CPG Reads: New item launches need more than product features + why “loyal shoppers” may not be enough
This week, we’re continuing the CPG Reads format we started a couple of weeks ago.
A few things worth your time: why new item stories need more than product features, how nutrition callouts can be clearer at the shelf, and why “loyal shoppers” may not be as loyal as retailer-facing stories sometimes make them sound.
👉 The Retailer Storytelling Corner
How to turn new item conversations into commitments
We recently built a retailer-facing selling story for a major CPG launch that exceeded their internal forecasts. The product was strong, no question. But what made the difference was that the story was grounded in a clear category gap, not just product features.
Here’s a selling story formula that tends to move the conversation with a buyer: a strong product + tied to a shopper need + framed around a retailer opportunity.
This thinking works whether you’re building a full sell-in story for a major launch or having a short buyer conversation.
👉 Read more: The article has strawman slides, and even an outline for your buyer presentation: New Item Launch Presentations: Lead With the Why, Not the What
Why clear nutrition callouts matter at the shelf
This is a useful refresher for any Category and Sales team leaning on wellness-claims when educating or influencing retailers. The best nutrition claims are not always the biggest. They are the easiest to understand, compare, and believe.
That matters because shoppers are seeing the same wellness language everywhere now.
“High protein.” “Clean label.” “Functional.” “Better for you.”
While those claims may be true, they start to blur together when every brand is using some version of them.
Instead, consider using specific callouts to make the benefit easier to process. “20g protein” is clearer than “high protein.” “8g fiber” tells shoppers more than “supports digestion.” “0g added sugar” gives them something concrete to compare.
The takeaway: nutrition claims should not just describe the product. They should make the product easier to shop, easier to compare, and easier for the retailer to support.
📖 Read more: Kelsey Butler of the Association for Retail & Consumer Professionals on clearer nutrition callouts at shelf.
Why “loyal shoppers” may not be enough of a retailer story
Most Category and Sales teams already know shoppers aren’t purely loyal. But Ethan Decker’s post put useful language and data behind something we probably still overstate in retailer stories.
He uses a fun analogy that stuck with me: the average buyer is not “loyal” like a spouse. They are “loyal” like a friend who has other friends too.
In other words, shoppers may like your brand and still keep others in the mix. The Bain & Co. data referenced shows that most shoppers buy from a repertoire of brands, not just one. Even your best buyers are probably buying someone else too.
That does not make loyalty meaningless. It means loyalty probably should not be asked to carry the whole story.
And that’s where I think this gets relevant for retailer-facing work. If shoppers are moving across a few brands in the category, the better story is not just “people prefer us.” It is “here is when shoppers choose us, why they choose us in that moment, and what that means for the category.”
That is harder to build. But it is a more credible story to bring to a retailer.
👉 Read more: Ethan Decker on why shoppers may be less brand loyal than many teams assume.
While you're here:
(1) Chomps’ growth story: from side hustle to shelf leader. The useful part is the sequencing: DTC, Trader Joe’s, then broader retail once the proof was there. A good reminder: don’t just show the scale, show what earned the next move. [Read more]
(2) Apparently, sleep is now a snack, a drink, a gummy, a powder, and maybe even a cereal. Fred Hart looks at how sleep has moved beyond melatonin and NyQuil into a much wider set of CPG formats. Fun read if you’re tracking where wellness is heading next. [Read here]
Worth a listen
🎙️ When TikTok becomes part of the buyer story. This episode of Kantar Retail Sound Bites is worth a listen if you’re thinking about how social demand can support retail conversations. The interesting part is not the TikTok Shop itself. It’s how early traction can become a stronger shopper and category story for retailers. [Listen here]
Learn More About OUTKREATE’s Sales, CatMan & Insights Solutions
OUTKREATE develops retailer-facing presentations for top CPG Cat Man & Insights teams, equipping them for success, be it Top to Tops, Innovation Selling Stories, Line Reviews & JBPs, and more.
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