How much competitive clutter does a new product have to cut through?

This week we continue with our new product theme looking at the amount of competitive clutter that a new product has to cut through. There have also been some recent questions about the development of small vs large brands. And finally we bring together FMCG trends by region for 2020 with a first view on 2021.

1. On average across multiple countries and categories, the largest and mid-tier brands have lost some share but it is Private Label that has gained and not the smallest brands.
2. New product launches face nearly 4 times as much new product activity in larger countries. ‘Stand-out’ in communication and in-store is vital if the consumer is to be made aware of and choose anything new.
3. The early impact of the virus, the effective cancellation of the peak Chinese New Year and a lesser Covid-19 impact meant China stood out from other countries in 2020 as FMCG did not benefit. Elsewhere continued lockdowns and restrictions are still driving significant growth into 2021 but the peak Spring 2020 volumes will not be matched despite more people still working from home.