Market intelligence: A win-win service
In a bid to add more value for our customers and enhance our own understanding of the value chain, we have just conducted a survey of the tissue retail sector in Europe.
Conducted by Business Sweden Milano, an independent organization jointly owned by the Swedish government and representatives from the Swedish business community through the Swedish Foreign Trade Association, the project sought to gain a deeper insight of what drives tissue retailers by conducting interviews with some of the leading tissue retailers in Europe. They were asked a wide-ranging list of questions on a variety of topics, from sales drivers to tissue properties and sustainability priorities – with some surprising results.
Tissue retailers proved to be extremely discreet and were reluctant to share much information, but this was revealing. If it was a challenge for Business Sweden, we can assume it’s also very difficult for our customers to gain a meaningful, detailed insight into the tissue retail world. The more we can do to enhance our own market intelligence and understanding of what drives the value chain, the more value we can add for our customers.
There were many positives to draw from the results. For example, the market is not as driven by the consumer as we thought. It’s rather that the big retailers are keen to offer as broad a range of choice as possible, and they seek to feature new and innovative products. There is an opportunity here for innovative tissue producers seeking to add value, and for us to cooperate with them and help them achieve new sales.
They also trust their suppliers when it comes to knowing which labels and certification schemes are relevant and important. This places great responsibility on the suppliers, our customers, but also represents an opportunity to drive the market.
Business Sweden Milano told us: “There are many interesting conclusions to draw from the study but one thing is clear – there is definitely room for innovation to drive product development and sustainability in this highly traditional industry, and we look forward to following Södra Cell’s innovative journey ahead.”
To find out more about the results of the survey, and to explore ways in which we could work together to add value to your relationship with your customers and consumers, contact your local sales representative.
Marcus Hellberg, Sales Director, Italy
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Subjects: Pulp
