From insights to impact: How marketers drive CPG success

Great advertising moves consumers—not only to make purchases but also emotionally. It may make you laugh or call up a nice memory. Advertising can inspire you to pursue goals or to embrace your existing positive qualities. 

For instance, Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty began in 2004, and in 2024, in recognition of the 20th anniversary Dove launched “The Code: A Dove Film.” The ad re-asserts Dove’s commitment to real beauty, and pledges Dove will never use AI to distort, enhance or create images of women. Without the previous work Dove had done in the prior ten years with Campaign for Real Beauty, The Code ad wouldn’t have had the impact it did.

But that’s not where all the credit to its success goes. 

Researching ad concepts with consumers and the market helps brands avoid major missteps in their advertising, well before the budget is spent. It’s research like this that made it possible for Dove’s ad to score in the top 5% of all ads in the United States in potential to drive sales and build brand equity. 

The conventional wisdom around consumer insights and sales is changing, and Dove managed to keep pace—a difficult feat. Mckinsey reports:

“For decades, consumer sentiment and consumer spending have moved in sync—when people feel unsure about the economy, they spend less. But in the last couple of years, that hasn’t been the case. Consumer sentiment cratered when inflation surged and has not really recovered. The same is not true for spending.” 

Brands need up-to-the minute information to optimize their market position. Market research provides these insights to consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands, helping them to develop a clear picture of how they are perceived— in turn, informing campaigns, building brand equity, generating long-term sales and more.  competitor analysis, retail audits and point of sale data analysis.

In this article, I’ll walk through four key market research methods for CPG brands, how to apply them to your go-to-market-strategies and some tools to help you get started.

First, let’s dive into the four key CPG market research methods:

1. Finding the gaps with competitive analysis

It’s important to know what your competitors are doing, but maybe not for the reasons you expect. 

For example, in their Campaign for Real Beauty, Dove identified and exploited a gap in the market. The brand saw that competitors were selling standards of beauty that are unrealistic for the majority of women. Instead of following that lead, Dove chose to speak to real women about real beauty.

The decision was based on what Dove calls “a simple, compelling truth.” A survey revealed that only 2% of women considered themselves beautiful, and Dove has spent 20 years working to change how women see themselves. A recent Dove survey showed that “9 in 10 women and girls say Real Beauty is being authentic, who you are and embracing flaws.”  

This approach is in direct opposition to the more aspirational advertising of Dove’s competitors. By hiring models and promoting younger-looking skin, those brands supported the unrealistic beauty standards women have faced for years.  

Making sure your brand is positioned as well as (or ideally, better than!) competitors is a natural inclination, but considering the gaps that your competitors leave can also give you an edge and make your brand voice stand out. 

“Dove saw a growing gap between what people wanted from beauty products and what the market was delivering.”

- Global Brands Magazine

Along the same lines, it’s easy to fall into the routine of looking at the same competitive landscape and missing potential new competitors. Consistently gathering data about competing products such as price and package design, size, various product characteristics and how products are promoted is a key step in conducting the research you need to identify any gaps (or opportunities). 

2. On the ground with a retail audit 

When you plan a road trip, you probably look at a map, determine some potential stops and maybe schedule some sightseeing along your way. That part of planning your trip is very different from actually driving along the road, where stop lights and traffic can change your timing, crowds and lines can interfere with planned stops and of course any detours that may occur. 

Similarly, the best-designed, most carefully researched planogram (or diagram of a store's products on display) is unlikely to match what’s actually happening in a physical store. 

A planogram also doesn’t account for the check-out experience, or for what other brands may be doing. Retail audits are an essential tool for developing comprehensive and effective CPG market research. 

Some best practices for conducting CPG retail audits include: 

1. Compare the actual shelf to the planogram

First, check to make sure the planogram is implemented. Are products in the right places on the shelves? Are displays set up according to established arrangements? Can customers clearly see the products? 

2. Check inventory and stocking levels 

Keeping stock at an optimum level to meet store needs is crucial, and having an accurate inventory directly affects the bottom line. Products languishing in a storeroom while shelves are sparsely stocked mean lost profits. Your retail audit should include an examination of how products move from inventory to customer. 

3. Review, analyze and implement changes 

Simply performing a retail audit won’t generate results or improvement. The information has to be processed and analyzed, then the results can be used to improve processes and profits.

You can also lean on shopper insights tools to take your research even further and dive deeper into the customer journey. Read more on this in our past post.    

 3. A data bonanza: Point-of-sale information 

Point of sale (POS) data is a rich source of information for CPG brands. 

Tracking and aggregating this data from multiple locations can help brands see trends related to how products perform, how resources could be allocated more efficiently and to identify trends that would otherwise be difficult to see. 

