Goodies

Trevor has been involved in creating thought leadership about the FMCG industry and Agriculture for many years.  Here are just a few examples from his time at IBM:

Generation Z: Authenticity Matters

“Born in the mid-1990s and beyond, Generation Z is estimated to encompass more than 2 billion young people. This group of burgeoning consumers is the first to be born entirely within the digital age. Members, called Gen Zers, don’t know a time without the internet, without apps or without instant communication to an extended network of opinion-influencing peers. They are self-reliant digital natives; they socialize, learn and have fun living in a fluid digital world — one in which the boundaries between their online and offline lives blur to the point they are nearly indistinguishable.

As they transcend from adolescence to adulthood, they are beginning to wield an influence on purchasing disproportionate to their ages and personal wealth. And they have specific ideas about what they want, how they want it and how it should be delivered. They expect detailed personalized attention, and they want to be a part of creating the products and services they desire.”

Download the full report: https://cdn.nrf.com/sites/default/files/2018-10/NRF_GenZ%20Brand%20Relationships%20Exec%20Report.pdf

Brand Enthusiasm: More than Loyalty

“The consumer products industry continues to transform due to several significant forces.
First, technology has given rise to information transparency that provides consumers with more knowledge and selection than ever before. Fragmentation of media channels presents ongoing challenges for brands to break through the noise.

In addition, lowered barriers to high quality product manufacturing have fueled the increase of private label penetration and smaller, often local competitors. Finally, the surge of new and flexible digital commerce models poses big questions for fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies, in terms of how to compete in an increasingly omni-channel world. All of this has infused consumers with newfound power and greater expectations of the brands they buy.

To better understand the shifting consumer-brand relationship, we conducted the 2014 IBM Consumer Products Study. We found that brand loyalty is no longer a relevant measure. When comparing two seemingly contradictory questions, “Do you consider yourself brand loyal?” and “Do you like to try new brands frequently?” both scored relatively high with consumers’ strongly agree or agree responses (46 percent and 39 percent, respectively). This tells us that consumer brand loyalty is fickle and no longer associated with repeat purchasing. In today’s world, consumers are loyal to newness. Expectations are high, while switching costs are low.

This new research shows that consumer propensity toward brands is alive and well. A new class of “power consumers” brings a revitalized sense of passion and excitement for communicating, engaging and sharing with brands. These consumers are predominantly young, rising spenders from growth markets around the world, yet they exist in every country, age bracket and income level.”

Download the full report: https://www.worldretailcongress.com/__media/Partners-Content/Case-study—Brand-enthusiasm-More-than-loyalty.PDF