The hottest & newest CPG growth trends
Check out all the CPG growth marketing trends and tactics for a successful second quarter of 2025, and beyond. From AI to loud brand moves, find out what’s gaining traction.
The CPG industry is on the brink of a transformation. Rapid technological advancements and shifting consumer expectations are rewriting the rules of engagement for marketers in this space. It’s looking to be a hallmark year for CPG innovation. It’s no longer just about keeping up with consumer expectations—it’s about leading the charge with bold, omnichannel strategies that redefine how brands connect with shoppers.
In the US alone, there’s a reported $1.5 trillion worth of omni-selling opportunities. This guide is more than just a list of trends—it’s your roadmap to resonate across channels. Whether you're a seasoned brand manager or an ambitious CPG marketer, consider this your cheat sheet to stay ahead of the cart.
The days of traditional, one-size-fits-all marketing are over. Consumers expect personalized, technology-driven interactions with brands. Combine this with increasing sustainability demands, rising health consciousness, and the meteoric rise of ecommerce, and you have the perfect storm for marketing evolution.
In their second annual Consumer Products Report, Bain & Company align their conclusions with recent CPG findings:
“Amid a steep drop in shareholder returns, CPGs urgently need to regain lost ground and accelerate their digital transformation. CPGs can do this by rethinking their growth algorithm, reinventing themselves to achieve continuous productivity gains, and redefining an AI-led and technology-driven model.”
Despite economic challenges and inflation, the consumer products industry continues to grow. Globally, retail sales value across food, beverages, and household and personal care products is estimated to reach $7.5 trillion in 2024, reflecting a healthy 7.5% year-over-year increase. While growth has moderated slightly compared to previous years (9.3% in 2023 and 9.8% in 2022), much of the 2024 expansion is driven by price adjustments, showcasing the industry's resilience and adaptability in the face of shifting market dynamics. Here’s what the C-Suite execs reported:
It’s not about keeping up—it’s about positioning your brand as a leader. Here's how CPG marketers can do exactly that.
For search & discovery: Machine-learning tools like ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews are transforming how consumers discover, research, and interact with brands during their purchasing journey. Forward-thinking retailers leverage AI to optimize supplier negotiations and gain a competitive edge.
For engagement & conversion: 61% of business executives with an innovation strategy say they are using AI to identify opportunities in data that would otherwise be missed. AI dives into massive datasets to uncover insights that help you engage consumers. From optimizing your social commerce ads to tailoring product recommendations, you can reduce cart abandonment by delivering custom messages from your brand.
Impact: Marketers who leverage AI-driven insights to offer hyper-personalized experiences are seeing 5-8x higher conversion rates. This is quickly becoming the standard for CPG brand loyalty.
Implementation tip: Analyze customer behavior and curate messages for specific segments. Imagine sending personalized product recommendations to a shopper based on their past purchases—or tailoring promotions to a fitness-conscious crowd searching for low-sugar snacks.
Success story: Companies like PepsiCo are already leading this trend. With AI-driven insights, they've hyper-personalized campaigns for energy drink enthusiasts, driving a significant lift in purchase intent. The CPG giant can combine consumer insights with algorithmic learnings on design, product research, and price decisions.
Taking innovation a step further, Pepsi has introduced the Smart Can—an AI-driven device equipped with wraparound screens, motion sensors, and accelerometers, all designed to deliver a tailored user experience. To promote this can-shaped gadget, Pepsi plans to collaborate with creators and fans to produce engaging content focused on football, gaming, music, and food.
The best part: You don’t have to be an enterprise giant like Pepsi to ride this trend. By pairing where-to-buy ads with native social media AI, brands of all sizes can optimize their advertising like never before.
The omnichannel approach has matured to the point that brands need to be able to predict shopping behavior. Consumers not only expect a seamless blend of physical and digital shopping experiences but they actively prefer brands that offer them. Omnichannel shoppability simply means being present wherever and however your consumers like to buy.
Impact: 93% of consumers are now purchasing food and beverages phygitally through omnichannel efforts, according to industry experts. By 2027, a quarter of those sales will be focused online, through brand media, retailer apps, and social commerce.
Implementation tip: Invest in technologies like geolocation targeting and shoppable social media posts. Brands should enhance their fulfillment options by offering seamless in-store pickup, home delivery, and click-and-collect services, supported by daily inventory updates for both in-store and online purchases, ensuring satisfaction. Plus, with geo-based shoppability, you can automatically show personalized purchase paths for each consumer.
Success stories: Sparkling Ice saw a 20x higher retailer visit rate and received 15x more brand sales by leaning into an omnichannel solution with audience-building capabilities. They decided to create shoppable experiences across their onsite and offsite shoppable media, so they could actively target digital audiences ready to buy.
Another CPG brand, Bimbo Bakeries, succeeds by prioritizing their shopper needs with frictionless purchase paths. They mainly fill baskets with click-and-collect sales, but they offer multiple omnichannel shopping experiences, spanning discovery to immediate conversion. Their VP of Omnichannel also continuously monitors their shelf share at retail stores, especially for new flavor launches.
CPG brands like L’Oréal and Jameson Irish Whiskey are also reporting higher sales after integrating QR codes with online promotional campaigns. These brands use a variety of physical and digital approaches for omnichannel success. Shoppers can scan a bottle or an ad to receive exclusive digital discounts, creating a unified and compelling experience.
