One of the most promising strategies for established CPG brands attempting to grow their direct-to-consumer online business is in giftables. M&Ms started the trend many years ago when they offered consumers the chance to personalize their classic candies: bridal showers, weddings and baby showers in the early 2000s just didn’t seem complete without a tulle-wrapped […]
CPG Brand Gifts that Drive Direct-To-Consumer Growth Read More »
Even in a world turned upside down by the accelerated growth in e-commerce, traditional aisle-based systems still dominate the grocery store experience. Yet, the physical store is still enormously relevant – 60% of consumers still prefer the store. How do grocery brands overhaul their customer experience and keep customers engaged in their stores? What will
Supermarket of the Future Webinar Read More »
KD FOREVER Kraft Classic and innovation products to tease the tastebuds of Millennials and Gen Z. CLIENT Kraft Heinz Canada PROJECT Kraft Dinner Various Package Design Formats RELATED SERVICE Package design THINK KD is a Canadian classic, but issues primarily due to taste caused the brand to lose relevance among its’ core audience. Still, testing
DOUBLE-DOUBLE THE EXPERIENCE Tim Horton’s wanted to revitalize their urban locations, improving the customer experience while fitting into a modernized urban landscape. CLIENT Tim Horton’s PROJECT Urban Store Format Design RELATED SERVICE Retail Design Environmental Graphic Design THINK Tim Horton’s is one of the most iconic coffee shops across Canada, idolized by millions as a
Consumer research tells us shoppers want sustainable CPG products and will even pay more for them. However, as many brands know from experience, consumers don’t always follow through on this intent. In this blog we take a behaviorally informed view to explore the reasons consumers may not actually purchase more sustainable choices, even though they
Behavioral Tools for Sustainable CPG Choices Read More »
Every other day, you read a headline about labor shortages hurting restaurants and hospitality. In some places, companies are recruiting 14-year-olds, while others are offering big signing bonuses. Many restaurants are closing their doors several days a week because they don’t have enough staff to stay open, further hurting businesses that have managed barely to
The Future of the Hospitality Industry Read More »
At the end of the year, we like to regroup and look back at the big brand stories that caught our attention throughout the year. And this year was a particularly strange one. The pandemic experience has become regionalized and our appetite for doom scrolling has kind of disappeared. Political intrigues have been flying under
Best Brand Stories of 2021 Read More »
Welcome to SLD’s second annual trends report! Last year, we were in the midst of a global pandemic that called into question what the future of design and business as a whole could look like. Though a lot of those questions still linger, 2021 has at least provided some clarity on the trends that will
SLD’s 2022 Trends Report Read More »
As we look back on 2021, it would be nice to be able to view COVID-19 in the rearview mirror with a sigh of relief. But to quote Michael Corleone, “just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!” This must be the way a lot of brands are feeling right now,
The Best Brand Pivots of COVID-19 Read More »
Though the popularity of online shopping was trending upwards even before COVID-19, the past year and a half has seen a dramatic increase in online sales across a wide range of industries. While expected categories like household supplies, food delivery and personal care products saw significant growth, one of the largest jumps has been in
How CPG Brands Can Elevate Their Social Media Presence Read More »
Even though grocery stores remained open during lockdown, many people chose to do their grocery shopping online to avoid exposure to COVID. In fact, in SLD’s recent study on e-commerce for CPG brands, 69 percent of respondents said they shopped more online for groceries during the pandemic. For CPG brands, this news is not generally
The Future of E-Commerce for CPG Brands Read More »
ZERO WASTE, BIG IMPACT Big shelf impact for a seismic shift in sustainable design CLIENT Kraft Heinz Canada PROJECT Maxwell House Zero Waste Pods RELATED SERVICE Package Design Conceptual Design Design Roll-out THINK With sustainability being a must for CPG brands, Maxwell House took on the challenge by introducing zero-waste pods to the Canadian market.
The GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN Awards are an annual celebration of the “designers and architects who improve our quality of life and the built environment.” Now in its 14th year, the first round of winners were recently announced, and SLD is proud to have been recognized with awards for our work with bbtease, Maxwell House,
SLD Takes Home Four Awards at Grands Prix Du Design Read More »
CPG brands are trying their hand at direct-to-consumer e-commerce with mixed success. In our 2021 E-Commerce for CPG Brands consumer study, one of the takeaways was that respondents would consider going to a CPG site for a better price. While brands like Unilever have offered bundled subscriptions with a deep enough discount to achieve some
How CPG Brands Can Succeed With Direct-to-Consumer Platforms Read More »
This blog is not taking a pro-Israel or pro-Palestine perspective – we are exploring the Ben & Jerry’s boycott from a brand strategy perspective. On July 19, 2021, Ben & Jerry’s announced they would stop selling their products in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, areas occupied by Jewish settlements that are largely seen as
The Ben & Jerry’s Boycott – On Brand or a Major Misstep? Read More »
Already trending before COVID-19, online shopping for groceries and other consumer packaged goods has skyrocketed during the pandemic. As CPG brands look ahead, many are asking how sticky this new behavior will be, what they can do to stand out on a virtual shelf, and how to approach their own e-commerce sites. This study will
E-Commerce for CPG: Key Consumers & Emerging Behaviors Read More »
Inclusive brand marketing has become a hot topic, and for good reason. By 2036, the number of Canadians who are foreign-born will about 1 in 3, with around 35 percent belonging to one or more visible minority groups. Today, nearly 4 in 10 Americans identify their race or ethnicity as something other than white, with
Inclusive Brand Marketing 101 Read More »
The future is unfolding in real-time, all the time, but most retail brands are in a state of constant catch-up – just being at par before another innovation appears. This is partly a result of fast-moving times, but it’s also the result of an industry that’s been somewhat lackadaisical about innovation. To really become a
Business Leaders, Bold Thinkers, and the Brand of the Future Read More »
The 2021 PAC Canadian Leadership Award winners have been announced, and SLD is proud to have been recognized in the Revitalized – Beverage and Limited Edition categories for our work with Maxwell House and Tetley. In the Revitalized – Beverage category, SLD received an Award of Distinction for the Maxwell House Zero Waste Pods packaging. As
SLD Wins Big at 2021 PAC Canadian Leadership Awards Read More »
As we hit the halfway point of 2021, one trend that we have been particularly interested in at SLD is the continued rise of fake news and misinformation. While our recent DeepReal research elevated the conversation around real versus fake, the publishing of Facebook’s State of Influence Operations 2017-2020 Threat Report has helped validate our own findings and further
What Facebook’s Threat Report Means for Brands Read More »
