In an industry that is literally as fast-moving as it gets (it’s in the name!), it is crucial for brands to stay on top of the latest trends. Thankfully, Jessica Ho and the FMCG team at Trigg have done all the research so you don’t have to. Keep reading for 4 of the most impactful trends in the fast-moving consumer goods industry right now, alongside some solid advice on how to keep up with them…
Sustainability
It wouldn’t be a 2022 trend round-up without a nod to consumers’ increased awareness of sustainability. As the threat of the climate crisis has grown, customers in practically every industry have become more cautious about the ethical and environmental impact of their purchasing decisions. As the suppliers of the products we use most often in our everyday lives, the FMCG industry has been hit particularly hard by this trend.
So what can FMCG brands do about it? Well, sustainable consumers are searching for products that tick three main boxes:
- Sustainable ingredients
- Sustianable packaging
- Ethical practices
How To Keep Up: Consider the extent to which your brand and product offering meets these standards, as well as the ways you can get this message across in your communications.
The Internet of Things
Technology has been transforming the way we consume products and services at an alarming rate for decades, and it doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon. In an industry as competitive as FMCG, it is more important than ever for brands to be at the cutting edge of technological advances.
As a technology with huge potential in a wide variety of areas, the Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the key technologies breaking through in the industry right now. Through automation, data collection and insights analysis, IoT is increasing operational efficiency, improving production quality and boosting potential revenue for a huge number of brands. From factory to fleet and beyond, this technology can have an enormous impact, helping to seamlessly connect devices from all areas of the business.
How To Keep Up: In short, if you’re not already connecting every device in your organisation to the IoT, it’s probably about time you did!
Customer Experience
For a while now, FMCG brands have been aware that young consumers – particularly Millennials and those from Generation Z – are far more interested in ‘experiences’ than physical products. As believers in “living life to the full”, these generations care less about material possessions and more about the things they’ve done.
To combat this, traditionally physical brands are looking to create experiences around their products. Take Coca-Cola for example: the brand’s 2013 campaign put names on Coca-Cola bottles, turning their product into a kind of scavenger hunt through which consumers tried to find and buy their own name, or the names of their friends and family. This encouraged consumers to share their experience online, initiating conversations on social media and generating a huge amount of free coverage for the brand.
How To Keep Up: Start thinking “outside of the box” when it comes to creating experiences that align with your products. Can you create a game with your product front-and-centre? What about the actual use of your product? It’s time to put those thinking caps on!
Convenience
As our lives get busier, convenience has become a prominent factor in consumer purchasing decisions. This has been particularly prominent in the food and drink sector, which has seen enormous growth for delivery organisations such as Just Eat, Uber Eats and Deliveroo, as well as recipe box providers like Gousto and HelloFresh.
Over in the FMCG industry, brands are responding to the increased desire for convenience by providing a variety of products that can save the modern consumer time. Take subscription services for example – the past few years has seen a huge rise in the application of subscription models across a variety of product areas, from plants and flowers to shaving and skincare. It’s easy to see why, too – the convenience of having everything you need delivered direct to your door exactly when you need it is a complete game-changer.
How To Keep Up: Ensure your product is as convenient as possible. Think about access, use and communication. How easy is it to get hold of your product? How easy is it to use? How easy is it to talk to someone from your business, if needed? If the answer isn’t “easy-peasy!” for all three, you’ve got work to do.
Looking to implement a better CRM solution for your FMCG brand?
You’ve come to the right place. Our team is packed full of experience designing, implementing, analysing and improving CRM solutions for brands just like yours.
Get in touch on +44 203 239 8492 or at hello@triggdigital.com to find out how we can help.
Sources
https://www.stratx-exl.com/industry-insights/fmcg-trends
https://www.startus-insights.com/innovators-guide/top-10-fmcg-industry-trends-innovations-in-2021/
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