Looking back on 2020, the consumer products industry saw a huge uptick in online purchases.  While the COVID-19 pandemic certainly was a huge accelerator in this shift, as an industry we have been heading in this direction for some time now.  As we consider this growth, it is fair to wonder;  Have created a new normal in the industry? Are we going to see these levels and consumer behaviors maintain? Or are we will see a complete shift back towards brick-and-mortar purchases once the world starts opening up again?

At Clarkston we are constantly talking with our clients about building up their direct-to-consumer (DTC) strategies and ensuring they have the right plans in place to move the needle. You can’t think about DTC without thinking about how that fits within your company’s overall integrated sales strategy, thinking about its impact on brick-and-mortar, eCommerce, and more. Thinking about these channels of distribution holistically and ensuring you have a seamless strategy, not thinking about them competitively but instead how they complement one another, is a challenge that CPG companies need to embrace.

All of this said, I am excited to welcome Evan Shirley and Ken Accardi on this week’s edition of Taking Stock. Evan and Ken lead our Sales and Marketing practice at Clarkston and will share their perspectives as to how companies should be formulating and evaluating their strategies around diversifying sales, especially with the rising consumer trends thanks to the pandemic.  Through our discussion, we will hit upon why leaders need to be thinking about their sales strategy in an integrated way, be taking into account the impacts across company pricing and promotional strategy, and how learnings can be leveraged from one channel to apply towards another area to enable better partnership with their more traditional retail customers.

You can download and listen to the Diversifying Sales: Taking Stock with Ken Accardi and Evan Shirley podcast episode here.

Taking Stock

In this podcast series, Clarkston Consulting Partner Steve Rosenstock sits down with experts and thought leaders from both within Clarkston and throughout its consumer products and life sciences client-base, covering a range of topics from industry trends and consumer dynamics, to organizational governance and business strategy. Steve provides you access into the passions of its guests and allows you to benefit from their stories, knowledge, and deep expertise.