Consumers shopping at food and retail chains in India seem to be less affected by economic factors, such as high inflation and interest rates and slower economic growth, according to Nielsen's April 2012 report. Shoppers at the country's organized retail sector, which covers convenience stores, supermarkets, and hypermarkets, are upgrading their purchases to premium products and are buying in bulk. Indian consumers' stronger purchasing power and the increase in product variety offered by modern retail stores encourage impulse purchases and drive growth in the retail market, Nielsen said.

Bath & Body Works' Twilight Woods, Noir, and Ocean varieties of anti-bacterial gentle-foaming hand soap for men come with overpowering aroma and too heavy scents that might turn off most male consumers. The hand soaps seemed to be designed more for concealing bad odor instead of cleaning hands. Ultimately, the issue boils down to whether men need hand soaps especially designed for them when any generic soap will do for most members of the male species. 

Pinterest users account for about 10 percent of all transactions on online fashion accessories retailer Boticca.com, according to a case study conducted by the company. In comparison, only 7 percent of transactions are related to shoppers' Facebook activity. Average order value of sales to Pinterest users accessing the Web site is $180, which is 10 percent higher than Boticca.com's site average and 90 percent higher than the AOV sales to Facebook users.

Amazon.com scored the highest customer satisfaction rating among the top 100 online retailers included in the report 2012 Top 100 E-Retail Satisfaction Index, released by customer experience analytics company ForeSee. Rising three points to 89 from its 2011 score, Amazon.com came ahead retail Web sites Apple.com and QVC.com, which both scored 85 points. ForeSee's report covers several segments of the online retail market including apparel and accessories, computers and electronics, and food and drug.

In the United States, 76 percent of purchasing decisions by shoppers are made in-store, according to the 2012 Shopper Engagement Study, released by the Point of Purchase Advertising International. Results show that almost 1 in 6 brand purchases happen due to an in-store advertisement for that brand; retailers' use of cross-promotion increased from 47 percent in 1995 to 60 percent in 2012. The study also revealed that 56 percent of shoppers said they remember seeing in-store displays; 57 percent of ordinary shoppers end up spending more than they intended to, with spending on impulse items reaching more than 200 percent of expected budget for impulse buys.

Costco.com plans to expand its online sales, currently worth about $2 billion, by launching mobile apps for Apple and Android, growing its international operations, and improving its ranking in online search engines. Currently ranked 17^th among online retailers, trailing number 1 Amazon and number 4 Wal-Mart, which are growing faster than Costco, according to Internet Retailer, Costco.com went online in November 1998. Costco.com is looking at social networking and search engine optimization to help improve its online business.

Whole Foods Market reported that more than 90 percent of household cleaning products it sells have passed the retailer's Eco-Scale sustainability rating system a year after its launch. As part of the rating system, products are evaluated and audited to the retailer's standards by a third-party certifying organization and their ingredients must all be listed on product packaging. The system rates products as red, orange, yellow, or green, based on environmental and sourcing standards the household cleaning products comply with, making it easy for customers to determine products' level of compliance with the sustainability program.

Metro Group's sales increased in the first quarter of 2012 by 2.2 percent to €15.6 billion from €15.3 billion in the same period of the previous year. Earnings before interest and taxes were at €-9 million, affected by the company's investments in measures to increase sales and enhance customer service. Sales at the company's business divisions increased, with Metro Cash & Carry posting a 3.7 percent growth and Real Germany, 4.8 percent; Media-Saturn's online sales grew from €19 million to €166 million.

Consumer packaged goods companies' e-commerce operations, which doubled in size in 2006–2010 and forecast to double again by 2014, and expected by Nielsen to reach $25 billion in the United States by 2014, are severely underestimated. Retailers' online shopping, which comes in three forms — national shipping, home delivery, and pick-up in store, requires CPG companies to adopt a collection of digital platforms and delivery systems. E-commerce has evolved beyond being an online sales platform to become a platform for connecting and interacting with, and understanding consumers.

Tesco Lotus chief executive officer John Christie said his company plans to expand its retail space in Thailand by 135,000 square meters by opening new stores and upgrading some stores, for example, from hypermarkets to Extras. The company listed the Tesco Lotus Growth Fund property fund in Thailand to expand shareholder value and create a long-term source of income. Tesco Locus revised the salary scheme for employees in areas covered by the government's new minimum wage policy, and modified its infrastructure and distribution systems after floods hit the country in 2011.

Bloom.com, a Web site that sells cosmetics products from 150 brands, also offers an online forum where senior women can interact and share stories about their beauty needs and solutions. Established by technology entrepreneur Julie Mahloch in 2010, the Web site reached the $1 million revenue milepost in December 2011. Mahloch's site allows users to upload videos and photos highlighting how they resolved beauty questions with branded products; it also features beauty consultants and professionals and matches women with similar beauty needs or questions.

