Jeff Bowes

Redesigned authoring experience in the Unify+ solution generates presentation-ready charts and written insight summaries, with export to PowerPoint, Excel and PDF

CPG brands are leaning into AI in a hard way. AI can help brands learn how to read demand, set prices, and decide where to compete for shelf space, among other things. But speed without responsibility creates risk, and for small and emerging brands, that risk can be costly. As consumer behavior fragments with habits shifting by channel, season, and region, and with growing expectations around convenience, scaling brands operate in an environment focused on immediacy and value. At the same...

August retail sales rose 0.8%, but unit demand fell 1.7% as increasingly selective shoppers focused spending on purchases they deem truly worth it.

Consumers across global markets are evolving into epicurean snackers, gravitating toward adventurous cultural flavors and layered profiles that balance heat with sweet, smoky, and tangy notes. This appetite for experimentation is fueling notable category expansion and premiumization.

Marketers want transparent, flexible measurement without sacrificing the depth of data and expertise required for rigor, or the ease and speed needed to make better business decisions

As a best in class for independent third-party validation, Circana grounds every result in real purchase behavior. This partnership gives marketers a clear, objective view of the incremental sales and new buyer growth their DoorDash investments create.

Hardware spending fell 29% when compared to a year ago as all console platforms suffered year-on-year unit declines.

Circana’s latest Eating Patterns in America report highlights a growing trend toward solo dining. Half of all at-home main meals are now eaten alone, with solo breakfasts, lunches, and snacks also increasing. Solo dining is rising in restaurants as well, especially at breakfast and full-service establishments. Circana attributes the shift to workplace mobility, convenience, smaller households, and affluent older consumers.

The term “collaborate” is often used in discussions between suppliers and retailers. Taken to the next level, formalized retailer collaboration initiatives can lead to win-win-win opportunities for brands, sellers, and consumers.

Top growing categories include baseball and softball, lacrosse, and football

Monitoring macroeconomic impacts on volume, price, and other aspects of the U.S. CPG industry.

As macroeconomic headwinds stubbornly stick around, consumers continue to move between channels, products, and brands. Whether switching to private label products, holding out for promotions, or splitting visits across more stores, today’s shoppers are tougher to track.

Even with a vast amount of information, many, if not most, retailers can’t explain why their market share moves and that is a costly blind spot. A single, unified view of performance separates a retailer's own execution from external market forces, replacing competing departmental narratives with one authoritative answer.

For years, retailers have focused their back-to-college strategies on incoming freshmen and dorm move-in season. But the real growth opportunity may lie with upperclassmen transitioning to apartments and off-campus housing. From graduation celebrations to fully furnishing living spaces, college spending evolves dramatically throughout the student journey, creating opportunities for retailers and manufacturers to capture demand far beyond the freshman year.

For a time, the challenging operating environment for brands, retailers, and others across the supply chain was described as the “new normal.” Today, after years of volatility in various forms, those who create and market products to consumers recognize that “normal” has become, frankly, abnormal.

More than half (58%) of shoppers have purchased a dupe, and price is no longer the whole story. Quality, convenience, and social media discovery are reshaping how consumers buy across apparel, footwear, and beauty, turning dupes from a budget compromise into a deliberate choice that brands can no longer afford to ignore

In today’s retail environment, customer experience is the key differentiator, but improving it requires more than just data. First-party loyalty data provides precise insight into shopper behavior within a retailer, while panel data reveals how customers behave across the broader market. Used together, they help retailers identify friction points, prevent misdiagnoses, and make smarter decisions that drive loyalty, growth, and better customer experiences.

July 2026 China Foodservice Sentiment Report

Americans' eating and drinking patterns continue to evolve as they balance nutrition, convenience, cost, and connection

Strong consumer demand, licensed toys and premium purchases drive growth across the market