Understanding Sales Trends And Insights

America's top mall owners just made a $300 million bet on healthcare instead of retail. Here’s what it means for India. The retail landscape is evolving as America's struggling mall giants have found an unexpected lifeline, turning empty retail space into high-tech healthcare hubs. This shift holds valuable lessons for India's mall developers. Forward, a digital health startup, has secured deals with malls like Westfield, Simon, and Macerich to place "CarePods" in their malls across major U.S. cities. These compact, AI-powered healthcare stations offer automated body scans, blood pressure readings, and blood draws - all reviewed by medical professionals for $99 monthly. Having advised retail developers for over a decade, I see major implications: ● These pods generate 300% higher revenue per square foot than typical retail, approximately $1,200 compared to $300-400 ● They shift mall cash flow from volatile seasonal spikes to predictable subscription revenue ● They transform occasional shoppers into weekly visitors But… could this work in India? Our retail landscape presents different opportunities. While direct implementation faces challenges, the core insight for Indian mall developers is clear: 📌 Diversification beyond retail brands. The real opportunity lies in identifying essential services that: ➡ Solve everyday pain points for Indian families ➡ Generate consistent footfall throughout the week ➡ Create recurring revenue streams Could be education centers, co-working spaces with childcare, or specialized wellness centers. The key isn't copying Western implementations but understanding the fundamental shift: 📍 Malls are transitioning from shopping destinations to community hubs offering essential services people need regularly. What other essential services do you think could find a new home in retail spaces? #Retail #Healthcare #Innovation

eCommerce in the top 5 markets in Europe (EU5) is on an upward trend, with both unit sales and order sizes increasing. 💡Notably, Temu's situation in the French market has shown significant growth, with 11% of France's e-shoppers placing at least one order with Temu since its launch in April 2023. 💡In France, Spain, and Italy, the driving categories are 'Culture & Leisure' and 'Fashion', with France seeing a 9% increase in unit sales and a 15% increase in order value. Temu buyers are characterized by higher online purchase frequency but make smaller orders with cheaper items. 💡There's been a shift toward more sustainable options, with the weight of refurbished and secondhand items in basket size increasing by 200 basis points year over year. 💡Marketplaces hold significant sway in eCommerce, particularly in France, where they represent the largest portion of total #eCommerce. 💡Among heavy, medium, and light shoppers, high-tech and fashion are leading purchase motives. Heavy e-shoppers are most active, with 50% in the UK and 30% in Germany purchasing high-tech items, and roughly the same percentage across markets purchasing fashion items. 💡The infographic highlights that in France, 4 out of the top 10 e-retailers are grocery stores, suggesting a large market penetration of online grocery shopping. Source: foxintelligence by NielsenIQ #ecommert #growth #strategy #retailmedia #digitalshelf #cpg #europe

During the past two decades #socialmedia has fundamentally changed the way we communicate and interact. Now it is radically changing the way we shop. With huge repercussions. Let’s take a look. From the early days of MySpace in 2003 to Facebook’s launch in 2004, social media has come a long way. What started as a digital means of communication has evolved into a dominant #marketing tool that is indispensable for any brand. The pandemic has accelerated (and reinforced) a new trend that was already emerging: social media moving out of their typical marketing boundaries and becoming integrated into peoples’ shopping experiences and habits under the umbrella term that we call #socialcommerce. In other words, social commerce is where hyper-personalization meets entertainment and shopping by means of immersive experiences that excite. Accenture estimates that the global social #commerce opportunity will nearly triple by 2025, reaching $1.2 trillion (from $492 billion in 2021), whereas Statista puts the figure at $2 trillion. To understand the momentum and size, the total e-commerce market globally is $7 trillion. Here are a couple of developments pointing to the #future: — In China Alibaba’s (China’s equivalent of Amazon) on-line shopping platform Taobao introduced in 2016 what we now call live commerce: the combination of real-time broadcasting with e-commerce so that customers (or viewers if you like) can browse and shop via chat functionalities without ever leaving the platform. The new business model has been so successful that it now accounts for 10% of all #ecommerce sales in China, having grown from a mere $3 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) in 2017 to over $400 billion in 2022, according to Mckinsey! — According to TikTok, e-commerce is no longer the future of shopping; it is shopping itself. As a result, TikTok has been repositioning itself at the center of shoppertainment with the goal to transform how brands connect with their audiences. The idea is to meet consumers directly where they want to be (and meet), instead of trying to generate sales via the traditional vertical sales funnel. Of course, western markets have different cultural norms and shopping habits, and nobody says that the future globally will evolve in a similar (linear) fashion, as it has done in Asia. But it provides a useful glimpse into how social media will (increasingly) mix with day-to-day life events and how this can revolutionize the shopping experience. Going forward, social commerce can re-shape how customers interact with brands, going far beyond shopping. In this transformational journey three trends stand out: 1) millions of individuals and mid-sized businesses (can) now compete head-to-head with larger players 2) different social media usage and habits mean visible geographical variations 3) capturing the opportunity will go through changing formats and purchasing patterns. Opinions: my own, Graphic source: Citi GPS

