The consumer goods market has multiple trends, such as health and a growing focus on sustainability, amongst others. These trends are dramatically influencing and changing the landscape of this sector. The opportunity for new, smaller disrupter brands to gain market share has never been greater. Defining the best FMCG sales strategy is, therefore, more important than ever, as sheer scale can no longer be relied on to compete.

As we head into the busiest retail time of the year with the imminent Black Friday, which kicks off the festive season just around the corner, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on what we think are the core elements that help drive FMCG sales.

Strategies to Compete

Start with why

Simon Sinek, of the famous TedX talk on YouTube, with over 6 million views, offers a firm reminder to reflect back on the purpose of the product or service we are offering, and he reminds us to ask the question, Why?.  This is an uncomfortable question because it is hard to answer. It’s not your USP, it’s not what you give customers, it’s about why you offer the product or service that you do. It is the cause or belief structure of your organisation. If we know and believe in the Why, then everything else falls into place.

Define your audience

This may seem like an obvious point, and yes, you may have personas, and yes, you may have a good solid idea of who your target market is, but do you really understand the changing influences of the economy on their shopping habits or the different technologies which may influence their decision process? Do you understand what motivates Millennials, or what solutions young families are really looking for? Be sure not to bring your preconceived perceptions to the table. Be open to new research, new insights, that may help give you an opportunity to engage with them in an original way.

Breaking the wall of noise

Black Friday and the festive season is the busiest retail period of the year. The demand for consumers’ attention is at its peak. Think about how to break through this wall of noise. Understanding your target market and what they need during this period may just help to unlock some clever, creative ideas so that you can really give the customer a reason to want to purchase your product.

Planning

As they say, the “devil is in the detail”. How to effectively plan the way in which you will execute your strategy is of equal importance. The logistics, the consumer touchpoints, the materials, and the staff. The detail of the execution is what marks the difference. Working with external providers to help ensure that the quality of sales strategy is exceptional and will make a remarkable difference to your campaign and to your stress levels.

Seamless implementation

Running large national campaigns that require timely and seamless execution is a big task. Outsourcing the implementation to experts who have the experience and capacity to deliver will allow you to focus on driving operational efficiencies in the rest of the business.

Follow up

Customer service should not be an afterthought, or only for when things go wrong. Continuously providing support and going that extra step, especially during peak times, will make a tremendous difference as to how the customer perceives the brand.

All of the above sales mechanisms are pretty well known, and in many ways, standard procedures which are routinely followed. However, it’s for that very reason that we need to relook at them; to cast them in a fresh light, and to challenge ourselves to be different, to be better, and to be more relevant than we were last time.

FMI specialises in all matters related to FMCG sales. If you want a fresh take, give us a call on
+353 1 496 3399.

The consumer goods market has multiple trends, such as health and a growing focus on sustainability, amongst others. These trends are dramatically influencing and changing the landscape of this sector. The opportunity for new, smaller disrupter brands to gain market share has never been greater. Defining the best FMCG sales strategy is, therefore, more important than ever, as sheer scale can no longer be relied on to compete.

As we head into the busiest retail time of the year with the imminent Black Friday, which kicks off the festive season just around the corner, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on what we think are the core elements that help drive FMCG sales.

Strategies to Compete

Start with why

Simon Sinek, of the famous TedX talk on YouTube, with over 6 million views, offers a firm reminder to reflect back on the purpose of the product or service we are offering, and he reminds us to ask the question, Why?.  This is an uncomfortable question because it is hard to answer. It’s not your USP, it’s not what you give customers, it’s about why you offer the product or service that you do. It is the cause or belief structure of your organisation. If we know and believe in the Why, then everything else falls into place.

Define your audience

This may seem like an obvious point, and yes, you may have personas, and yes, you may have a good solid idea of who your target market is, but do you really understand the changing influences of the economy on their shopping habits or the different technologies which may influence their decision process? Do you understand what motivates Millennials, or what solutions young families are really looking for? Be sure not to bring your preconceived perceptions to the table. Be open to new research, new insights, that may help give you an opportunity to engage with them in an original way.

Breaking the wall of noise

Black Friday and the festive season is the busiest retail period of the year. The demand for consumers’ attention is at its peak. Think about how to break through this wall of noise. Understanding your target market and what they need during this period may just help to unlock some clever, creative ideas so that you can really give the customer a reason to want to purchase your product.

Planning

As they say, the “devil is in the detail”. How to effectively plan the way in which you will execute your strategy is of equal importance. The logistics, the consumer touchpoints, the materials, and the staff. The detail of the execution is what marks the difference. Working with external providers to help ensure that the quality of sales strategy is exceptional and will make a remarkable difference to your campaign and to your stress levels.

Seamless implementation

Running large national campaigns that require timely and seamless execution is a big task. Outsourcing the implementation to experts who have the experience and capacity to deliver will allow you to focus on driving operational efficiencies in the rest of the business.

Follow up

Customer service should not be an afterthought, or only for when things go wrong. Continuously providing support and going that extra step, especially during peak times, will make a tremendous difference as to how the customer perceives the brand.

All of the above sales mechanisms are pretty well known, and in many ways, standard procedures which are routinely followed. However, it’s for that very reason that we need to relook at them; to cast them in a fresh light, and to challenge ourselves to be different, to be better, and to be more relevant than we were last time.

FMI specialises in all matters related to FMCG sales. If you want a fresh take, give us a call on
+353 1 496 3399.

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