(N2) Prelaunch Industry Board Newsletter: Monthly Innovation & Insights

Dear Industry Board Members,

I hope you’re doing well and that the global turbulence caused by U.S. tariffs remains manageable.

I’ve just returned from China, where our team invited me to present how Prelaunch can support brands with price testing in light of the anticipated cost increases.

We’re seeing many companies using Prelaunch to understand how far they can stretch their pricing without losing demand.

Beyond pricing, Prelaunch also helps brands identify new markets and eliminate unnecessary features, ensuring a cost-effective product strategy.

Trends & Tech That Defined Last Quarter

This year, the consumer industry shows sharp contrasts. Our analysis highlights CPG as the only sector maintaining positive returns (+0.68%), while consumer appliances have taken the hardest hit, declining by -30.97%.

Interesting Fact:

Despite industry-wide challenges, companies maintaining innovation investments during this downturn are capturing more market share from competitors who cut R&D budgets. Check out McKinsey’s Quarterly Report

Success Story: 

Tapestry defied the struggling apparel sector's -18.31% average decline with an impressive +46.98% return. 

Their strategy? Doubling down on digital personalization while competitors cut innovation budgets. Their AI-powered design platform reduced sample production by 70% while increasing first-time purchase satisfaction by 35%. Read more about Tapestry's transformation

Three Trends Reshaping Consumer Industries

1. AI Moves from Experimental to Essential

Unilever’s AI innovation engine analyzes billions of data points to spot unmet needs and forecast trends.

It’s enabled 15 successful product launches in the past year, cutting time-to-market by 60%.

"Our AI doesn’t replace creativity—it amplifies it," says Unilever’s Chief Digital Officer.
"By automating large-scale data analysis, we free up our teams to focus on human insights and creative breakthroughs." Explore Unilever’s innovative approach

2. The GLP-1 Effect is Changing Food Innovation

The rise of GLP-1 weight loss medications has created a new food category: smaller, nutrient-dense products.

There’s an interesting debate in the industry on how the GLP-1 will impact the snack industry. In response, some CPG food companies are focusing on making smaller portions, focusing on high protein and healthier snacks that won’t make GLP users feel sick. And others, like Mattson Foods and other food science companies, are developing foods that can overcome the anti-addictive properties of GLP drugs.

Others indirectly benefit from the trend as well. Danone’s yogurt sales surge among US consumers using GLP-1 drugs

3. Regenerative Business Models Gain Ground

Patagonia's Regenerative Organic Certified program sources cotton from farms using practices that sequester carbon and improve soil health. This approach has delivered surprising business benefits: 

• 40% higher margins on ROC products compared to conventional lines

• 25% improvement in supply chain resilience during climate disruptions

• 3x higher customer loyalty metrics for ROC product purchasers

Industry Quick Takes

Consumer Appliances: Energy Efficiency Leads
While the sector is down overall, energy-efficient innovations are thriving. Miele’s new kitchen suite—combining multiple functions and using 40% less energy—has seen 78% of buyers cite long-term savings as the main reason for purchase.

Trend to Watch: Appliances that adapt to energy grid conditions in real-time, automatically running during lower-cost, lower-carbon periods. Smart grid integration report

CPG: Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Acceleration
Procter & Gamble reports E-commerce sales increased 9%, now representing 18% of the company's total., wow!

Surprising Fact: Companies with robust DTC channels identified new product opportunities 4x faster than those relying solely on retailer data.  CPG direct-to-consumer benchmark study

It looks like Unilever is also investing heavily in e-commerce and expanding its direct-to-consumer (DTC) category.

Looking Ahead: Opportunities to Watch

Check out these 10 consumer tech trends from Forbes—I have to say, I agree with most of them :)

Spatial Computing Evolves: Devices like Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3 are turning virtual product trials into immersive, lifelike experiences.
Check out this TED Talk on the future of extended and virtual reality—a space where major companies are betting big.

🎙️ Innovation Impossible Podcast

In this episode, our host Dan interviews Arvind Balasundaram, Executive Director of Commercial Insights & Analytics at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. 

With four decades of experience launching products at Chemical Bank, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Regeneron, Arvind shares behind-the-scenes stories on the global success of Viagra, Lipitor, and Zithromax—plus the power of co-creating with patients, partners, and physicians.

🚀 What’s New at Prelaunch.com

One of our standout projects, the Circular Medical-Grade ECG Ring, was in for a surprise.

After a few modest early editions, the founder was stunned to see a breakout performance in the next campaign. 

Prelaunch insights revealed a previously untapped audience segment—something no traditional research would have uncovered.

The result? $3M in sales within weeks—exceeding their expectation by 10x... 

No one saw it coming... except us at Prelaunch 😎

Thank you for reading and for being part of our Industry Advisory Board 🙏

Stay tuned for next month’s newsletter, in which we’ll explore AI, sustainability, robotics, and other trends shaping innovation in greater depth.

Narek
CEO, Prelaunch.com