You feel it in surveys first. Then you see it in earnings. 📉 Consumer sentiment has been sliding for months. Now it’s showing up in the numbers. PepsiCo just reported a revenue and profit decline, cutting its full-year forecast. Their CFO summed it up bluntly: “Relative to where we were three months ago, we probably aren’t feeling as good about the consumer now.” Translation: : ⚠️ The vibe is off. And it’s not just Pepsi: 🌯 Chipotle posted its first same-store sales drop since 2020. 🧺 Procter & Gamble says Americans are doing less laundry to save on detergent. ✈️ American Airlines and Delta Air Lines pulled full-year guidance, citing volatile travel demand. This isn’t a single company issue - it’s a sentiment shift at scale. From burritos to beverages, laundry loads to leisure travel - the pullback is emotionally driven. Not because wallets are empty, but because confidence is. And that brings me to one of my favorite niche fascinations: The weirdest recession indicators economists have tracked over the years. The ones that don’t show up in government data sets but do show up when your friend says “I’m just rewatching The Office again” and you understand something deeper is happening. 💄 The Lipstick Index: Coined by Estee Lauder's chairman during the early 2000s downturn. When times are tough, consumers skip big luxuries and go for small pick-me-ups, like a $12 lipstick instead of a $1200 handbag. Emotional arbitrage. 🩲 The Men’s Underwear Index: Alan Greenspan said it, not me. The theory goes that men delay underwear purchases when things are bad, because it's invisible and, let’s face it, not a priority. So if sales dip, watch out. 👗 The Hemline Index: A 1920s theory suggesting hemlines rise during economic booms and fall during downturns, supposedly because modesty (and practicality?) take over. 💅 The Mani-Pedi Barometer: Beauty services are often first on the chopping block when money gets tight. If your nail tech has open slots all week, it might be time to rebalance your portfolio. 📺 The Comfort Binge Effect: Streaming platforms like Netflix have noted spikes in rewatching comfort shows (Friends, The Office) during economic downturns. Less experimentation, more regression to the emotional mean. The economy doesn’t break all at once. It frays at the edges - in nail salons, snack aisles, and streaming queues. Anyway, I’m off to rewatch Friends instead of doing my laundry and make sure my hemlines are recession-appropriate.

The Census Bureau recently released detailed Q3 data about e-commerce sales for the retail trade sector. Two charts below summarize some key findings. Thoughts: •The top chart shows seasonally adjusted E-Commerce Sales as a Percentage of Total Sales for Retail Trade Excluding Motor Vehicle & Parts Dealers (NAICS 441) and Gasoline Stations (447). I exclude the two subsectors given e-commerce activity for the former doesn’t concern parcel shipping, whereas the latter sector has practically no e-commerce (plus it has volatile revenue that can skew figures). Q3 2023 saw a slight increase in the e-commerce percentage figure that places us exactly on the trendline as implied by 2018 – 2019. Thus, there is good evidence that we have seen a reversion of e-commerce purchasing behavior to the long-term trend. I recall back in early 2021 I suggested this possibility, which was met with strong skepticism at the time (the general consensus then was that COVID-19 represented a step-function jump that would then see e-commerce percentage increase at the same pace we saw before COVID-19). While I have certainly made incorrect predictions about supply chain dynamics since COVID-19, the best available data to date corroborates the trendline reversion for e-commerce activity. •The bottom chart splits e-commerce sales by nonstore retailers versus e-commerce sales by primarily brick-and-mortar retailers excluding motor vehicles and parts dealers. Here we see very different patterns. E-commerce sales for brick-and-mortar retailers are down this time from last year, whereas e-commerce sales for nonstore retailers continue to rise (note, these data aren’t adjusted for inflation). •A key implication from the bottom chart is that is looks like most e-commerce growth right in 2024 will be at nonstore retailers, as opposed to the brick-and-mortar retailers. Implication: Census Bureau data shows that the percentage of e-commerce sales has reverted to the pre-COVID trendline and appears to be following that trendline. While this does suggest some volume growth for parcel carriers in 2024, no one should expect the record levels from late 2020 and 2021 to manifest for a few more years. #ecommerce #supplychain #supplychainmanagement #shipsandshipping #logistics #freight

