New retail formats, unique service offerings and differentiated products will drive growth at retail in 2010. And as consumers continue to bunker in-home, a greater focus on eating right will lead to healthy results.

Food departments outperformed non-food, health and beauty and general merchandise departments as Americans returned to cooking and eating at home—boosting grocery channel shopping trips in the process.

An aging population will completely alter the marketplace for consumer products in the near and distant future. Marketing strategies that account for shifts in household size and demographic make-up will be most successful.

Video games based on films have long provided fans an opportunity to enhance their movie experience by taking control of the central characters and reliving the action firsthand.

Tapping expert knowledge across the media, consumer goods, advertising, telecom, entertainment, online and sports sectors, Nielsen offers what’s likely in store for 2010.

As a preview of key media themes for the 2010 CES, Nielsen Executive Vice President and Vice Chair Susan Whiting recorded a podcast with UpNext at CES, to discuss time-shifting, consumer choice and how ratings are becoming smarter across all three screens.

Retailer John Wanamaker famously said, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.” If more than $400 billion is now spent each year on advertising worldwide, which advertising really works to engage and motivate consumers?

The Christmas retail season is in full swing, and in Australia, shopping is the on the minds of many, as online buzz about gift-giving is up more than 400 percent, according to research from The Nielsen Company.

In the UK, sales in the grocery sector grew 3.1 percent in the four weeks ending November 28, according to The Nielsen Company, a modest showing compared to last month’s sales growth of 4.2 percent and 5.6 percent in November 2008.

The media has relentlessly covered the Tiger Woods story, but lately, Woods’ presence as product pitchman has been scarce. In addition to Tiger’s personal troubles, Nielsen data shows that brands associated with the golfing great are becoming part of the collateral damage.