Feeding an Obsession

An intense and pervasive fascination with extracting and acting on data insights continues to sweep over the consumer goods industry. Read through CGT’s 2014 Review & Outlook Report (published last month) and try to find an author that does not mention insights, analytics or big data at least once in their industry prediction. Even more evidence, a Gartner survey of more than 2,300 CIOs identifies business intelligence and analytics as the No. 1 priority for the third year in a row, followed by infrastructure and data centers in a close second. We are, in a word, obsessed.

But unlike most obsessions, this one is not debilitating. It does not come at the expense of progress. Rather, it fuels and propels most every other business initiative forward, from TPM and digital marketing to retail execution and collaboration.

In this issue, you’ll read the words data, insights and analytics no less than 100 times as we share stories from Procter & Gamble on out-of-stock analysis; Coca-Cola Bottling Consolidated Co. on a database migration; and a coalition of nine consumer goods and retail companies on improving product data accuracy. The Supply Chain Shaman Lora Cecere provides guidance on getting to the right data in her new monthly column, Uncorked. Meanwhile, our annual Data & Analytics Solutions Guide and the Spring 2014 New Tech Showcase acquaints you with more than 40 solutions that can help move the needle when it comes to leveraging data. In between all this data-rich content, you’ll meet our latest batch of Standout SMBs, 11 companies with revenue at or less than $1 billion that are taking the midmarket by storm with niche products, innovative marketing tactics and bold growth plays.

Now turn the page and feed your obsession.