Category Growth 09 February 2026

Unlocking Growth in the CPG Industry in a World of Uncertainty

In an environment defined by volatility, slowing innovation, and execution complexity, sustainable growth increasingly depends on capabilities that brands cannot build alone.

How CPG companies can navigate uncertainty through crossindustry and segment expertise

CPG companies of all sizes are facing a new generation of complex challenges that are impacting their foundational capability to create value.

Trade barriers, macroeconomic downturns, and structural instability are dampening consumer confidence and increasing execution risk for CPG brands worldwide.

While globalization is no longer the dominant force shaping growth, the ability to operate effectively at both global and regional levels has become even more critical. This is due to huge uncertainties driven by tariffs, macroeconomics downturn and a structural instability, which are all dampening consumers’ confidence.

Companies are confronted with increasingly complex problems. Despite access to new tools that boost productivity and capabilities, the idea that their challenges are unique to them is holding back the possibility to learn from other industries and segments. Potential solutions are sought within a predefined frame, limiting the chances of identifying effective ways to manage the business in such turbulent times.

Support in managing these new challenges can be found from many external sources but very few are equipped with multi-industry and multi-segment experiences that can be applied within a specific business landscape and able to go beyond defined boundaries and ensure effective execution and tangible results.

Innovation is lacking in CPG and has not sustained business
growth

As a driver of sustainable competitive growth over time, innovation continues to be perceived as too risky, even moreso given the pressure for short term results. In fact, within the CPG industry it now accounts for only one third of new launches.

True innovation has been gradually declining for a long time across all CPG sectors, particularly for Food & Beverage, increasing its level of exposure to forces that are draining growth and profitability.

A New Recipe for CPG Growth: Accessing “Enablers
Capabilities”

To succeed, CPG companies must master three types of capabilities:

• Mainstream Capabilities – The company-specific assets, processes, and know-how that sustain today’s core business.
• Tools Capabilities – The technologies, platforms, and methodologies (including the most recent AI) that enhance efficiency, insight, and scale.
• Enablers Capabilities – Experience-driven ways of working developed through direct, hands-on exposure to multiple industries, markets, and operating models.

In a context where markets shift faster than organizations, Enablers Capabilities determine whether companies can turn ambition into sustainable growth.

The most important Enablers Capabilities for the future are:

• Operating with speed and judgement
  The ability to leapfrog from a defined execution environment, made up of process and standardized models, to an instinctive behavior where gut feeling and speed are more important than ever. If a company does not have it internally, it should learn from those who have lived and delivered in diverse cultural contexts, both corporates and startups.

• Building and orchestrating value-creating ecosystems
  The ability to build up networks which are instrumental for the achievement of the company’s objectives and the management of them. It is about shareholders, suppliers, instrumental lateral industries, universities and more. Asking people to sit together for a meeting is easy, managing an ecosystem with the aim to extract value to accelerate the company growth is completely different, particularly when the dimension of such an ecosystem is global and biased by cultural differences.

• Executing seamlessly across regions and markets
  The ability to operate in a streamlined way regionally and globally. This requires specific knowledge of the business dynamics of different countries, gained through direct experience. This implies having negotiated, managed resources, connected with consumers and shared views and learnings across multiple countries.

• Leveraging multi-industry expertise
  The practice of identifying patterns and opportunity levers by applying insights from multiple industries and segments. Everybody thinks they have a unique project with unique problems, but it is rarely the case. Having exchanges with resources experienced in multiple industries and segments is crucial as together with them opportunity levers can be identified and implemented.

This is all enhanced by gaining support from people with the capability to de-risk innovation and bringing it to life will be key to guarantee healthy future growth.

Sevendots’ execution playbook

Sevendots has developed an execution playbook that enables CPG companies to compete more effectively in today’s volatile environment. By combining company-specific knowledge with cross-industry experience, the playbook supports organizations across the full growth journey — from innovation and partnerships to execution and profitability.

In today’s environment, success in CPG depends on a deep understanding of how businesses truly operate and on the ability to adapt quickly to changing market conditions. This is no longer achieved through internal capabilities alone, but by intentionally accessing experience that combines company-specific insight with proven, multi-industry and multi-segment execution.

Contact Sevendots to enhance the Enablers Capabilities of your organization and accelerate growth through more effective innovation.