CPG Companies Have Major Opportunity to Transform IT Strategy

BCG and GMA Study Finds That CPG Companies Can Benefit From Viewing IT as a Growth Engine


WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - Dec 6, 2013) - A large proportion of consumer-packaged-goods (CPG) companies are following a less-than-optimal approach in their information-technology strategies, according to a new report by the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and The Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The report, "GMA Information Technology Benchmarking 2013: The New Mission for IT in Consumer Packaged Goods," is being released today.

Based on extensive surveys of 27 leading CPG companies, the report looks at how much money companies are spending on IT and how aggressively they are adopting new technologies, such as social media, Software as a Service, and advanced analytics. As expected, companies with low IT spending tend to limit themselves to deploying mature technologies, taking a cautious approach to new and less proven technologies. But 42 percent of the companies surveyed, despite spending significant sums on IT, were not quick adopters of new technologies, either. Another 8 percent of participants had constrained IT spending, yet managed to invest in new technologies -- a strategy that may not be sustainable in the long term.

"Many CPG chief information officers today are at an inflection point. They would be well served by having a frank conversation with their executive leadership about the tradeoff between IT spending and new-technology adoption," said Ashwin Bhave, a BCG partner and coauthor of the report.

"For the first time in the history of the GMA IT Benchmarking report, we are seeing many CPG CIOs look at IT through more than just a cost lens. Companies whose IT and business leaders have a clear, agreed-upon vision for the role of IT in their business model can take concrete steps to transform their growth position," said Elise Fennig, GMA's Vice President of Industry Affairs.

Growth Is the New IT Priority
Significantly, the opportunity for shifting IT strategy in consumer goods comes as the pressure to bolster growth intensifies. According to the survey, nearly 75 percent of CPG CIOs cite supporting business growth as a top IT objective, up from fewer than 20 percent who identified growth as a primary IT goal in 2010.

New technologies increasingly make IT -- long seen as an overhead cost -- a potential engine for growth. Consumer-oriented technologies, such as digital media and smartphones, create new ways to connect with consumers and build brand loyalty. Analytics and big data also offer new tools for harnessing information to yield valuable insights into consumer behavior.

All of this means that the role of IT is increasingly moving closer to the front and center. CPG CIOs can play an anchoring role in delivering these new capabilities to the business. That said, IT leaders who do not step up to the new demands of their executive-leadership teams may find themselves being sidelined as other functions, such as marketing, take the lead in exploiting new technologies.

The report identifies a number of other key IT trends in the CPG industry:

  • Most CPG companies are in the early stages of implementing new technologies, with none of the survey participants, for example, having fully deployed big data solutions.
  • IT funding remains tight, with growth in IT operating expenditures in 2013 trailing revenue growth.
  • Most CPG companies outsource a relatively low proportion of their IT services, with the median company outsourcing only 32 percent of IT. In fact, the survey found no evidence that outsourcing leads to lower IT costs. On the contrary, median IT operating expense as a percentage of revenue was higher for significantly outsourced companies than for minimally outsourced companies.
  • Companies looking to free up IT funds can often find savings opportunities in their IT infrastructure. The survey found that rapid adopters of new technologies spend proportionally less on IT infrastructure versus IT applications than those that take a more conservative approach to new-technology adoption.

A copy of the report can be downloaded at www.gmaonline.org and www.bcgperspectives.com.

To arrange an interview with one of the authors, please contact Eric Gregoire at +1 617 850 3783 or gregoire.eric@bcg.com.

About The Boston Consulting Group
The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is a global management consulting firm and the world's leading advisor on business strategy. We partner with clients from the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors in all regions to identify their highest-value opportunities, address their most critical challenges, and transform their enterprises. Our customized approach combines deep insight into the dynamics of companies and markets with close collaboration at all levels of the client organization. This ensures that our clients achieve sustainable competitive advantage, build more capable organizations, and secure lasting results. Founded in 1963, BCG is a private company with 78 offices in 43 countries. For more information, please visit bcg.com.

About bcgperspectives.com
Bcgperspectives.com features the latest thinking from BCG experts as well as from CEOs, academics, and other leaders. It covers issues at the top of senior management's agenda. It also provides unprecedented access to BCG's extensive archive of thought leadership stretching back 50 years to the days of Bruce Henderson, the firm's founder and one of the architects of modern management consulting. All of our content -- including videos, podcasts, commentaries, and reports -- can be accessed by PC, mobile, iPad, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

About the Grocery Manufacturers Association
Based in Washington, D.C., the Grocery Manufacturers Association is the voice of more than 300 leading food, beverage and consumer product companies that sustain and enhance the quality of life for hundreds of millions of people in the United States and around the globe.

Founded in 1908, GMA is an active, vocal advocate for its member companies and a trusted source of information about the industry and the products consumers rely on and enjoy every day. The association and its member companies are committed to meeting the needs of consumers through product innovation, responsible business practices and effective public policy solutions developed through a genuine partnership with policymakers and other stakeholders.

In keeping with its founding principles, GMA helps its members produce safe products through a strong and ongoing commitment to scientific research, testing and evaluation and to providing consumers with the products, tools and information they need to achieve a healthy diet and an active lifestyle. The food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry in the United States generates sales of $2.1 trillion annually, employs 14 million workers and contributes $1 trillion in added value to the economy every year.

Contact Information:

The Boston Consulting Group
Eric Gregoire
Global Media Relations Manager

Tel +1 617 850 3783
Fax +1 617 850 3701
gregoire.eric@bcg.com