The retail environment of the early 21st century is like nothing the consumer packaged goods industry has seen before. The face of competition has changed: you now have traditional channel competitors to worry about, as well as those in grocery stores, chemists, convenience stores, and those that cater to distinct niches, such as high-income professionals or value-conscious shoppers. As a retail executive or a manager, you are under constant pressure to increase revenues, margin and share.

You know that planning and executing at the national or regional level is no longer adequate. Income and education levels, ethnic make-up and store location – city, suburban or rural – are all critical factors that drive purchasing habits.

Category management, price and promotion strategies, and assortment approaches that work in one location may not work in another that is just a few miles away. The key to growing your business profitably in today’s complex marketplace lies in your ability to address and anticipate the needs of today’s growingly sophisticated consumers. To win, you need answers:

• Did the shopper find the product they needed in my store, or did they leave and go to a store across the street?
• How does a consumer make a decision between competing products?
• Who are my most loyal and valuable shoppers?
  

To answer these questions, and the dozens of others like them, IRI offers a suite of solutions, which are designed to help you, see what you’ve been missing, act faster and with greater confidence, and win at the shelf.