News Briefs

Reckitt is transforming its marketing and supply chain by launching a global cloud optimization initiative that will reportedly lead to enterprise-wide best practices regarding data residing in the cloud. 

By leveraging a new tech platform, the company will be able to access high quality data, enhance cloud performance, and improve visibility and predictability of monthly expenses. 

The company has tapped AI firm Sigmoid, using their solution and custom dashboards to improve visibility into planned projects and discover any anomalies or fluctuations in billing patterns to ensure cost efficiency. 

[More from Sigmoid: Win More Loyal Customers with Consumer Insights and CPG Analytics]

Reckitt was looking to improve its access to data, particularly as data volumes increased and multiple teams were relying on the insights garnered. The company already reports improvement in query performance by 97% and cost saving by 54%.

Thomson Iruthayaraj, global lead data strategy and operations of IT at Reckitt, said the new technology will allow the company to “have a clear view on cloud usage and continuity of key analytics initiatives.” 

Leveraging best practices in monitoring, guard railing, and optimization, the company has been able to optimize data infrastructure on multiple cloud platforms, which has decreased cloud costs by more than 50% BAU projects in GCP, said Iruthayaraj.

"We are happy to work with Reckitt in their cloud enablement and optimization. Our association with leading cloud service providers combined with our experience in data management enabled us to develop a highly cost efficient solution with real-time monitoring and notification system that drives business critical use cases for Reckitt," said Mayur Rustagi, Sigmoid's CTO and co-founder.

Tableware brand Fable Home is leveraging AI to dig deeper into performance, drive marketing scalability, and cut customer acquisition costs. 

With the help of data analytics company Conjura, Fable Home will be able to improve visibility into performance across the organization, helping the company understand how to better manage resources and unlock opportunities and minimize risk. 

The technology will provide Fable Home with a comprehensive view into operations, providing real-time analysis across fulfillment, supply chain sources, transactions, and customer behavior. 

Ian Cruickshank, head of financial planning and analysis at Fable, stated that the online furniture and homeware market is growing at a rapid pace, and best-in-class technology allows the company to meet consumers’ evolving expectations. 

“As the complexity of our operation increases, and we look to expand our business beyond North America, Conjura’s unique business insights and approach will enable us to identify our customers’ changing needs and adapt accordingly in order to deliver the same quality experience at scale,” he said

“Fable’s commitment to responsible design, ethical sourcing and accessible pricing adds an important layer to their analytic needs, and we are thrilled to bring our technology to such a popular brand,” said Fran Quilty, CEO of Conjura. “A key component of our work with Fable will be to provide them with greater visibility and insights into their current operations across the board on a single cloud-based platform. We will also be identifying areas of opportunity for growth, enabling the company to optimize their approach and ultimately enhance customer experiences."

Tracey Massey has been named chief operating officer at NielsenIQ, a new role for the company.

Massey will oversee all of NielsenIQ’s commercial and product aspects, as well as its revenue, product development plans, business units’ strategies, and all market-facing aspects.

Most recently global president and CEO of Mars Pet Nutrition, Massey led the company’s pet food business and revamped its product portfolios for growth. Prior to that role, she was regional president of Mars Confectionary Americas, where she led her team through the integration of Mars Chocolate Americas with the Wrigley Co. Americas.

“Tracey will play an integral role in the continued transformation of NielsenIQ, placing even more emphasis on sustainable growth through the execution of our strategic initiatives,” said Jim Peck, executive chairman and CEO of NielsenIQ. “She brings more than 30 years of industry experience and a successful track record in growing and expanding global business, but most importantly her passion for serving customers and nurturing highly engaged teams will be key in our evolution.”

See more leadership news here.

The co-founders of Honest tea intend to fill the gap exposed by the brand’s upcoming discontinuation.

The Coca-Cola Company announced last month it will phase out the Honest brand by the end of this year in order to focus on brands with more growth potential, including the Gold Peak and Peace Tea brands.

Seth Goldman and Barry Nalebuff, who founded Honest in 1998 and now lead healthy snack startup Eat the Change, announced they will bring a line of organic bottled tea to market by the end of this year under their new venture. Joining with chef Spike Mendelsohn, the group intends to enlist many of the same key team members who launched Honest Tea.

[See also: Goldman on CPG Innovation]

Goldman, who had called the discontinuation a “gut punch” on social media, said in a statement that the overwhelming response on LinkedIn have demonstrated several things: “The first is a true commitment to the values underlying Honest Tea really counts – it makes a difference to our consumers, our suppliers, our employees and our partners in the natural foods world,” he said. “The second learning is that the community of people who Honest Tea touched and inspired was even larger, and more passionate, than we hoped.”

Adding that organic and Fair Trade suppliers deserve better treatment, Goldman said the upcoming line will be both organic and Fair Trade certified.

Product discovery platform RangeMe is launching Deal Days, specific periods throughout the year during which retail buyers can commit to wholesale purchases at discounted rates. 

The experience kicks off with RangeMe Deal Days: Summer Savings, which will take place from August 1 to 5 across the food and beverage, foodservice, health and beauty, pet, baby, housewares, and cleaning categories. 

Additionally, RangeMe will also be showcasing educational content, such as a series of webinars for suppliers that features best practices for building their digital storefronts and fulfilling purchase orders. NielsenIQ will also present a live webinar for brands that will highlight the biggest trends across the categories represented. 

“Independent retailers are always looking to differentiate themselves with unique product assortments. In addition, we are always pressed for time, so having the ability to browse through what’s available to order on RangeMe is an extremely efficient way to source and purchase new products,” said Joseph Quarto, owner of fair-trade retailer Amistad.

Rebecca Styn, co-founder of Blind Tiger Spirit-Free Cocktail, stated that Deal Days is a great way to gain exposure to and business from the many independent and regional retailers they would not normally have access to. 

“Setting up my digital storefront was extremely easy, and we received a retail order of several cases shortly afterward,” added Styn. 

Mondelēz International, Unilever, and PepsiCo are among the CPGs signing on for Instacart’s new shoppable video and display ad technology.

The ads seek to shorten the user journey from awareness and product discovery to purchase; fuel brand affinity with rich stories, motion, and audio; and prompt larger basket sizes through an add-to-cart functionality

Several consumer goods companies are piloting the tech, including Unilever’s Dove brand, Mondelēz International, PepsiCo, and S.Pellegrino. Throughout the pilot, Instacart will test and learn alongside the brands to determine best practices and inform what the shoppable video product looks like when it becomes available to all brands in its self-service portal, Ads Manager, later this year.

[See also: Ben & Jerry's, Breyers and More Sign On for Instacart’s New Ad Tech]

Likewise, Instacart’s iterative, shoppable display product features brand imagery coupled with direct add-to-cart functionality, and brands can pin a bundle of items to drive complementary and routine purchases.

More than 40 CPG brands have piloted the shoppable display product, which will be generally available to all brand partners in Ads Manager later this summer.

PepsiCo will trial multiple brands, and Emily Frankel, senior VP, e-commerce marketing head at PepsiCo, said shoppable display has proven to be an effective way to drive first-time purchase of the products via the Instacart platform. “While we're just getting started with shoppable video, we look forward to continuing our work to give consumers a compelling omnichannel experience."

“Online grocery shopping is critical to our long-term growth strategy, and we are excited to create a richer experience for our consumers as they shop for our beloved brands,” added Wesley Saraceni, senior director of marketing digital commerce at Mondelēz.