Private-label brands are becoming increasingly popular among price-conscious consumers. For CPG companies, this shift presents both a potential challenge and an opportunity. To stay ahead, businesses can explore partnerships with retailers, negotiate shelf visibility, and reevaluate their pricing strategies to effectively navigate and capitalize on this growing trend.
Impact: Private-label brands are experiencing rapid growth. According to a report from the Alvarez & Marsal Consumer and Retail Group, private labels are projected to account for 24% of grocery spending by 2030, an increase from their current share of around 20%.
Implementation tip: Competition is heating up, and private labels are stealing the show—boosting retailer profits and building customer loyalty, especially when they deliver budget-friendly products that consumers love.
So how do you stay ahead? Start by diving deep into your target market. What do your customers really want? Surveys, focus groups, and digging into sales data can uncover which private-label products are worth pursuing and which might miss the mark.
The kicker: Established brands face an uphill battle to stay relevant and keep customers coming back. The solution? Double down on your brand identity. Stand out by emphasizing the unique benefits of your products, maintaining top-notch quality, and consistently delivering an experience your shoppers can’t resist.
Want to go further? Highlight what makes you different—innovative features, exclusive benefits, or a story that sticks. Be unforgettable. With the right strategy, you can outshine private labels. Now’s the time to act—your consumers (and your bottom line) are counting on it.
Sustainable consumption is taking over the CPG market, thanks to Millennials and Gen Z. These purpose-driven generations are reshaping consumer behavior, putting their money behind brands that prioritize environmental responsibility. Think of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, cutting down on plastic, and tackling other environmental challenges head-on. As their purchasing power grows, so does their influence on the future of consumer behavior.
Sustainability tips for your brand to explore:
Impact: Consumers care. And in 2025, they care even more. 73% of global consumers are willing to change their purchasing habits to reduce environmental impact.
Implementation tip: Invest heavily in sustainable packaging, transparent supply chains, and eco-friendly practices. More importantly, highlight these efforts as part of your marketing strategy. Consider adding QR codes on your packaging, linking to a video sharing your efforts.
Success story: Unilever’s “Love Beauty and Planet” brand has turned sustainability into a core value, promoting products in biodegradable packaging and ethically sourced ingredients—a move that has resonated with eco-conscious consumers.
Brand media should build trust and authority for your CPG brand. Build credibility with tailored partner content designed to enhance awareness and promotion. By partnering with content creators and influencers, brands can tap into trusted networks and directly target niche audiences.
Our friends at FoodBevy can provide some insight on effective content formats:
“Affiliate content types include in-depth personal experiences with high-priced products (“I tried it.”), high-visibility gift guides for mid-priced items, SEO listicles targeting specific product categories, buzzworthy product articles for unique items, and themed collections like holiday gifts or sales events. These formats cater to different stages of the customer journey, from research to purchase intent, with gift guides and SEO listicles often delivering the best conversion rates.”
Impact: Passive content is a relic of the past. By 2025, brands that invest in engaging, value-driven content—such as tutorials, recipes, or user-generated content—will see a marked lift in consumer trust and engagement. Similarly, affiliate marketing is a powerful, cost-effective way to expand reach and drive sales through trusted influencers. Both strategies increase brand awareness, foster credibility, and improve campaign results.
Implementation tips: Use short-form videos on platforms like Instagram Reels and TikTok to both educate and entertain your audience. For example, if your product needs explaining (like plant-based protein), quick, relatable videos resonate. Partner with affiliates who align with your values and have an engaged following. Empower them with tools like discount codes, product samples, or exclusive promotions, and track results through shoppable links to refine your campaigns.
Success story: Oreo’s playful social media challenges and Dunkin’s engaging campaigns, particularly on TikTok, have captured millions of interactions from younger, digitally native audiences.
153.5 million people in the US use voice assistants, with 38.8 million (13.6% of the population) relying on smart speakers for shopping-related tasks. Here’s something that could change the game: 76% of voice command searches are “near me” or local queries, signaling a massive shift in how people find nearby businesses. As voice search continues to grow, it’s clear—local visibility isn’t optional; it’s essential. Start optimizing your strategy now to stay ahead.
Impact: With 50% of all searches predicted to be voice-based by 2025, voice search optimization will be a game-changer for selling CPG products online.
Implementation tip: Create an FAQ section on each product page. Start optimizing your product descriptions for voice search queries now. Think conversational keywords like, “What’s the best eco-friendly deodorant?” or, “Quick meals for busy moms.”
Success story: A few years back, Campbell’s created a voice-enabled Alexa skill that helped users find recipes using their products, positioning themselves front and center in consumer kitchens. Having an active where-to-buy solution on your website is crucial to appearing in these search results.
Technology and evolving consumer preferences are reshaping the CPG marketing landscape of 2025. Marketers who truly understand these trends and adapt their strategies accordingly will enjoy early-mover advantages. Success comes from taking action, not just knowing these trends.
In the face of rapid change, one thing remains constant—companies that combine bold innovation with razor-sharp consumer focus will lead the way.
Want to ensure your brand thrives in 2025 and beyond? Stay sharp, stay tuned into the trends, and don’t hesitate to try innovative solutions. Explore our blog for the latest on CPG marketing.
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