Impact and Addresal of Covid -19 on Consumer Goods/FMCG Industry [Round Table E-Discussion]

3. Consumers are not brand-conscious: 

Mr. Dhruv Kapur pointed out that consumers are not being brand conscious at these times. They are picking up on availability at the retailer’s end. Having said that, he mentioned that if a consumer is able to find the brand of their preference – they are buying it in bulk.

4. Managing internal and external communication is the key: 

In this time of mayhem, the central government’s directive can be misinterpreted by the state government and local authorities. Mr. Japeth pointed out instances where local police stopped the vehicle delivering essential supplies.  Renowned FMCG consultant mentioned that in this event of crisis managing clear communication with the team is essential. Mr. Aseem Soni mentioned that his teams are in touch with the central government, state government and local authorities to make sure that Modern Foods is able to supply the essential products at the retailer’s end. The Modern team has also used Twitter to escalate the matter and they have received a positive response from the authority on reaching out to the right person.

5. Post lockdown Brands will have to take credit exposure:

In order to survive in the market after the lockdown, brands will have to provide credit to their channels to get the products in the market. Mr. Garg says, “If they do not do it, their competition will eat on to a big chunk of the market. Post-lockdown priority should be to use credit as a tool for product placement.”

6. Work from home will be the new culture:

FMCG as an industry has been a laggard in promoting work from home but currently they have no choice but to increase their efficiency using telephonic and web based interactions. Mr Dhruv mentioned that his Inside Sales Team is working very closely with retailers in this scenario and Brewhouse is getting new ideas how they could be used during and after the lockdown.

Read More: Work From Home During COVID -19 Lockdown

7. Backend Operations are a big hurdle:

Mr. Asit mentioned that the labour supply has stopped and raw materials are scarce. Taking a cue from this point, Mr.  Aseem pointed out that packaging material is a huge issue in the current market. Anil Garg recommended true empathy with suppliers and labour force is the only solution that may help in maintaining long term relationships.

8. FMCG Supply Chain will be redefined: 

The idea which seems impractical one month back will look seemingly doable. Like for example using retailers to deliver online subscription services or perhaps using the right tool to engage key stakeholders of the supply chain. “The company that deals only with Super Stockist will have to take regular feedbacks from their long arms ie. Distributors and retailers” says Mr. Anil Garg.

The informative session ended with on-ground learning and market analysis pointers. We thank the panelists for taking out their time for this session. One key aspect that resonated in the session was – Brands are working hard to make sure essential supplies are delivered to all of us. For that, constant innovation and tactical methods is necessary.