- Playbook · 0012026.05.10Editorial7 min
Your Q3 Promo Reset Playbook: Stop Promoting Your Way Into a Trap
Brands and retailers that run a depth-and-frequency reset in Q3 without fixing three upstream metrics first will lock in margin damage they cannot reverse before year-end.
- Op-ed · 0022026.05.10Editorial7 min
Points Are Dead. Your Brand's Role in Grocery Loyalty Has to Change Now.
AI-driven personalisation is making Tesco Clubcard, Kroger and Albertsons far more powerful than brands realise, and the CPG companies that still treat loyalty as a media buy will lose the most valuable shelf position of all.
- Op-ed · 0032026.05.07Editorial6 min
TikTok Shop Is a Brand Channel Pretending to Be a Profit Channel. Stop Pretending.
Most CPG brands are pouring budget into TikTok Shop without a credible path to margin, and the ones that will win are treating it as a distinct commercial model, not a social media bonus.
- Playbook · 0042026.05.07Editorial7 min
The Retailer Premium Tier Is a Moat, Not a Me-Too: Why Lidl Deluxe Beats National Brands at Their Own Game
Private label premium tiers in Western Europe and the US are not just cheaper alternatives to national brands. They are structurally harder to dislodge, and commercial leaders who ignore that face a permanent share problem.
- Op-ed · 0052026.05.06Editorial7 min
The EU Green Claims Directive Will Force Brands to Say Less and Mean More
With enforcement arriving in September 2026, brands that keep vague eco-language on pack will face legal risk, not just reputational risk. The ones that survive will have traded slogans for audited specifics.
- Playbook · 0062026.05.05Editorial7 min
Shrinkflation Is a Tactical Option, Not a Free Pass: A Playbook for Commercial Leaders
Reducing pack size while holding price is a legitimate crisis tool, but the regulatory tide in Europe and the brand-trust math make it one of the most expensive ways to buy short-term margin relief.
- Op-ed · 0072026.05.04Editorial6 min
Retail Media Is Eating Your Budget and You Cannot Prove It Is Working
Brands are pouring roughly two-fifths of their ad spend into retail media networks, but the measurement tools to justify that allocation still do not exist at scale. Pull back before the cycle turns.
- Playbook · 0082026.05.04Editorial7 min
The Hi-Lo to EDLP Migration Most Retailers Get Wrong: A Five-Step Playbook
Switching from promotional pricing to everyday low prices fails far more often than it succeeds, and the difference almost always comes down to three pre-conditions retailers ignore before they flip the switch.
- Op-ed · 0092026.05.04Editorial6 min
GLP-1 Is Rewriting Snack Pack Architecture. Brands That Miss This Window Will Spend Years Catching Up.
With GLP-1 household penetration at 23 percent today and projections near 35 percent by 2030, the snack aisle's standard pack sizes, calorie counts, and repeat-purchase rhythms are already obsolete for a fast-growing share of shoppers.
- Op-ed · 0102026.05.03Editorial6 min
Deep Promotions Reset Price Anchors Faster Than a List Price Rise
Sustained promotional depth above 30 percent on traded SKUs destroys the shopper's sense of what your product is worth, and the damage takes longer to undo than even an aggressive price increase would.
- Playbook · 0112026.04.27Bulent Kotan14 min
Price rise vs pack shrink: which one to choose, and when
Same per-pack revenue lift, two structurally different consequences for sales, shopper trust, retailer relations, and reversibility. Here is how to think it through before signing the spring resets.