Consulting

Articles on/from consultants and consulting firms in Retail/CPG.

  1. Shopper & Customer

Why Loyalty Programs Are Essential for Retailers During an Economic Downturn

Today’s uncertain economic landscape is plagued with high inflation and continued supply chain issues, and experts predict a 70 percent likelihood of a U.S. recession in 2023. With a potential downturn on the horizon, a reported 62 percent of consumers have stated they’re cutting back on their spending or looking for additional ways to save. […]
2 min read
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  1. Media & Marketing

Content Marketing Strategy Framework: Everything you should know

If your job is somehow related to the Ecommerce field, It is almost impossible to not hear the famous quote : Content is king. Bill Gates We can assume that this quote is the primary pillar of “Content Marketing” popularity in this era. Content marketing is an effective way to reach, engage and convert a […]
12 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

A Different Angle On The Mean (?) Streets of American’s Cities

We’ve spent a lot of time here on MNB talking about America’s troubled cities, and the impact that urban issues – especially vandalism and theft – are having on retailers. But in the last couple of days, there have been a number of stories examining the issue from a different point of view. •  The […]
4 min read
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  1. Channel: Restaurants

What’s more Important Food or Technology for Restaurants Today

  At the intersection of meals, menu’s, food sold, and food marketing restaurants are increasingly being pressured by customers to eliminate all pain points that may slow down service or hamper ordering the family’s meal. According to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® “if your restaurant looks more like yesterday than […]
3 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

If You Want to Succeed in High-Heat Retail, Bake Fairness into the Experience

There have never been more barriers to the things we enjoy in life. Everything from limited edition sneakers to international stadium tour tickets have become seemingly unattainable. Consumers are often met with an unfair experience, failing websites, bots eating up stock. But with 73% of consumers saying that “a good experience is key in influencing […]
3 min read
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  1. Media & Marketing

Drug Channels News Roundup, May 2023: 340B Shame, OptumRx vs. Humira Biosimilars, ICER on White Bagging, Hospitals vs. Taxes, and Dr. G

Summer unofficially began over the weekend. Check out these noteworthy delicacies, seared to perfection on the Drug Channels grill: Fresh evidence of 340B abuses by hospitals and contract pharmacies OptumRx rewrites its biosimilar Humira strategy ICER discovers channel markups Tax-exempt hospitals are not holding up their end of the bargain Plus, Dr. Glaucomflecken helps you […]
< 1 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces

Five (or Maybe Six?) Reasons that the Largest PBMs Operate Group Purchasing Organizations

In The Top Pharmacy Benefit Managers of 2022: Market Share and Trends for the Biggest Companies, I shared Drug Channels Institute’s analysis showing that three pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs)—the Caremark business of CVS Health, the Express Scripts business of Cigna, and the OptumRx business of UnitedHealth Group—accounted for about 80% of total equivalent prescription claims […]
2 min read
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  1. Technology & Innovation

Outsourcing Tech Support: A Guide For Retail And E-Commerce Businesses

In the fast-paced world of e-commerce, it’s essential for businesses to leverage technology to remain relevant and meet the changing needs of their customers. However, managing and maintaining these systems can be challenging, especially for independent retailers with limited resources. This is where outsourcing tech support comes in.  Outsourcing tech support to a managed IT […]
3 min read
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  1. Channel: Convenience

Wawa Mix and Match Meal Bundling Drives Sales

  Regular readers of this blog know that Wawa is a fast casual convenience store aka restaurant chain that sells gasoline.  Wawa’s customer loyalty was built on Milk, Coffee, and their famous Hoagie according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. Mix and match meal bunding is the foundation of success […]
3 min read
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  1. Department: HBC

The Top Pharmacy Benefit Managers of 2022: Market Share and Trends for the Biggest Companies

In 2022, the PBM market remained highly consolidated—although there were some intriguing share shifts among the largest players. Below, you’ll find Drug Channels Institute’s latest estimates of pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) market share based on equivalent prescription claims. I also provide commentary on recent market developments and offer some helpful tips for interpreting the figures. […]
2 min read
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  1. Media & Marketing

What We (Still) Get Wrong About Physical Retail–And Why It Matters

This week we go guest free to tackle some of the more pernicious misperceptions, missteps, and false narratives that continue to get in the way of retailers’ making the strategic progress they so urgently need. As the Covid sales bump disappears and consumer demand wanes we will–as Warren Buffet famously said–“get to see who’s been […]
2 min read
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  1. Media & Marketing

PBMs and the Battle Over Patient Support Funds:Accumulators, Maximizers, and Alternative Funding (NEW Live Video Webinar)

Dr. Adam J. Fein, CEO of Drug Channels Institute (DCI) and the author of Drug Channels, invites you to join him for a new video webinar: PBMs and the Battle Over Patient Support Funds: Accumulators, Maximizers, and Alternative Funding This event will be broadcast live on Friday, June 23, 2023, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 […]
5 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

Irresistible!