The Power of Lead Scoring: A Case Study One year ago, I worked with a tech startup with a big problem at hand... They reached out to me because their lead conversion was extremely low. Here's their story: This client faced a common struggle: Turning leads into customers. Despite their efforts, they couldn't crack the code. And there was one main reason for this—they had ZERO lead scoring in place. Now, I know what you might be saying “Jordan, what’s lead scoring?” Okay, so here's the deal with lead scoring: It's like having your own personal radar system for your sales and marketing efforts. You're basically assigning points to leads based on how interested they are in what you’re offering and how qualified they are—by a strict set of standards you create. So, instead of wasting time chasing after every lead out there, you can focus on the ones that are most likely to buy. It's all about working smarter, not harder. That's how you close more deals with less effort. Now, here’s the 5 part lead scoring system we put in place for this tech startup: Demographics: We looked at the industry, company size, job title(s), and location of their prospects. Behavioral Data: We monitored website visits, content downloads, and social media engagement. Engagement Level: The frequency that leads interacted with their content. By looking at this we were able to identify the most engaged prospects. Purchase Intent: Signals like demo requests or inquiries about pricing helped us to prioritize leads that were ready to make a decision. Lead Source: Understanding where leads came from provided insights into their level of interest and intent. Together, we introduced a cohesive lead scoring system—a smart move that changed the game for this startup. By implementing these five key criteria, they could finally stop wasting time and pinpoint which leads were worth pursuing. With this system in place, they saw incredible results. Leads weren’t just numbers anymore—they were real people with real needs. By focusing on the most promising leads, our client saw their conversion rates soar. In the end, it all came down to simplicity. By streamlining their approach and zeroing in on what mattered most, they saw record high sales numbers that year. P.s. - Does your company use lead scoring? If so, what’s the biggest challenge you’re facing right now? Thanks for reading. Enjoyed this post? Follow Jordan Nelson Share with your network to help others increase their sales with lead scoring.

Your product isn’t failing…it’s grown up. Every successful Indian brand eventually hits a point where sales slow down. That’s the maturity stage of the product life cycle. The brands that survive don’t panic. They play smarter. Here’s how you can also do : 1️⃣ Find New Users When your current audience is saturated, growth comes from people who have never tried you. • New Markets: Move beyond metros. Tier-II and Tier-III cities are hungry for quality products. • Competitor Switchers: Offer loyalty points or “exchange offers” to tempt rival customers. 👉 Think of how Zomato started targeting small towns once metros were crowded. 2️⃣ Increase Usage Among Current Customers Sometimes you don’t need more customers you need more moments of use. • Show fresh ways to enjoy the same product. • Encourage higher frequency: “twice a day,” “every weekend,” etc. 👉 Amul promotes butter not just for toast, but for parathas, desserts, even baking. 3️⃣ Refresh the Product People love the familiar, but they notice when you keep it exciting. • Quality Upgrade: Better ingredients, more durability. • Feature Upgrade: New flavours, limited-edition festive packs, eco-friendly packaging. 👉 Parle-G introduced premium “Platina” cookies while keeping the classic biscuit alive. 4️⃣ Adjust the Marketing Mix Sometimes a smart tweak beats a big reinvention. • Price: Create a ₹10 entry pack for reach or launch a premium version for status. • Place: Sell on quick-commerce apps, WhatsApp, or local kirana tie-ups. • Promotion: Regional festivals + local influencers = instant attention. 👉 Tata Tea nails this with hyper-local ads for every state. 5️⃣ Build the Next Big Thing While you stretch today’s hero product, quietly invest in what’s next. 👉 Reliance didn’t stop at Jio; it’s already deep into retail and AI. Example Product: South Indian Filter Coffee Goal: Make people drink it more often. Visual: A lively Bengaluru co-working space. Copy: “Morning ritual? Now your 4 p.m. brainstorm booster. Ready-to-pour filter coffee packs, anytime energy.” A single new habit = more sales. The maturity stage isn’t the end it’s the test. Brands that educate, refresh, and adapt turn maturity into long-term dominance. Which Indian brand do you think is stuck in maturity but ready for a comeback? Drop your idea in the commentslet’s share strategies that could spark its next growth wave. #linkedin

