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In: Retailing Tips|Last Updated:
Combatting Waste in the CPG Industry

As I drove home a few days ago, I noticed the amount of litter along the sides of the roadway. Cans, coffee cup lids, wrappers, and empty water bottles decorated the shoulder where flowers would have been more pleasing.

Who’s to blame for this waste? The consumers who throw it out of their car windows, certainly, but can we also point fingers at retailers and the CPG industry?

Sian Sutherland

And what’s this waste made up of? Plastic, primarily, although you’ll certainly find a few metal cans too. If plastic were a country, it would be the fifth biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, reports Sian Sutherland, co-founder of the campaign group A Plastic Planet, in the U.K. And it gets worse: plastic production is forecasted to triple by 2040, she recently stated in an interview with the BBC, and 40% of that is for packaging. 

And although consumers have become used to the convenience of plastic packing, it’s not their problem, Sutherland told RangeMe. “The only way to seriously impact it is to take decisions away from the consumer. The industry simply need[s] to sell them something better, something different. And governments need to mandate that they do so fast.”

What are

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In: Retailing Tips|Last Updated:
Decoding Upcoming HFSS Regulations in the U.K.

Two for the price of one? Who can resist?

Consumers in England and Wales will soon be forced to resist, at least to some degree, with new legislation around food merchandising, starting in the coming months. The new rules will affect foods high in fat, salt, or sugar (HFSS) and are designed to thrust them less under the eye of shoppers and to not proffer them through special offers.

However, part of the new regulations have recently been pushed back. Here’s what we can expect to see:

October 2022: Retailers will no longer be allowed to place non-compliant foods (HFSS foods) in the most prominent places in their stores — such as endcaps and at checkouts — to boost sales. Small stores and specialty stores are exempt.

January 2024: It’s anticipated that retailers will no longer be allowed to offer Buy One, Get One offers and multi-buy deals on HFSS products. Commercials of these products will also be banned before 9 p.m. on TV; there will be a complete ban of paid-for advertisements for HFSS products online.

“This has the potential to be quite impactful given that products are put in those places for their sales impact,” says James Anstead, MD, …

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Diversity is in-demand worldwide. This 2022 retail trend is welcome news for diverse suppliers looking for growth abroad. Right now, consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies are trying to manage the risk of tighter profit margins. Many diverse suppliers now seek new sales opportunities, especially as global e-commerce and digital advertising make it easier for them to sell anywhere. 

Let’s see what diversity looks like in international markets, including how market gaps give diverse suppliers new ways to satisfy underserved consumers and improve their top line.

What diversity looks like around the world

Globally, we’re seeing a rise in conscious consumerism, where consumers shop according to their values. For instance:

82% of shoppers want a brand’s values to align with their own;1 Silberstein, Nicole. Harris Poll: 82% of Consumers Want a Brand’s Values to Align with Their Own. Retail Touchpoints. April 27, 2022. 32% of global consumers will buy from brands that support social and political issues that align with their values; and2 Evans, Michelle. Three Ways The Future Retail Store Will Change. Forbes. December 1, 2021. 27% will boycott brands that do not.3 Evans, Michelle. Three Ways The Future Retail Store Will Change. Forbes. December 1, 2021. …
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How Ulta Beauty Takes Product Innovation to the Next Level

The beauty enthusiast is at the heart of everything Ulta Beauty does. As a one-stop beauty destination with full-service salons in every store, the retailer provides guests with everything across the spectrum of categories and services. 

Its best-in-class loyalty program with high engagement – more than 90 percent of transactions come through it – and its large omni-channel footprint means guests can purchase products where, when, and how they want. 

And shoppers are purchasing products in record numbers. Net sales for Ulta Beauty increased 21 percent to $ 2.3 billion in its fiscal first quarter of 2022, up from $ 1.9 billion in the first quarter of 2021. Comparable sales were up 18 percent driven by a 10 percent increase in transactions and a 7.3 percent increase in average ticket.

RangeMe’s SVP of Retail, Wayne Bennett, caught up with Josie Ostrowski, Senior Manager, New Brand Partnerships at Ulta Beauty to discuss beauty trends and to unpack what the retailer looks for in the new brands it brings into its assortment.

RangeMe: What key product trends are you seeing in today’s marketplace?

Josie Ostrowski, Senior Manager, New Brand Partnerships at Ulta Beauty

Ostrowski: We’re really excited about the reintroduction of discovery and self-expression across the makeup and color spaces. Makeup is …

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Scaling is one of the most challenging things for businesses today. It takes time, money, strategy, and top-notch marketing to skyrocket from a successful small business to a more prominent, established brand.  

But many retailers, e-commerce, and CPG brands get stuck on marketing. It makes sense. Marketing can and does feel quite nebulous to those who don’t do it as their primary specialty. Especially in the ever shifting digital landscape today.

It’s why many e-commerce businesses choose to leverage outside companies in addition to or instead of internal teams. But what are the advantages and disadvantages of using an agency to boost your brand’s marketing and ultimately grow your business? This article breaks down the best and worst things about hiring an agency to execute your brand’s marketing strategy. 

Pros 

More Expertise, Skill Sets, and Creativity   

An agency like Hawke Media has a wide range of experts on hand on a wide variety of channels. That means you get more expertise on more channels, for less money than you would get hiring and training a team internally.  Agency experts work on their specialty daily with countless other brands, which makes them that much better at knowing what works best on …

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In the U.S., Black Businesses Month is celebrated during the month of August, building on a successful initiative that has been running since 2004. It’s an opportunity to support the 10% of American businesses that are Black-owned, particularly in sectors such as health care, social work, repair and maintenance, beauty salons, and restaurants.

The idea originated in a project launched by the entrepreneur Frederick E Jordan. He saw firsthand, during a 50-year career running his own engineering business, how hard many minority owners found it to get the backing their businesses deserved. Today, statistics suggesting the Black community is under-represented amongst small business owners – as well as more likely to suffer unemployment and poverty – underline why Black Business Month remains as important as ever.

Support from big business

The good news is that large American businesses are waking up to the idea of minority support. Target Corporation, for example, has promised by 2025 to invest more than $ 2 billion with Black-owned businesses and to add products from more than 500 Black-owned brands to its shelves. Retailer Sephora is pursuing similar targets, as it seeks to become more inclusive in the merchandise it stocks.

It’s not simply an …

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