Price:  US$595

Market:  United States

Distribution channels for packaged goods products continue to evolve. Mass merchandisers, drug retailers, and convenience/gas chains are applying more and more competitive pressure on the grocery channel as they stock "traditional grocery" items. Relatively new channels like dollar stores, warehouse club stores, supercenters, and category killers (like pet food super stores and office supply stores) have caused retailers to re-evaluate store formats and merchandising strategies and manufacturers to re-think how they package and ship products. Further, bottom-line pressures (and the need for retailers to stock the right mix of products) are creating a real battle for manufacturers to win and maintain shelf space.

Distribution channels for packaged goods products continue to evolve. Mass merchandisers, drug retailers, and convenience/gas chains are applying more and more competitive pressure on the grocery channel as they stock "traditional grocery" items. Relatively new channels like dollar stores, warehouse club stores, supercenters, and category killers (like pet super stores and office supply stores) have caused retailers to re-evaluate store formats and merchandising strategies and manufacturers to re-think how they package and ship products. Further, bottom-line pressures (and the need for retailers to stock the right mix of products) are creating a real battle for manufacturers to win and maintain shelf space.

Retailers can no longer think that their competition is limited within their specific channel. Grocery retailers, for example, can't just be concerned with the other grocery store down the street, but also need to keep an eye on Wal-Mart, Dollar General, Costco, Petsmart, Office Depot, Lowe's and Toys "R" Us. Manufacturers that ignore alternative channels will likely find themselves at a competitive disadvantage.

This 150+ page printed PowerPoint presentation with notes details consumer trends through 2002 in channel shopping dynamics and provides ideas for how retailers and manufacturers can capitalize on these dynamics. Information covered includes:

• Trends in store count within the major retail channels that drive sales of consumer packaged goods.
• Trends in consumer shopping behavior (i.e., what percentage of households shop in each channel, how often, and how much do they spend per shopping trip?) and the categories that can be leveraged to impact those behaviors.
• A Wal-Mart update.
• The importance of multi-channel category buyers and channel "grazers."
• Heavy, medium and light channel shopper importance.
• The demographic groups that drive retail channel sales as well as the demographic groups that are under-developed and offer sales opportunities.
• Age and sex of primary shopper by channel.
• Day of week and month of year shopping importance.
• Key macro trends in the retail industry (i.e., ethnic population growth, aging baby boomers, convenience/pace-of-life issues, home electronics, niche retailers and store-within-a-store retailing).
• Summary comments on how retailers and manufacturers can utilize the information to drive sales, and closing thoughts on the future outlook for retail channels.