The Intelligence-Driven Consumer Products Firm: From Data Collection to Actionable Insights

In today’s rapidly evolving marketplace, consumer products (CP) firms face mounting pressure to adapt, innovate, and deliver value at every touchpoint. While many organizations have invested heavily in digital infrastructure, the true differentiator now lies in becoming intelligence-driven—where data is not just collected, but transformed into actionable insights that power smarter business decisions. At Publicis Sapient, we guide CP leaders through the journey from foundational data collection to advanced analytics and AI-driven decision-making, helping organizations operationalize intelligence across the value chain.

Despite significant investments in technology, many CP firms are not fully capitalizing on their data assets. In fact, less than one percent of data collected by CP firms is actually analyzed, leaving vast opportunities untapped. The challenge is not just about having the right tools, but about embedding intelligence into the core of the business—enabling better decisions that directly address critical business problems, from consumer engagement to operational efficiency.

The modern shopper journey is inherently digital, spanning online and offline channels and creating unique, personalized paths to purchase. First-party data—collected directly from consumer interactions—offers the deepest insights into these journeys. By capturing data across every owned channel, CP firms can fill critical gaps, understand consumer preferences, and respond in real time to shifting demands. Unlike third-party data, first-party data is timely, accurate, and uniquely tailored to your brand’s relationship with its customers.

An intelligence-driven CP firm leverages data and analytics to create value across three core opportunity areas:

1. Know Consumers and Deepen Engagement
   
   • Personalization is now an expectation. Intelligence-led CP firms use data-rich consumer profiles, advanced analytics, and machine learning to deliver highly targeted messaging and promotions. This approach eliminates wasted spend on mass marketing, instead investing in experiences that deepen engagement and drive loyalty. By anticipating consumer needs and measuring effectiveness, these organizations continuously refine their strategies for maximum impact.
2. Build and Sell Better Products
   
   • Data-driven insights inform every stage of product development and portfolio management. By analyzing consumer preferences and purchasing behaviors, CP firms can innovate in product design, optimize SKU assortments, and introduce dynamic pricing models that respond to real-time demand. AI and machine learning enable rapid iteration, helping organizations cycle out underperforming products and focus resources where they deliver the greatest return.
3. Understand and Run a Smarter Business
   
   • Operational efficiency is achieved by integrating data and advanced analytics into key decision processes. Intelligence-driven CP firms optimize and automate workflows, improve resource management, and lower costs across the organization. With a robust data strategy, these firms can plan more effectively, respond faster to market changes, and maintain a competitive edge.

Every CP firm is at a different point on the digital maturity curve. Whether you’re just beginning to harness your data or looking to scale advanced analytics and AI, the journey to intelligence-driven decision-making is ongoing and iterative. Key steps include:

• Establishing a Data Foundation: Ensure data is captured consistently across all touchpoints and organized for accessibility and analysis.
• Building Analytics Capabilities: Invest in tools and talent to analyze data, generate insights, and support decision-making across the business.
• Activating Insights: Move beyond dashboards—embed insights into workflows, automate actions where possible, and empower teams to act on data in real time.
• Scaling with AI and Machine Learning: As maturity grows, leverage AI/ML to personalize experiences, optimize operations, and drive innovation at scale.

Leading CP firms are already realizing the benefits of intelligence-driven transformation:

• Personalized Consumer Engagement: A global CP firm, with support from Publicis Sapient, implemented a proprietary MarTech platform supporting over 147 brands in 75 countries. By improving consumer data capture and establishing billions of consumer IDs, the business created more meaningful one-to-one relationships and enhanced shopping experiences.
• Optimized Product Portfolios: Through advanced analytics and machine learning, a top global retailer re-engineered its grocery operations, achieving a 35% improvement in e-commerce order picking rates and a 4% increase in on-time delivery. Dynamic pricing and SKU management enabled rapid response to market shifts and consumer preferences.
• Operational Efficiency: A leading US grocer partnered with Publicis Sapient to build a digital marketing platform and Customer Data Platform, linking myriad data sources across the enterprise. The result: a 75% increase in component reusability, 75% faster campaign curation, and a 25% increase in conversion rates.
• Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) Innovation: For a global CPG leader, Publicis Sapient developed a data-driven D2C operating model, enabling the client to deliver $250 million in new revenue and $60 million in operating profit over four years, supported by a $30 million investment in technology and a 90-person D2C team.

Data transformation is not a one-time project—it’s a continuous journey shaped by innovation and evolving consumer expectations. By grounding your strategy in technology and intelligence, your organization can unlock new sources of value, deepen consumer relationships, and operate with greater agility and efficiency.

At Publicis Sapient, we partner with CP firms at every stage of their intelligence journey, from foundational data strategy to advanced AI-driven transformation. Together, we can help you harness the full power of your data—turning insight into action, and action into sustained business growth.

Ready to become an intelligence-driven organization? Let’s start the conversation.

Relevant Links

• Advancing Data and Digital Transformation in Consumer Products: Unlocking E-Commerce and AI Potential
• Transformando la Experiencia del Cliente en la Industria de Productos de Consumo en América Latina: El Rol Estratégico de los Datos y la Personalización (LATAM)
• Advancing Data and Digital Transformation in Consumer Products: Unlocking E-Commerce and AI Potential
• Regional Spotlight: Data-Driven Transformation in Consumer Products Across EMEA and APAC
• Industry Deep Dive: Data-Driven Transformation in Food & Beverage
• Transformando la Experiencia del Cliente en Retail: El Rol de la Omnicanalidad y la Rentabilidad en América Latina (LATAM)
• La transformation data-driven dans l’industrie des produits de grande consommation en Europe : enjeux et opportunités (Europe)
• Transformando la Experiencia del Cliente en Productos de Consumo: El Rol Estratégico de los Datos y la Personalización en América Latina (LATAM)
• Transformation numérique des produits de grande consommation : une opportunité stratégique pour l’Europe (Europe)