success cannot be underestimated.
Brands Hand Out Freebies as Online Ads Lose Appeal
Everyone from snack giant Mondelez to small online brands are rediscovering the benefits of an old brick-and-mortar marketing gimmick.
Kraft Real Mayo seeks to make ‘moist’ Word of the Year via search hacking
Twitch livestreams, on-the-street canvassers and paid social ads seek to boost the maligned term’s online visibility.
Placer.ai enters partnership to bring traffic data to investors
Placer.ai, which burst upon the retail real estate scene five years ago and changed the ways retailers pick locations and operators curate malls, is now setting out to aid investors.
How grocers are preparing for a very merry omnichannel holiday
Strategies include stress testing digital channels, increasing digital promotions, and expanding delivery and pick-up options
Economic headwinds will cool holiday sales in 2023
After enjoying two consecutive years of sizzling holiday sales, retailers should be preparing for a cooldown this December.
Coca-Cola uses AI to envision the year 3000 on Las Vegas Sphere
The transformation of the attention-grabbing venue builds on the launch of Coca-Cola Y3000 Zero Sugar, a beverage co-created with AI.
Unilever spins TikTok soap opera as part of the #CleanTok sponsorship
The CPG marketer is expanding a partnership that has driven web traffic and favorability for brands like Cif among Gen Z.
CPGs diversify pack sizes to reach cost-pressured consumers
Inflation has driven some customers to trade down to smaller packages, while others try to save by buying larger multipacks.
Foodservice ‘renaissance’: How grocers are spicing up their deli and premade meals
As competition grows from restaurant chains and c-stores like Foxtrot, supermarkets are getting creative with offerings, deals, labor models and shopping experiences to differentiate beyond price.
E.l.f. caters to Gen Z’s entrepreneurial spirit with Roblox experience
The E.l.f. Up! activation seeks to gamify what could otherwise be dry subject matter, such as financial literacy.
Retailer News
Amazon embraces the joy of friendship for global holiday campaign
A 60-second hero spot, “Joy Ride,” is soundtracked by an instrumental rendition of The Beatles’ “In My Life.”
Walmart makes sensory-friendly shopping hours a permanent addition
The retail giant said it is enacting sensory-friendly hours at all of its locations after a successful test program during the recent back-to-school shopping season.
Walmart kicks off Black Friday deals with ‘Mean Girls’ inspired campaign
To get the buzz going on its upcoming Black Friday events, the retailer reunited “Mean Girls” stars Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried and Lacey Chabert for an ad spot.
GNC unveils apothecary-designed flagship
The vitamins, supplements and wellness retailer has opened a flagship Pittsburgh's historic Terminal Strip District with a new apothecary-styled format.
Ahold Delhaize sells FreshDirect to ultrafast delivery platform Getir
Ahold Delhaize USA will sell its FreshDirect online grocery business to a Turkish ultrafast delivery platform.
Buc-ee’s joins Mercedes-Benz EV charging network
The initial rollout will include chargers at 30 of the retailer’s travel centers by the end of 2024, with some already under construction.
Tim Lowe Says Grocers Need to Disrupt Themselves
Lowes Foods President underlines the power of connections and the willingness to rethink past approaches during Grocery Impact
Doing Things ‘The Brookshire Way’
CFO outlines grocer’s unique approach to business during Grocery Impact event
Sprouts Farmers Market ‘New for You’ Items Showcase Unique, Healthy Offerings
Specialty retailer inspires wellness naturally with a carefully curated assortment of better-for-you products
Associated Wholesale Grocers Partners With Upside to Unlock New Profit Generation Opportunities
Retailers will be able to provide enhanced value to their customers
Instacart Releases 1st Earnings Report Since Going Public
Grocery tech company confident it will overcome macroeconomic factors working against online grocery
Amazon Fresh offers Thanksgiving deals, 5 for $50
The retailer is also promoting this month’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales
Shopper News
Survey: Many consumers 'dreading' holiday spending
Nearly half of Americans are “dreading” the holidays this year due to increased costs.
Featured Trend: Ozempic – Is it changing buying behavior?
Ozempic and other GIP/GLP-1 drugs are all the buzz these days with yet another drug Zepbound a.k.a Mounjaro being approved for weight loss by the FDA
Shoppers look for ways to prevent 'porch pirates'
With nearly six-in-10 U.S. consumers planning to shop online this year, package theft remains a concern.
The top holiday shopping product category is…
According to a new RetailMeNot survey of 1,089 adult U.S. consumers, these products top holiday shopping lists: