Insights from Our CPG Dinner at NRF

Borrowed

“The future is solely created in the present. The future can’t be created in any other place but the present. What an individual creates ‘now’ determines what the new ‘now,’ or what we call the future, will look like. Otherwise, you are living in a circular world and your future is always stranded out there as something you want but don’t have.”

From Straight-Line Leadership: Tools for Living with Velocity and Power in Turbulent Times by Dusan Djukich [Book]

Learned & Thought

I’ve spent the last couple of days back in NYC, and as always, the energy here is one-of-a-kind. Between hosting our CPG networking dinner with Shopify and Storm King Consulting, meeting with the Barrel leadership team for quarterly planning, and catching up with colleagues and partners (even breaking a sweat!), it’s been a busy but incredibly rewarding trip.

Having attended several industry dinners, it was fun to take the seat as host and faciliate the conversation. We brought together an amazing group of CPG leaders with a focus on future-proofing your tech stack. With omnichannel commerce becoming more and more essential for most CPG brands, the challenge isn’t just about having the right tools—it’s about creating an online experience that supports the business across every channel and touchpoint.

Here are a few themes that stood out during the discussion:

• Start collecting customer data early: Personalization has gone from “nice to have” to table stakes for CPG brands. Moving from one-to-many to one-to-one experiences requires strong data. Whether you’re just entering the market or are an established brand, start capturing data now. You don’t need to know how you’ll use it yet, but having that data will open doors down the line.
  
• Don’t overinvest in features you don’t need yet: Build a strong foundation first. Too often, brands invest in tools they think they’ll need down the road instead of focusing on what matters today. A lean, purpose-driven tech stack that supports your current goals is far more effective than one weighed down by unnecessary features—plus, a bloated setup can hurt more than your budget (hello, slower site speeds!).
  
• Think long-term but stay flexible: Your tech stack should reflect how your customers interact with your brand—whether online or offline. Don’t let sunk costs keep you tied to tools that no longer work for your business. If something isn’t serving you, it’s time to pivot to solutions that will.

It’s always refreshing to have these kinds of conversations in an intimate setting. The insights, the perspectives, and the collaborative energy remind me how much value comes from bringing the right people together.