Conference Agenda

In this special presentation, Jamie will re-introduce the CPGMatters editorial mission and share his unique perspective on industry mega-trends, from the brands' perspective:
* Sorting out promotions - from trade marketing to digital coupons to retail media
* How changing consumer attitudes about wellness are influencing product formulations and assortments
* Why store implementation challenges still persist in the digital era
* The inexorable penetration of AI in everything we do

As retail shelves become increasingly digitized, CPG leaders face a critical challenge: separating meaningful innovation from noise. This session introduces ARS², an evaluation framework built on four principles: Accuracy, Repeatability, Scalability, and Speed. The conversation explores how CPG organizations can use ARS² to objectively assess technologies, align internal stakeholders, and make smarter investment decisions.
Rather than chasing trends or relying on vendor claims, ARS² provides a structured lens to identify solutions that deliver measurable, sustainable impact. The session offers practical guidance for teams looking to move beyond pilots, reduce risk, and scale technologies that truly improve execution at the shelf.

I've been covering the grocery and food industry for over 30 years. I've seen categories rise and fall. I've watched brands that dominated the 1990s become irrelevant by 2010. And I've seen scrappy upstarts crack open categories that the big guys said didn't exist.
But what I'm watching right now is something I haven't seen before. It's not a trend. It's not a fad. It's a full-blown trust realignment between American consumers and the food they put in their bodies and the bodies of their children.
Here's a number to remember: 73% of U.S. shoppers say they now read ingredient labels before they buy a product. 73%. In 2020, that number was 49%.
So the question isn't whether consumers have changed. They have. The question is: has your brand?
Five forces are reshaping the shelf and your brand's relationship with the shopper:
• The health and wellness supercycle that is structurally — not trendishly — reorganizing what people eat and drink.
• A wave of label regulations that are already law in key states and coming federally.
• The Make America Healthy Again movement, which has moved from political slogan to actual policy - and conflicting views.
• The GLP-1 revolution that is changing the way Americans eat and live.
• And the food dye reckoning, which turned from a niche activist issue into a front-page crisis for some of the biggest brands in the world.

Category Management has been a remarkably enduring business process that forms the foundation of merchandising strategy for brands and retailers. Dr. Harris, the creator of the Category Management appropach joins us for a Q&A discussion about how the advent of AI-enabled decision tools is empowering the Next Generation Category Management and unlocking significant new growth for categories and brands.

Jamie will review some of the key ideas shared during the conference and share plans for upcoming events.