Best Practices

At a recent CGT conference, demand planning leaders from P&G candidly discussed how standardization is a key enabler for the rapid expansion of innovation. If you missed the live discussion, dont fret. We caught it all on tape. Plus, watch more video commentaries from other industry thought leaders on big trends to come in 2013 and beyond.

Members of the CGT Downstream Data Share Group met in Orlando, Fla., during the Consumer Goods Business and Technology Leadership Conference on October 23, 2012. In addition to continuing work on the use case matrix, the group tacked various topics including integration and use of non-POS data.

The Keurig single cup coffee brewing system was not an overnight success. Little research predicted that it would be a consumer success. But, this disruptive innovation proved to be the exception to the rule. Why? The answer lies in the entrepreneurial, risk-oriented innovation philosophies of the company behind the brand.

Last week, CGT published a report that names retailers' 10 favorite suppliers. This week, we're turning the tables to bring you a list of the the Top 10 power retailers, ranked by their manufacturing partners. Walmart still reigns, but the gap is narrowing, showing how significantly retailing is changing.

Retailers again ranked P&G Best of the Best although Unilever made up significant ground on its major rival across a number of individual measures and made the biggest gains. Find out which other suppliers are finding favor with America's top retailers.

"Big Data" is well on its way to becoming the consumer goods industry's biggest buzzword in 2012. Beneath the hype, retailers are also beginning measured experiments in Big Data, which could spur growth in harnessing strategies over the next 12-24 months, according to new industry research.

Combining syndicate and retailer data integration, ToolBox Advantage will be PepsiCo's main reporting platform.