Marketers are increasingly featuring ordinary people in their marketing and advertising efforts, including TV ads, and are relying less on celebrities to endorse their products. For example, General Motors ended its Buick endorsement deal with Tiger Woods in 2008, a year before a sex scandal seriously damaged his career and image. Data from Millward Brown show that only one in 10 ads now highlights a celebrity endorser, compared with 19 percent in 2004. Advertisers that still employ celebrities demand stronger morals clauses in endorsement contracts.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s @WalmartLabs business unit has created applications for the retailer's social media and mobile marketing and online shopping operations. @WalmartLabs started with Kosmix, a technology startup acquired by Wal-Mart in 2011 mainly for its "social genome" technology. Social genome gathers consumer data from social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare, and performs semantic analysis, which interprets consumers' actions on social media platforms, such as status updates and posts. Using social genome, @WalmartLabs created the Shopycat, a Facebook application for finding gifts, as well as iPad and iPhone apps.

Facebook's Timeline feature allows companies including supermarket retailers to enhance their social media presence, improve their virtual relationship with shoppers, and help them develop online presence with the same focus they give to their merchandise displays. For example, Price Chopper Supermarkets' Facebook strategy makes the most of the interactivity the site offers. Timeline lets companies take more control of their Facebook fan pages and how they interact with social media users. It also helped supermarket retailers, such as Wal-Mart Stores, Sears, and Target, to increase engagement per post by 46 percent in average, according to Simply Measured.

Kroger has invested in a range of point-of-sale technology to keep its promise to make customers spend as little time as possible in line when checking out their purchases. Kroger's front-end POS relies on a technology from IBM — ACE software running on 4690 operating system-powered SurePOS 700 terminals, which allows it to test self-checkout services. Most of the company's IT investments, however, focus on improving its conventional checkout lanes; for example, Kroger installed in 2011 Irisys' QueVision system, which monitors the number of shoppers and alerts management to open more checkouts to deal with them.

Tesco is in talks with the government of Ethiopia regarding the UK retailer's plan to open a megastore in the country. The Ethiopian government started talking with foreign-based retailers, including Tesco and Wal-Mart, after the government's dispute with local wholesalers and retailers that allegedly conspired to artificially raise commodity prices. Allowing entry of foreign retailers is part of the course of action the government threatened to take unless wholesalers and retailers end price manipulation.

UK-based retailer Tesco's Thailand unit, Tesco Lotus, will launch its Internet shopping business in 2012 as part of the company's strategy to expand its retail operations in the country. Its online shopping platform will enable customers to purchase dry and fresh-food products easily, according to Tesco Lotus, which has invested more than 130 billion baht in Thailand and provided business opportunities to over 9,000 Thai suppliers and 14,000 small and medium-sized companies that sell their products in malls operated by the company.

Wal-Mart has failed to live up to its global sustainability objectives — 100 percent renewable energy, zero waste, and stocking only products that are sustainably manufactured and environment-friendly, according to some environmentalists and market analysts. Wal-Mart's lack of control over its suppliers in the Far East has prevented the retailer from improving sustainability of its supply chain. In China, for example, almost four-fifths of Wal-Mart's suppliers source more than 50 percent of their merchandise from shadow factories. Worse, some China suppliers are suspected of doing business with some of the forced labor camps in the country.

Online grocery retailers, such as Bigbasket.com and Mygrahak.com, are using technology to expand their business and their shares of India's food and grocery market estimated to be $343 billion in value. Online retailers use supply-chain management technology that allows online consumers to purchase items using "multiple channels;" they also use applications that allow them to forecast customer behavior, which lets them maintain low inventory levels and cut operating costs.

The baking and selling of breads in Chicago restaurants – offered in various shapes and sizes with tasty exotic and ethnic ingredients – has caught the attention of bread lovers and perhaps heralds  a new direction for bread marketing. The dining editor of the Chicago Sun-Times Magazine describes a handful of the restaurants and their offerings: Balena, for example, sells a $5 breadbasket with four kinds of homemade breads, as well as  spreads such as garlicky bagna cauda. She also passes along some tips from experienced bakers on how to pull off the sometimes “intimidating” task of bread baking at home.

Wedding cakes continue to be big business, but today’s “completely different” brides seem to be looking for alternatives to traditionally designed and flavored white cakes, according to a survey of retail bakeries by Modern Baking. Brides are turning to brighter colors, new designs that may link elements of the wedding dress to the cake; greater use of fondant as an alternative to buttercream; “bling” (crystal ribbons or crystal brooches); monograms; ribbon banding around the tiers; and even cupcakes decorated with flowers in lieu of an expensive cake.

