The world of CPG can be complicated, from the extensive rules and regulations surrounding food to the costings of getting said food into different retailers. While we may talk about all the things we provide within this circle of CPG life, we tend to get sidetracked and lose sight of the simplicity of it all. 

When looking at how you might bring your product to market, keep in mind the milestones each player needs to achieve to be able to play in the game. Much like in sports, if the player doesn’t understand their position, the team will lose every time. 

All players need to work as a team moving in the same direction to achieve long term mutual success. So what are the roles within the game of CPG?

Here is our simplified answer…….

The Brand

What is the Brands role?

  • There are two main functions the brand will need to fulfil. 
  1. Find the market gap and design a product or brand to fill this gap. Build a story or a “why” during this process.
  2. Market your brand to drive consumer awareness and consumption. Yes, it is the brand’s job to drive consumer awareness and to tell its story. Brace yourself, as this may sound harsh. It is not the retailer, distributor or broker’s responsibility to drive consumer awareness of your brand or product.

The Distributor 

What is the distributor’s role?

  • There are multiple answers to this question and a variety of answers, depending on who you ask. We like to keep things simple. The distributor’s number one job in the circle of CPG life is to move a box from A to B; this is why you hear the words “fill rate” regularly. Now, we are in no way implying this is all a distributor will do, but if you boil it down to the core mechanism, if a distributor can’t move a box from A to B and achieve a high standard of fill rate, then you may have an issue. 

The Brand/Sales/Broker Management

What is the brand/sales/broker’s role?

  • They are your storytellers, the function that conveys your message to the distributors and retailers alike — highlighting the demand and gap within the marketplace for that particular brand or product. 
  • Now, like distributors, there is more to this role, like listing forms, promotional management, etc. But if you again boil it down to the core function. This would be it!

The Retailer

What is the retailer’s role?

  • To provide a shopping experience that the consumer is looking to enjoy, this could be with low prices, variety or a high-end look and feel. It is the retailer’s role to drive consumer awareness of what they have to offer and deliver the product their consumers are asking for every day. 

Now, this is a very “simple” look at the CPG circle of life. Keep in mind this is a very high-level overview and is not written to downplay or minimize what each player offers, but broken down to highlight the basics providing you with the opportunity to start from the right position.