As we wave goodbye to another turbulent and covid-affected year, we welcome 2022 and kick of Q1 in the FMCG world.

Q1 gives brands the opportunity to set up a sales tone for the rest of the year and build on momentum you have from your Q4 success is 2021. So what's to come in 2022 for retail?

We've compiled a list of expected trends, best ways to contact retail buyers, events in Q1 and more in this blog post for you.

Expected Trends:

Inflation:

Inflation itself has climbed to 5.4% last month, reaching its highest rate since back in March 1992.  its highest rate since March 1992. Food Price Inflation is also set to continue rising throughout 2022, after hitting a 14-month high of 2.1% in October, meaning the cost of living is becoming higher and higher matched with other price hikes including energy and gas costs.

Plastic Packaging Tax:

Following the COP 26 Climate Summit, the newest 'environmental tax' being introduced in the UK is the plastics packaging tax (PPT), which will come into force at the end of Q1 on the 1st of April 2022. The aim of the tax is to incentivise the use of recycled material in the production of plastic packaging, any plastic packaging items manufactured, imported or imported filled, containing less than 30% recycled plastic will be charged by HMRC at £200 per tonne. Be ready or be ready to pay up is the general consensus.

Reaching out to buyers in Q1 and beyond:

Reaching out to buyers and actually getting them to view and sample your products is seeming to be harder than ever before, with so much noise and thousands of new brands being pitched every day, how do you make your brand stand out from the rest?

Buyers are becoming busier than ever and physically don't have the time to sift through new brands, and look to make space in their stores. So, how do you approach them in a different way and get noticed?

Presenting your brand:

Gone are the days of simply sending across your brand's presentation deck, buyers are constantly giving us feedback that they just don't have the time to read through 25 pages of brand values, in between their hundreds of other daily tasks.

Instead buyers are actively looking for a brand video which incapsulates the brand story, mission, USPs and the product market so they can get an entire feel for the brand, the opportunities in place and its potiential for a fraction of the time it would take to read through a whole presentation.

The Buyer's Discovery Club's top tips for creating a brand video are:

1. Make it memorable creatively, and fit your branding and ethos.
2. Don't overcomplicate the information, the whle purpose of a brand video is for buyers to get the top line information so they can move forward to next steps.
3. Include an introduction and conclusion from a brand representative talking to the camera, this can be the founder or another influential member of the team.

The Buyer's Discovery Club Platform:

Recently launched into it's pilot phase, The Buyer's Discovery Club platform is the ultimate discovery tool for the most exciting and disruptive brands looking to either achieve their first listing into retail, or expand their retail journey into other retailers.

We are quite literally giving brands the platform to showcase their products and have them instantly appear in front of retail buyers from the likes of Selfridges, Boots, Tesco, Superdrug and more, there has never been an easier way to start the conversation with these buyers than through our unique match-making platform.

Events happening in Q1:

February 14th-  Marks Valentines Day, which sees retailers of all kinds adjust their in store merchandising to everything red, pink and love hearts. As well as, products like chocolates, flowers, perfumes and more booming in sales for this annual day of affection for many couples.

March 1st- Marks 2022's Pancake Day, which sees sales of pancake mix, lemon, nutella and frying pans boom for this heavily celebrated day. How many pancakes did you manage to eat last year?

March 8th- Marks International Women's Day 2022, which is becoming even more relevant year on year. The day often sees many online retailers with female-based consumers celebrting the day and even ofering special discounts and promotions.

March 20th- Marks the very first day of Spring for 2022, with longer, sunnier days ahead many see this as the perfect time to increase their exercise, particualrly with outdoor sports and activities. This can see sales of exercise equipment, gymwear and sports nutrition products increase as a result.

What is your brand up to in Q1? Let us know over on the BDC Instagram.