Data gathered by the Nielsen Perishables Group for late January 2012 show that muffin sales have grown 14 percent in U.S. in-store bakery departments since 2007. More than half of the category’s dollar share (53.1 percent) comes from regular muffins. Gourmet/jumbo muffins accounted for 31.9 percent of sales, mini muffins 13.8 percent and muffin tops/crowns 1.1 percent. Sales faltered during the holiday season of 2011, mainly due to bake-at-home and leftover holiday treats. The highest average sales occurred during September/October, due to back-to-school promotions.

A report from Global Industry Analytics finds that a growing consumer preference for conveniently portioned, easy-to-eat bakery products will push the global bakery products to $447 billion this year. Donuts, specialty breads, pizza and gourmet baked goods are among the hottest products. The new trend in eating patterns is driven by lifestyle and economic factors. Consumers are busier than ever and have more disposable income. That has led to an increased demand for snacks like pita sandwiches and wraps, and products that are re-sealable, single portion and mini sizes. Also presenting opportunities to bakery products makers: a lucrative teen market and an increase in individuals older than 60.

Cosmetics retail chain Sephora revamped its online operations by launching a new Web site and redesigning mobile applications in order to make online shopping an easier experience for consumers worldwide. Some of the online changes are designed to promote its real-world retail stores, 307 of which are in North America, for example, by allowing customers to find out whether a nearby Sephora store has an item on stock.

Leading shareholders of Tesco called on the retailer to revise its business strategy and enhance its performance in the UK, its home market. Legal & General Investment Management told Tesco to do better with its capital allocation and return on investment, while others called on the company to scale down its expansion efforts in the United States, as the retailer issued in January its first profit warning.

Food marketers are benefiting from social media in a way they might not have anticipated, show biz trade paper Variety reports. Companies are now able to speed up promotional tie-ins with entertainment events, celebrities, movies and TV shows, thanks to Twitter and Facebook. A recent example involved WWE wrestler John Cena, who was taunted for weeks by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson – he called Cena “Fruity Pebbles” because of his multi-colored costume. The insult caught on with fans and became a marketing opportunity for Post Foods, which put Cena’s picture on three million Fruit Pebbles cereal boxes.

A growing number of first-time dads – those whose oldest child is no older than two – actively use social networks to share updates (42 percent), photos (56 percent) and videos (21 percent) with friends, according to a survey. The survey also found that millennial dads have more online friends than millennial moms: an average of 96 as opposed to 70. The findings correlate with a deeper trend: with about 17 percent of fathers these days at home, dads increasingly view themselves as partners with moms, sharing household responsibilities like nurturing, cooking and  food shopping. And dads are catching up to moms in another area: a study done a year ago found that 25 percent who use social networks follow a brand.

Consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies are tweaking their coupon marketing programs to get the most value from promotions. But the changes being tested – faster expirations, multiple item requirements – don’t appear to be deterring price-conscious shoppers looking for deals. They redeemed $4.6 billion in coupons in 2011, a 12 percent increase from 2010. One researcher found that CPG companies distributed 8.1 percent fewer coupons in 2011, with the decline coming mainly in grocery products. On the other hand, there was an increase in discount offers for health and beauty products, including hair care, eye care and cosmetics.

The high-end Southern California bakery known as Let Them Eat Cake may be successfully bucking current consumer trends in breakfast eating. Though it specializes in premium wedding cakes, the store also offers fairly decadent breakfasts that don’t seem to be targeted at busy breakfast buyers looking for quick, convenient, healthy morning meals. Instead, the bakery’s menu includes a sumptuous selection of scones, muffins and sandwiches that scarcely qualify as healthy. The breakfast sandwich, for example, consists of a big cake-like buttermilk biscuit packed with eggs, pepper jack cheese, and a choice of Canadian or regular  bacon. “The sweet, moist biscuit is almost indistinguishable from cake, making the sandwich truly decadent,” says food writer Claudia Koerner.

Regional tastes and preferences are a major consideration in fast food marketing, especially when it comes to breakfasts. McDonalds, for example, discovered that New Englanders aren’t as interested in sausage-and-egg sandwiches for breakfast as they are in simple bakery items. According to a Boston region marketing manager, the company’s breakfast menus in New England, which extends westward to Albany, N.Y., uniquely feature five all-natural bakery items. Usually packaged with a choice of specialty coffees, they are blueberry muffins,  banana bread, multigrain berry muffins, cheese croissants, and vanilla scones.

Food industry analysts IGD report that the Chinese grocery sector is now the world leader at $970 billion, pushing the U.S. market ($913.5 billion) into the No. 2 spot for the first time. The grocery spending gap is likely to widen even more by 2015. The growth will occur despite a significant slowdown in China’s economy as the country’s diet moves beyond rice and pork to include dairy products, wheat, grains, and white and red meats. Increased demand for these products in China has led to price hikes around the globe. IGD also expects that Brazil, Russia, India, and China (the BRIC countries) will comprise four of the top five grocery markets in the world by 2015.

