Kantar Retail Releases 2016 PoweRanking Survey

PepsiCo and Coca-Cola Co. sit atop the rankings of best-in-class manufacturers, according to the latest U.S. PoweRanking survey released by Kantar Retail today. Walmart and Kroger, meanwhile, finished in a virtual tie for the No. 1 position in the retailer rankings.EnsembleIQ partnered with Kantar Retail to conduct this year's study, with more than 600 retailers and manufacturers participating. Launched in 1997, the PoweRanking study surveys the U.S.'s leading retailers and manufacturers each year to identify the best-in-class companies and provide insights on those industry leaders based on nine measures of manufacturer-retailer relationships.Manufacturer RankingsThe first- and second-place finishes for PepsiCo and Coca-Cola represent their highest historical rankings ever in the annual benchmarking study. Daniel Raynak, Kantar Retail’s executive vice president, strategy and development, says that PepsiCo showed broad improvement across many of the strategic and operational metrics measured in the study. The company was particularly praised, he says, for providing “top-class capabilities in the area of data analytics.” One major retailer noted: “PepsiCo has embraced the data and has brought new insights and analytics. They have really transformed the conversation [between our companies].”Coke received the top ranking for innovative marketing, receiving plaudits from retail partners for creative campaigns such as "Share a Coke." One retailer commented: "Coke is building the interest of consumers with their new Share a Coke campaign. The customers are excited to look for their names or favorite songs on the bottles."Retailer RankingsCompetition among retailers was closer than ever before. While Walmart’s long-standing dominance among U.S. retailers now has a formidable challenger, Raynak says the mass merchant continues to outrank all other retailers in the areas of clear strategy and supply-chain management. One manufacturer noted: "Walmart has consistent, clear, widespread strategies."A major factor in Kroger's performance this year, according to the survey, has been its ability to innovate and maximize the shopper experience by applying insights derived from both suppliers and its own 84.51° shopper insights firm. Manufacturers voted Kroger first place in the categories of "best retailer to do business with," "best buying teams," "most innovative merchandising" and “best practice category leadership." One manufacturer summarized: "Kroger has developed strong collaboration and partnership with manufacturers and they continue to deliver strong business results."Summary Findings"As we entered the 2016 calendar year, many of the same trends of 2015 continued, which reinforces the idea that we are in an era of permanent transition and change," Raynak says. While one of last year’s survey participants described 2015 as a year in which "so much change produced so little value for the industry," Raynak says the new PoweRanking survey demonstrates that “those organizations that have embraced the change in 2016 and took swift actions against big, relevant opportunities are beginning to see the return on the changes they have implemented.”Kantar Retail will be delivering its 2016 findings to sponsors and participants beginning this week. An executive summary of the report can be downloaded here. (See In This Article at right.) Other brands, retailers and solution providers interested in receiving the full report, which includes charts and tables and costs $2,500, can do so by emailing either chief product strategy and marketing officer Andrew Stockwell at andrew.stockwell@kantarretail.com or Daniel Raynak at dan.raynak@kantarretail.com.

Kantar Retail Releases 2016 PoweRanking Survey

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