Data and digital specialists TWC has announced the launch of ‘TWC Trends’ – a new industry tracker service. It is said to complement its existing data platforms which enable wholesalers, operators, and suppliers to understand what is happening in the market.
TWC Trends aims to help firms explore and understand why it is happening, in order to align their products, systems, and service to meet fast-changing consumer needs.
The service will also look to identify and quantify emerging and future trends with two tranches (published as written reports and video content), which will be interspersed with pulses of time-critical insight through the year.
TWC Trends 2021 Part 1 is set to publish mid-April, with the second part published mid-October. The first report will focus on key issues facing businesses as the industry (and society) adjusts to a new way of life and the longer-term impact of living with a pandemic.
Themes will cover economic, societal, and industry specifics, including what innovations have stuck through Covid that will change the way people shop, socialise, or what they buy. It will explore questions such as; is there too much NPD? Do core ranges need to change? Will there be less face-to-face engagement between suppliers / retailers / wholesalers, and will digital engagement continue to grow in store, and in Hospitality. If so, what will that look like?
In order that the tracker is as representative as possible, TWC’s Development Director, Tom Fender, is inviting wholesalers, foodservice operators, and suppliers to email him (tom@twcgroup.net) themes of direct interest to their own business, prior to the end of February.
He commented: “We’re launching this service to bring something new to the wholesale route to market. There’s currently a gap in the market for straightforward sentiment research and opinion mining on current and future trends.
“I would love to hear from businesses who are interested in tracking a specific sentiment or behaviour, and we can potentially include this in our tracker either on an open basis – or exclusive – depending on the aspiration and needs of that business.
“Not only will we be exploring future trends, but our opinion mining will be overlaid with incisive interpretation, opportunity, and calls to action.
“Our industry has seen a number of seismic shifts over the last 12 months as Covid has ravaged out-of-home markets and boosted sales in Convenience Retail, and our aim is to understand and anticipate what is next around the corner”.