Image: Mid Journey. Prompt…Imagine what irresistible looks like? Josh Bersin is a legend in the world of Human Resources and Talent. His four decade long career has spanned all the twists and turns and ups and downs of a career from studying to be an engineer at Cornell and Stanford, earning an MBA from the […]
5 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces

A Retail Business Owner’s Guide To Tax Planning

One of the primary objectives of business owners is to maximize profits. However, taxation is one of the factors that can negatively impact profits. Taxes are financial obligations levied by the government on its citizens to fund public projects and government spending. But, is it possible to minimize the taxes you pay at the end […]
4 min read
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  1. Department & Category

Step it Up Restaurants Fresh Flavorful Meal Components Needed

  Did you know that grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food will drive top-line growth and bottom-line profits in 2023 according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. There is no doubt that the need for branded, craveable fresh food is preferred 8.6 to 1 over cooking a meal […]
3 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces

CHPA Names head of regulatory & scientific affairs

WASHINGTON – The Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) has appointed Lisa Parks to serve as its senior vice president of regulatory & scientific affairs. Parks will succeed Barbara Kochanowski, who is retiring in July after nearly four decades of regulatory leadership in the consumer healthcare industry. Parks will begin her work at CHPA on June […]
3 min read
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  1. Media & Marketing

Four Ways for Field Teams to Tackle Drug Utilization Management and Optimize Patient Access

Today’s guest post comes from Patrick Leary, Chief Commercial Officer at Phil, Inc. Patrick describes how barriers to medication access affect manufacturers and patients. He offers four tactics that can help field teams unlock coverage for patients. To learn more about Phil’s access and commercialization solutions, download their free whitepaper, Modernize the Patient Access Experience: […]
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  1. Data & Insights

How AI could change the face of SEO

Generative AI has the potential to upend the norms of how we interact with search. If you’ve been paying attention to the business or tech news beats recently, you’ve probably picked up on the major trend of generative artificial intelligence. From the ability to write prompts at the click of a button to the apprehension around […]
3 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

The Race is On: 2023 is a Crucial Year for Retail Modernization

This year, a perfect storm of economic, social and technological headwinds are buffeting the retail industry. Despite analysts’ fears of a 2023 recession, consumers have switched from online to in-store sales in such large numbers, analysts describe the trend as “boomerang” shopping. Even so, researchers are finding that inflation is eating away their purchasing power by […]
3 min read
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  1. Technology & Innovation

The Future of Retail Customer Service is Female

Starting with the first telephone customer service representatives in the 19th century—and spanning to the now ubiquitous voices of Alexa and Siri—women have always played an intrinsic role in making the consumer economy run smoothly. According to a 2019 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report, women make up 61% of all the country’s customer service […]
4 min read
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  1. Media & Marketing

Employers Expand Use of Alternative Funding Programs—But Sustainability in Doubt as Loopholes Close

Last August, I warned you about alternative funding programs (AFPs)–the shady schemes by which commercial plan sponsors drop drug coverage in order to grab charity support intended for uninsured and indigent patients. I’m sad to report that the manipulation of charitable patient assistance programs continues to expand. As you will see below, employers have significantly […]
2 min read
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  1. Department: Consumer Durables

The New Subway Finds Electricity with Esports

  Revive, renew, reinvent, and refresh its brand relationships with key demographics, Subway announced that it will become the Official Sandwich of 100 Thieves, kicking off a sweeping ‘refresh’ of the premier lifestyle brand and gaming organization as it embarks on a challenging stretch in the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS).     That move […]
3 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces

Adapt or Fall Behind: The Need for Agile Copay Programs in Today’s Shifting Payer Landscape

Today’s guest post comes from Nasir Ali, Chief Product Officer at CareMetx Nasir discusses manufacturers’ strategies for mitigating the patient impact of copay accumulators and maximizers. He then outlines two key tactics that manufacturers should include in hub programs. To learn more how digitally-enabled hub programs help patients, download CareMetx’s report: The Evolving Landscape of […]
2 min read
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  1. Media & Marketing

How Brand Loyalty Creates The Future

Here is some brand common sense. In order to be purchased, a brand must first be considered. The original advertisements for the New York State Lottery: “You can’t win it if you’re not in it.” Well, the same goes for consideration and purchase. Common sense. Yet, a major consulting firm McKinsey & Co. has collected […]
3 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

