Marketing Forecast from Ad-ology

Ad-ology Research recently updated their Industry Marketing Insights report for Catering/Chef Services. The following are the predicted Top 3 Opportunities/Challenges from the report for this industry for the upcoming 12 months:

June marks the eighth straight month e-commerce has posted double-digit gains, according to a new report from MasterCard. Women’s apparel did exceptionally well, as did luxury sales, though online jewelry sales suffered. High gas prices and stormy weather appear to have helped online retail.

Now that consumers are traveling again, hotel, motels, and bed and breakfast inns are marketing hard for new business. At the same time, marketing tools that have become available to merchants offering accommodations have changed significantly. Operators say they’re adjusting their strategies to stay current with consumer interests.

According to new research from Mintel, the percentage of men who say they do most of the household cleaning has risen from 17% in 2006 to 31% in 2011. Regardless of sex, most household cleaners would be interested in speeding up the process, as almost half (42%) would be willing to pay extra for any product that makes cleaning faster. “Brands that have long assumed their target audience to be women may need to take a second look at who’s pushing the grocery cart,” notes Alexandra Smith, managing editor, Mintel Inspire.

Last month, I highlighted a report from Nielsen about how more CPG manufacturers are marketing and selling directly to consumers, often online. Additional data from Catapult Marketing explains which consumers are purchasing CPG online and how marketers can successfully increase sales.

Far outpacing growth in conventional groceries, U.S. retail sales of natural and organic foods and beverages rose to nearly $39 billion in 2010, an increase of 9% over the previous year, and 63% higher than sales five years earlier, according to a new report by Packaged Facts. The next several years are forecast to experience even greater growth. Packaged Facts projects 2011 will serve as a jump-start for the market as sales ultimately increase by a dramatic 45% by the end of the year.