Google, Inc.

There is a social data revolution going on in the retail and consumer goods industries, but it is only worth as much as it has an impact on decisions.

This section is no stranger to prioritizing data, but this year the focus has shifted from a mere buzzword, to a call for a single repository, and the need to ultimately make data actionable. Digital transformation and the Internet of Things are also emerging trends to watch.

Looking ahead, Mintel's trends analysts Stacy Glasgow and Jenny Zegler discuss the four key US consumer trends identified by Mintel as the most impactful for 2015 and what this will mean for both consumers and brands in the year ahead. Read on to learn how Get Smart, My Wallet, My Way, Fight for Your Rights and Gender Agenda will impact consumers and brands alike in the coming year.

CPG companies pursuing digital strategies to improve or increase their top-line or bottom-line are finding that product (or raw materials) information management and the distribution / sharing of the information is crucial to the success of their strategy.

This is part of the company's strategy to invest more of its media spending in digital and, in particular, online video. Globally, the company has committed to shifting 10 percent of its ad budgets to online video in 2014.

Yumi looked to provide its Territory Sales Managers with additional and more effective sales tools on a tablet devices allowing them to leave binders of printed price lists, planograms, and product information behind.

"The cloud" sounds like a nebulous other-world without definition or structure, but the reality is quite different. Moving your small business to the cloud can save you time, energy, and money, all while improving communication and collaboration among your team. Check out six specific benefits of taking the leap with your small business.

Mobile platforms combined to account for 60 percent of total digital media time spent, up from 50 percent a year ago. And perhaps more impressively, mobile apps accounted for more than half of all digital media time spent in May (51 percent), reinforcing the notion that as consumers turn to mobile, so must consumer goods companies.