If you’ve ever wished for a window into the thoughts and behaviors of your customers, the annual NCG trends report is for you. This confidential report offers a comprehensive and timely look at consumer trends in the industry and offers a snapshot of how NCG co-ops are doing within that context.

It’s designed to be a business planning tool that saves co-op managers time and money that would otherwise be spent on industry research. We gather co-op and industry trends information into one easy-to-reference document that provides a broad overview of what’s happening in the market.

We then take the report one step further and compile key findings into a PowerPoint presentation that can be used to present to management teams or boards of directors.

Where We Gather the Data

We aggregate co-op financial data and primary research from the NCG shopper survey with secondary research related to the natural and organic grocery market.

Secondary research sources may include The Hartman Group, Food Marketing Institute and SPINS, as well as trend information from sites such as Progressive Grocer, NewHope360, The NPD Group, and MorningNewsBeat.com. 

Put the Data to Work

Here are a few quick tips on how to use the report:

• Use the report to inform your business or marketing plan. The industry analysis section contains data on NCG co-op performance, natural product sales, consumer demographics, pricing and sustainability that will help you put your business into a broader national context. Need a place to start? Check out NCG’s marketing plan template.
• Compare what’s happening nationally to what you see in your local market. What are the key differences, what are the commonalities? Add local data to tie local trends to the big picture.
• Compare your co-op’s performance to industry performance. Are you doing better or worse? What trends might you need to be taking advantage of in order to better meet current needs?
• Determine what areas you want to dig into and get more detailed information about. For example, you may want to take advantage of a rising consumer interest in snacking and need some information on specific products that are new or fastest growing in this category. You can contact NCG’s category manager for this segment and check out SPINS data for this information.

A reminder: NCG’s research reports are confidential and should not be shared outside of your co-op. Happy planning!