Amazon.com has begun to ramp up its online advertising program targeting  consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies in hopes of attracting some of the billions of dollars spent annually on online ads in that sector. According to an Internet market research firm, spending by CPG companies on online ads will double by 2015 to $5 billion. The head of Amazon’s global ad sales called the CPG advertising market a “huge opportunity” in a recent speech, noting that only four percent of its customers purchase CPG products.

Already the top retail bagel purveyor in the U.S., Dunkin’ Donuts has reformulated its bagel recipe and unveiled what it calls Artisan Bagels with a soft, chewy texture and bolder flavors. The new line features all of the company’s classic bagel selections – sesame, poppy seed, cinnamon raisin, etc. – and two new seasonal flavor varieties, sun-dried tomato and pumpernickel. The company also unveiled a reduced-fat artichoke spinach cream cheese. Dunkin’ Donuts says the new line of bagels offer a “more authentic bagel taste and texture” as well as more intense flavors.

Walmart Stores is hoping to bolster its 2011 comparable stores sales gains by reducing grocery prices by $1 billion, a move that will be difficult for grocery competitors to match. The price reductions, which Walmart calls “investing in price,” could have a negative impact on margins, according to analysts, but the company hopes the increase in store traffic will offset the drop in profit. In addition, the company believes that losses in the thin-margin grocery section will be made up in other higher margin areas, like clothing. Walmart’s 2011 grocery sales were $145 billion.

Americans are getting more of their daily calories today from snacks than they did three decades ago, dietitian Megan Murphy writes. And they eat many more salty snacks (low- and high-fat), candy, nuts, seeds and cereals. Snacking on high-fat desserts like cake has decreased, but snacking on low-fat desserts has increased. However, she notes, snacking doesn’t necessarily have to contribute to the obesity epidemic and can be a healthy part of a weight-loss diet, if certain guidelines are followed: eat low-calorie snacks – 100 to 200 calories – to stave off hunger;  avoid sugary or fatty snacks; choose snacks rich in protein and fiber; carry healthy snacks with you rather than buying junk snacks; and eat smaller meals after snacking during the day. 

Murray Lender’s major innovation in bagel baking – slicing, freezing and shipping nationally – was kept a secret for two years in his native New Haven, Conn., Jewish community “until an accidental delivery of frozen bagels exposed them.” Though the jig was up, Lender, who died in March, was onto a good thing: a way to smooth out the peaks and valleys of bagel demand (and supply) while putting his product – albeit a mediocre one – on the shelves of American supermarkets. As food writer Matthew Yglesias notes, it was only a matter of time before new customers discovered the convenience of frozen bagels “and the bagel became a nationally available foodstuff.” Unfortunately, he says, the bagels available so conveniently in supermarkets are “much too big and lacking the textural contrast produced by poaching the dough before baking.”

A Motley Fool analyst writes that Walmart is taking it on the chin sales-wise and profits-wise, mainly because of growing online competition from Amazon.com and bulk product sales competition from Costco, which limits its markup to 15 percent. Though it has managed to show positive same store sales growth in 2011 – “a measly 1.5 percent” after nine quarters of decline – overall profit dropped 13 percent. The trend – shifting consumer buying patterns – will not sink Walmart anytime soon, says Adam J. Wiederman, but it will become increasingly difficult for the huge company to grow.

Now that the recession seems to be mainly in the past, consumers have become somewhat irrational in the way they shop for and purchase FMCG products, according to market researchers. Though a climate of austerity still prevails, consumers are “conflicted:” willing to buy more expensive items in some areas, but trading down in  others, “to ease their conscience.” A clear example of the trend: dollar stores and discount grocery stores are booming, right along with luxury fashion brands such as (in the U.K.) Mulberry and Burberry. The end result of this “conflicted” consumer trend is that mid-market stores and brands are finding themselves “squeezed … from both the premium and value ends.”

Modern Baking’s 25th anniversary issue takes a look backward at the trends that have shaped the baking industry, noting that though times have changed, the main challenge facing today’s “passionate” bakers is  the same: creating baked goods that customers want to buy. In the 1980s, for example, people were into croissants, cinnamon rolls and muffins. In the 1990s, bagels became popular and spurred the rise of stand-alone bagel bakeries. But into the 2000s, customer tastes shifted, and bagel bakeries adapted by offering deli meats and other fillings besides cream cheese. The magazine also traces trends in wedding cake production and marketing; the evolution of baked goods ingredients, such as trans fats; the increase in popularity of coffee as a complement retail baked goods; and the move to offering sandwiches, soups and salads to boost lunchtime sales.