Why scent marketing makes sense for brands

A Rolls Royce, a Holiday Inn, anywhere within 50 feet of an Abercrombie & Fitch store—nothing smells quite like a scent marketing gimmick that works. Scents have more mystery than sights and sounds. They make themselves known in the background, long before you can name them. They feel personal; they surface memories. And brands want […]
5 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

How Vision AI Will Shape the In-Store Shopping Experience

If an e-commerce website was a physical store, it would look vastly different to each shopper, containing only shoes in their size or items in the right color. To compete with this deeper personalization, the savviest brick-and-mortars look to mold every aspect of the in-store shopping experience — from lighting to music to smell — to […]
3 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

Mapping the Vertical Integration of Insurers, PBMs, Specialty Pharmacies, and Providers: A May 2023 Update

Yesterday’s reflections on Asembia’s Specialty Pharmacy Summit included a link to the general session slides. My portion of the deck included an updated mapping of vertical integration among insurers, PBMs, specialty pharmacies, and providers within U.S. drug channels. Many readers asked for a standalone version of this infamous chart. So, for your viewing and slide […]
2 min read
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  1. Technology & Innovation

The Future is Now: Why the Modern Storefront Needs to be Omnichannel and AI-Powered

For all of the problems of the mid-century period in America, one of the ways in which it remains compelling is the sense of optimism society at large once seemed to have for the future, specifically the way in which technology would drive us into the future.  Whether companies, scientists, futurists, or science fiction writers, […]
6 min read
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  1. Media & Marketing

The State of the Specialty Market 2023: Reflections, Trends, and Photos from #Asembia23

Last week, Paula and I had the pleasure of attending Asembia’s 2023 Specialty Pharmacy Summit at the wonderful Wynn Las Vegas. As I do every year, I will violate Vegas code and tell you what happened there. I offer reflections on my keynote session with Seema Verma, share my experiences during the featured session, and […]
2 min read
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  1. Media & Marketing

Accelerating Growth for Ambitious Brands with Gain Theory’s Anibal Dams

The CPG Guys are joined in this episdoe by Anibal Dams, Global CPG Lead at Gain Theory, experts in data, advanced analytics, technology and consulting who fuse hindsight, insight, and foresight to deliver business growth. Gain Theory is a division of WPP. This episode is sponsored by Gain Theory. Follow Anibal Dams on LinkedIn at: […]
2 min read
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Editor’s Choice

  1. Shopper & Customer
  2. Channel: Ecommerce & Digital
  3. Media & Marketing
  4. Shopper & Customer
  5. Trends & External Forces

Instacart piloting ‘favorite shopper’ feature

The feature, which allows consumers to single out their preferred in-store shoppers to fulfill future orders, will roll out in the coming weeks among select users. Dive Brief: Instacart said in a Tuesday blog it will pilot a feature for customers that lets them select their favorite personal shoppers to fulfill online orders. Select customers and personal shoppers […]
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Courtesy of Albertsons
  1. Stores & Formats
  2. Merchandising
  3. Owned Brands (Private Label)
  4. Stores & Formats

Albertsons gives its Signature private brands a single identity

The grocer is bringing its Signature Farms, Signature Care and Signature Cafe private labels under its flagship Signature Select brand and has launched a new advertising campaign to promote the expanded product line. Dive Brief: Albertsons announced Wednesday it is bringing its Signature Farms, Signature Care and Signature Cafe private label products under its flagship Signature Select […]
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  1. Associates & Employees
  2. Department: Nonfood
  3. Technology & Innovation
  4. Trends & External Forces
  5. Associates & Employees

More Than 1,700 Amazon Employees Plan Walkout Today

From the Seattle Times: “More than 1,700 Amazon employees have pledged to walk off the job on Wednesday, demanding more flexibility with remote work and more attention on Amazon’s climate impact. “Of the 1,726 employees who had signed on to participate by Tuesday afternoon, about 830 plan to physically walk out of offices in Amazon’s […]
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  1. Channel: Delivery
  2. Channel: Ecommerce & Digital
  3. Department & Category
  4. Department: Food
  5. Data & Insights
  6. Technology & Innovation

Instacart begins nationwide rollout of ChatGPT search tool

The tool allows customers to find products as well as recipes, food prep tips and more using “natural language” instead of keyword-based searches. Dive Brief: Instacart announced Wednesday it has begun the rollout of an artificial intelligence powered search tool that leverages ChatGPT called Ask Instacart. The company said the new capability will scale to all […]
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