Consumer Products Barometer™ archive

The Consumer Products Barometer compares the views of more than 50 senior executives in the consumer products industry with an all-industries cross-section of 135 business leaders.

Consumer Products Barometer: 2nd quarter 2008

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PwC's second 2008 Consumer Products (CP) Barometer survey, the quarterly benchmarking survey that measures the consumer products industry's pulse across a number of important financial, economic and operational issues of importance to our clients.

In today's current economic climate, many consumer products companies are faced with challenges to their business operations. This quarter's survey highlights interviews with 59 US-based consumer products executives and features their outlook on the state of the economy, their business performance, and their expectations for growth over the next 12 months. The report shares the respondents attitudes around the 'special topics' of sustainability and rising input costs.

Consumer Products Barometer: 1st quarter 2008

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PwC's first quarter 2008 Consumer Products (CP) Barometer survey, the quarterly benchmarking survey that measures the consumer products industry's pulse across a number of important financial, economic and operational issues of importance to our clients.Our Q1 2008 survey highlights interviews with 58 US-based financial executives at large consumer products companies in the retail & consumer industry. The average total annual revenues for the surveyed companies is $3.56 billion (total enterprise revenues averaged $10.91 billion). In addition to the questions that we ask each quarter, we asked companies in this survey about a few "special topics", including:
  • Adapting to the weakening US market and higher costs
  • Responding to pressure to "go green"
Consumer Products Barometer: 4th quarter 2007

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The fourth quarter results show that more senior executives of consumer products businesses are now pessimistic about the US economy than optimistic. Own-company revenue growth projections dropped below the prior quarter's and last year's levels while concerns about oil/energy prices and three other potential barriers to growth — demand, monetary exchange rates and competition from foreign markets — increased notably.On the positive side, international markets continued to hold up well. Quarterly performance showed the majority of those selling abroad increased sales while few decreased. Operational spending in 2008 is expected to be strong for several areas, most of all for new product or service introductions. Initiatives to expand to new markets abroad also continue to rise.

Consumer Products Barometer: 3rd quarter 2007

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In the 3Q 2007 survey, optimism regarding the US economy fell to 29% from 53% the previous quarter. Despite increasing uncertainty about the domestic economy, consumer products companies estimate their own companies' 12 month revenue growth projections at an average 6.8% — an increase from the prior quarter's 6.3%, and ahead of last year's projection of 5.7%. Furthermore, 92% of consumer products companies plan for growth, with 21% expecting double-digit growth.

Consumer Products Barometer: 2nd quarter 2007

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As optimism in the US and world economies continues to remain strong, senior executives of large consumer products companies raised their own companies' revenue growth targets over the next 12 months to an average of 6.3%, up from a reported 4.8% in the first quarter of this year, and on par with projections a year ago at 6.2%.

Consumer Products Barometer: 1st quarter 2007

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PricewaterhouseCoopers' (PwC's) retail & consumer industry practice has teamed up with the firm's Management Barometer group and external research agency, BSI, extending the impact from the firm's quarterly Management Barometer to learn more about how consumer products companies in particular view the US and world economy, their projections regarding growth rates, their hiring and future investment plans and potential barriers to growth over the next 12 months's — as well as selected "hot topics" uniquely relevant to the consumer products industry.