"The Future of Consumer Product Companies" series focuses on key issues that consumer product manufacturers should be thinking about to achieve sustained, profitable growth in the years ahead. Solutions to the industry’s dilemma can be found by considering innovative approaches to five key areas of business, including consumers, customers, products, people and technology. A company’s understanding of its consumers, relationship to its customers, process of developing and selling products, search for the best talent and implementation of technology to guide all these areas are the keys to building long-term success. 
| Technology: Gaining an Advantage with Advanced Analtyics
The final report in the Future of Consumer Product Companies series looks at how leading companies have gained a competitive advantage by using advanced analytics to manage multiple business processes and identify five key areas where leading consumer products companies have achieved substantial benefits in the area of advanced analytics. |  | The Future of Consumer Product Companies: Defining the Challenge, Finding Solutions
For some consumer product companies, the biggest challenge is simply survival. Fierce competition, fickle consumers and the rise of private labels are some of the forces squeezing these companies and pushing them closer to the abyss. This report introduces Deloitte & Touche USA LLP’s six-part series about the challenges vexing the industry and offers advice for meeting these challenges. |  | Consumers — Mapping a Course for Growth
Our second report in "The Future of Consumer Product Companies" series discusses how consumer product companies are developing a consumer-centric approach to the marketplace. They are shifting from being product-based to knowledge-based, and supply chain management is giving way to demand chain management. Successful companies will organize around this real-time information and knowledge. |  | Products: Staying a Step Ahead
Consumer business manufacturers continually introduce new products and product extensions. However, very few of these products or line extensions survive or better yet return a profit for these companies. To break out of this unproductive cycle of diminishing returns, it's essential that manufacturers take action. Our third report in the series examines opportunities and challenges facing new product extension and development initiatives. |  | Customers: Focusing on Better Relations
Retailers and suppliers are locked in a struggle. The retail industry is consolidating, resulting in a handful of mass market, price-oriented behemoths that are gaining global market share and placing enormous pressure on branded suppliers. Our fourth report in the series examines the state of retailer-supplier relations and discusses opportunities for retailers and suppliers to break away from this struggle through better collaboration. |  | People: Building the Right Team
A focus on people is critical to the success of consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies in achieving their desired results. As the industry continues to be more competitive and more commoditized, CPG companies cannot cost-cut their way to growth. Instead, growth depends on innovation, and innovation must be driven by a company’s people. But how many CPG companies know this? Even for those that do, the questions remain: What are they doing to attract, develop and retain the right talent to drive performance in tomorrow’s marketplace, and is it enough? |
Stay tuned for upcoming reports in our "Future of Consumer Product Companies" series. |
