Comments on: Nielsen’s 2009 Consumer Survival Plan

By: Steve Mehnert

Steve Mehnert — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:41:21 +0000

very interesting, the usual suspected categories are up given the climate. I do think that organic will tend to buck the trend, prices have come down and are comparable to alot of non-organic options within the same categories.

By: Don Longo

Don Longo — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:46:03 +0000

I agree with most of Nielsen’s observations about how the American consumer is reacting to the current recession, especially in terms of how consumers are trading down and their de-emphasis on “going green” — although I expect retailers to continue to look for ways to be more environmentally friendly, if only to reduce their utility costs. A CSNews Webcast yesterday pointed out there are opportunities retailers can take to ensure the survival of the business, and secure a strong foundation for growth once the economy turns around. Sonja Hubbard, CEO of Texas-based E-Z Mart noted that retailers that monitor their cash flow properly and constantly weed slow-sellers out of their inventory will survive the recession and be better positioned for the eventual recover. Nielsen’s VP of Marketing James Russo also participated in the Webcast. A recap is available at: http://www.csnews.com/csn/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003930769.

By: Joe Nichols

Joe Nichols — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 15:15:51 +0000

Regarding the New Mantra and what consumers are purchasing more of vs. LY. Unit sales (either as a standalone or supplement) may be a more appropriate way of understanding shopper behavior given the extreme inflation that was experienced during 2008. Rice, for example, was one of the commodities most affected by rising costs (and this was the primary driver of $ sales increases noted)….