At first glance, it may seem like POS data is simply information about payment, but there’s much more to it. Here’s more POS data to consider: 

• Sales volume

• Product mix

• Customer demographics

• New customers during a specific time period

• Average sales volume

• Average order value

• Conversion rate

• Inventory levels

• Customer retention rate

Whether sales are online or in a physical store, POS data offers a window into how, when and what else customers are purchasing. Understanding what sells best and when gives brands the chance to adjust for seasonality, promotions and offerings to better fit what customers’ needs. 

4. Managing brand perception 

Brand perception, or how consumers see, think and feel about a brand, sometimes seems like a nebulous, impossible-to-measure concept— but let’s return to the Dove Real Beauty Campaign. The Code Film ad largely depended on the previous 20 years of positive brand perception and what consumers knew they could expect from the brand. 

Some of the largest brands in the world have similarly strong brand perception. One example is Apple. From its very earliest days, Apple built a perception of being a relaxed company. Remember those old commercials with the guy in T-shirts and jeans representing Apple, and the guy in a suit representing Microsoft? That perception still holds among many consumers. 

But sometimes brand perceptions can shift. At this moment in time, due to current events, Costco is perceived as a brand that supports workers and the concept of diversity, equity and inclusion. While Tesla and Amazon on the other hand have both recently endured negative brand perception related to working conditions. 

Some of the ways consumer sentiment and brand perception can be measured include: 

• Consumer surveys

• Social media listening or monitoring tools

• Net promoter scores (How likely are you to recommend our brand to others?)

• Online reviews

• Focus groups

• Customer interviews

• Consumer insight platforms

Changing how customers perceive a brand is possible, but without knowing where you’re starting it’s difficult to know what needs to change. 

Having all of the data from CPG research doesn’t do any good if it’s not applied. One place where data analyses can make a big, positive impact is in your go-to-market strategy. 

For example, with the results of a thorough POS data analysis, you’re likely more informed about when to implement your GTM strategy because you know more about when customers purchase particular products.

Taking all of your research results and using them to inform your GTM strategy means that you have a strategy based on what real consumers are doing in the market as it currently exists. Your promotions, product placement, inventory levels and pricing are all based on actual consumer data rather than only on projections or historical data. After all, you want to market to the people of today and what they’re looking for. 

Connecting the results of CPG market research and consumer data provides the most comprehensive information possible to inform a GTM strategy that positions your product to have the optimal pricing, positioning, promotions and of course, the right timing. 

Now that you know all the various types of market research that can help you create a successful GTM strategy, the question is:  how you can get it all done?, 

Rather than visiting 100 stores with a clipboard or conducting 80 hours of customer interviews, there are several market research tools out there that will help you seamlessly put things in motion. 

Here’s a few favorites: 

1. Zappi Optimize Pack

Zappi Optimize Pack helps CPG teams figure out which packaging designs really work, before anything hits the shelf. 

It’s built for speed and iteration, so you can test different pack options, see how they perform on things like shelf standout and purchase intent and make confident decisions fast. Whether you’re launching something new or refreshing a legacy brand, this is the smartest way to ensure your packaging connects with consumers.

Learn how Zappi Optimize Pack can help you create packaging that works for your brand and stands out on shelf by requesting a demo.

2. Zappi’s Brand Health KPI Tracker

For brand perception market research tools, Zappi’s Brand Health KPI Tracker provides a modern take on brand tracking. 

Giving you a continuous read on how your brand is performing in the market—without the slow turnaround times of traditional trackers, it helps CPG brands stay close to shifts in perception, emotional resonance and category dynamics, so you can spot trends early and adjust your strategy in real time.

Learn more about Zappi’s Brand Health Tracker by requesting a demo. 

3. Qualtrics XM

Qualtrics XM is a robust platform that covers a lot of ground, like brand, product, customer and employee experience, all in one place. For CPG teams, it’s especially useful when you need to manage complex research programs, like testing a new product concept or tracking brand loyalty across markets. With flexible survey design and deep analytics, it’s a solid choice for teams looking to connect data across touchpoints.

4. Jotform

Jotform is an easy-to-use form builder that comes in handy for a range of CPG research needs. While it’s not a full research platform, it’s great for quick surveys, store checks or collecting in-the-moment feedback from field teams. If you need something simple, customizable, and fast—especially for tactical research—Jotform can be a great tool in your mix.

5. FuelCycle

FuelCycle helps you build an always-on research engine by tapping into engaged consumer communities. It’s a versatile platform that lets you run everything from concept tests to mobile diaries and even plug in more advanced methods like MaxDiff or conjoint. For CPG brands that want to test often, learn fast and stay connected to their core shoppers, FuelCycle is a strong contender.

For CPG brands, market research connected to consumer insights creates a robust, rich and accurate image to inform your GTM strategy in ways that haven’t been possible in the past. From gauging brand perception to POS data, the right research methods can have a clear and positive impact on your ROI. 

Remember, integrating research from conception to implementation at every level means that customers are at the heart of all decisions. And it’s putting the customer first that will ultimately improve brand perception, drive sales and increase the bottom line.