Retailers shift from Google to AI agents – what this means for FMCG brands A silent shift is underway in digital commerce — and FMCG brands should take note. In August 2025, ChatGPT drove 20% of referral traffic to Walmart and Etsy Shop, with Target at ~15% and eBay at 10%. Just a month earlier, these numbers were significantly lower. While referral traffic is still under 5% of total visits, the growth velocity is clear. Consumers are replacing search with conversation. Instead of using Google, users now ask ChatGPT: - “Which toothpaste is best for sensitive teeth?” - “Top healthy snacks for kids?” - “Why is Swiss Cheese so good and where can I buy it?” - “Best laundry detergent for cold wash?” This behavioral shift matters. AI agents filter and surface product recommendations based on trust, brand recognition, and relevance — not just ad spend. For FMCG producers, the implications are clear: – Visibility is no longer guaranteed by shelf space or SEO. – If your brand isn’t part of AI agents’ product surfaces, you’re invisible. – Retailer data access policies now shape your discoverability. Retailers like Walmart (420 million SKUs) and Target are gaining exposure by remaining open to AI crawlers. Amazon, however, has blocked many bots — causing its ChatGPT-driven traffic to drop 18% in August. This evolving ecosystem affects how FMCG brands are discovered, recommended, and ultimately purchased. And unlike paid search, where placement is auctioned, AI-driven recommendation engines operate in more opaque, model-based hierarchies. Key facts: – 2.5 billion daily ChatGPT prompts – ~50 million daily shopping-related queries – 60% of US shoppers have used genAI for shopping (Omnisend, Aug 2025) As OpenAI and others move toward affiliate fees and embedded checkout, FMCG brands must act now — ensuring their products are correctly indexed, accurately represented, and promoted within retailer ecosystems that are embracing AI traffic. The next shelf is conversational. And it's already stocked. #retail #ecommerce #fmcg #omnichannel #ai #chatgpt #openai #shoppingagents #digitalcommerce #referraltraffic #amazon #walmart #etsy #target #ebay #rufus #retailtech #consumertrends #searchvschat #affiliate #onlineshopping #generativeai #shoppingbots #conversion #usa #northamerica #martech #digitalmarketing #adtech #aiincommerce #futureofshopping #platformeconomy #brandvisibility #fmcgmarketing

Inflation can erode consumer purchasing power, forcing businesses to rethink their pricing and product strategies. #BigBazaar, one of India’s leading retail chains, turned to real-time sales data to make smarter, faster decisions—and here’s how they did it. 🔍 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞: With rising inflation, BigBazaar noticed: ✔️ A decline in premium product sales ✔️ More customers opting for smaller pack sizes ✔️ A shift toward private-label and economy brands Without clear data insights, adjusting to these changes would have been a guessing game. 📈 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚-𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Instead of reacting late, BigBazaar leveraged real-time analytics to track purchasing patterns at the SKU level. This enabled them to: ✅ Identify a growing preference for budget-friendly alternatives ✅ Adjust procurement and stocking strategies to align with demand ✅ Optimize promotions by offering targeted discounts on trending products rather than blanket price cuts 💡 The Result: ✔️ A 12% increase in sales for private-label products (Tasty Treat, Golden Harvest) ✔️ A 9% improvement in customer retention among price-sensitive shoppers ✔️ Reduced excess inventory of slow-moving premium items 🎯 Key Takeaway: In uncertain times, data beats intuition. Businesses that track real-time trends can pivot quickly—ensuring they meet customer needs while protecting profitability. 𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒂 𝒕𝒐 𝒏𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏? #DataDrivenDecisionMaking #DataAnalytics #

Growth isn’t just “do more” It’s knowing what to do in the right order Marketing, CRO, pricing, retention, logistics, ads… With limited time and team bandwidth, even good ideas can turn into bad decisions if done too soon or in the wrong sequence. So we mapped out The E-commerce Growth Roadmap. A clear, actionable view of what to fix, improve, and scale, and when. Here’s how it works: Level 1: Fix critical leaks You’re not growing yet. You’re stopping the bleeding. Level 2: Monetize what you already have Once the basics are stable, extract more value per transaction. Level 3: Build retention and repeat value Now make customers come back and spend again. Level 4: Tune pricing and upsells Your economics are clear. Time to pull smart strategic levers. Level 5: Scale the validated model Now you’re ready for top-line growth responsibly. 📌 Save this. Share with your team. Use it as a roadmap for your next growth sprint. Do you agree with this framework and sequence?