IRI has announced last year’s most successful consumer packaged goods launches in its 2015 New Product Pacesetters report, an industry-recognized benchmark analysis of exceptional first-year CPG sales success for newly launched products. Thousands of new brands hit retail shelves during 2015, with 54% of all new product launches hailing from the food and beverage aisles, while the remaining 46% came from the non-food realm. The top-selling 200 new brands captured cumulative year-one sales of more than $6.5 billion across IRI’s multi-outlet geography.

“The key to launching a successful new product today is not only understanding your core and target shoppers but also how these shoppers view the CPG marketplace,” said Susan Viamari, vice president, Thought Leadership, IRI. “Their viewpoint is very different from manufacturers and retailers. Consumers think about satisfying needs in terms of eating occasions, drinking occasions and product usage occasions. CPGs need to recognize which CPG categories compete for each occasion. It varies by mind-set, daypart, channel and shopper, so the days of one-size-fits-all strategies are gone forever.”

“The good news is that technology and analytic know-how play a huge role in creating an understanding about market trends and consumers’ needs and wants, and how those factors impact the way consumers make purchase decisions,” added Larry Levin, executive vice president, Business Development, IRI. “CPG marketers must harness that knowledge to understand sources of volume and incrementality for each of their brands across usage occasions — in other words, know where your sales are coming from. Ultimately, marketers are looking to get the full pool of potential consumers to buy more, rather than just shifting dollars from one brand within the portfolio to another.”

Food and Beverage Launches Capture $19.6 Million in Median Year-One Sales

For the top 100 food and beverage champions, median year-one dollar sales were $19.6 million, down from $22.9 million in 2014. These top-performing products provide much-needed indulgence and offer an experience that brings excitement into the kitchen.

2015 New Product Pacesetters: Top 10 Food and Beverage Brands ($ Millions)

(Total Year-One Dollar Sales, Multi-Outlet)

1. McCafé $172.7
2. Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh BOLD $146.2
3. Dannon Oikos Triple Zero $108.0
4. fairlife $87.1
5. Yoplait Greek 100 Whips! $83.6
6. Chili's At Home $78.9
7. Simply Juice Drinks $70.5
8. Breyers Gelato Indulgences $66.9
9. Cobblestone Bread Co. $60.2
10. Cheerios Protein $49.8