Rich Products Corporation & CDS

Shopper Marketing, Brand Strategy & Product Development
Human Behavior + Commerce | Corporate Leadership Experience

The Person Buying Isn’t Always the Person Consuming

❋ The Challenge

After managing a $200 million retail portfolio at Winn-Dixie, I moved into roles that allowed me to approach consumer products from another side of the commercial relationship.

At Rich Products Corporation, I brought my retail experience into a manufacturer environment, where the challenge was not simply to create consumer demand but to understand how products moved through a complex ecosystem of retailers, shoppers, and end consumers.

Later, at CDS, I applied that perspective to consumer brand strategy and product development, where decisions about what to bring to market required understanding both customer appeal and commercial viability.

Across these distinct roles, the challenge was remarkably consistent: developing strategies that accounted for the different people and organizations influencing a purchase.

The consumer, the shopper, and the retailer were not necessarily motivated by the same things. 

❋ The Transformation

These experiences deepened the connection between my background in consumer psychology and my understanding of business performance.

At Rich Products, marketing initiatives became opportunities to connect shopper insights with measurable commercial outcomes while improving how resources were deployed.

At CDS, brand and product development decisions benefited from a broader understanding of the retailer, shopper, and end-consumer relationship.

The work reinforced that effective strategy doesn’t begin with assumptions about what an audience wants. It begins with understanding who is making the decision, what motivates them, and what other factors influence the outcome.

That perspective would become increasingly important as my career expanded beyond consumer products into more complex B2B and institutional environments.

❋ The Signal

My experience on both sides of the retail relationship revealed an important distinction.

The person consuming a product isn’t always the person choosing it, purchasing it, or deciding whether it earns a place on a retailer’s shelves.

A product might satisfy an end consumer’s needs while failing to address the shopper’s priorities. A compelling consumer proposition might still fall short if it didn’t support the retailer’s commercial objectives.

These differences weren’t minor marketing nuances. They directly influenced product development, positioning, promotional strategy, and the likelihood of commercial success.

I recognized that effective brand and go-to-market strategies needed to account for the complete decision-making ecosystem.

Understanding the consumer was essential. Understanding everyone influencing the purchase was the opportunity.

❋ The Strategic Response

At Rich Products, I applied my retail category-management perspective to shopper marketing and commercial program development.

The work involved connecting audience insights, promotional strategies, agency resources, and business objectives to create more effective marketing programs.

I also consolidated agency relationships to improve resource efficiency and bring greater coordination to marketing execution.

Rather than evaluating initiatives solely through awareness or engagement, I emphasize their relationship to sales performance, customer behavior, and commercial results.

At CDS, I extended this thinking into brand strategy and product development.

Within my first twelve weeks, I developed strategies for two consumer brands, considering how positioning, product opportunities, and audience motivations could support broader business objectives.

I also contributed to a 25-SKU licensed retail product program, where understanding shopper behavior and retailer considerations was critical to evaluating the assortment and its potential in the market.

Across both organizations, the underlying approach was the same: connect behavioral understanding with the commercial decisions that determine whether a strategy succeeds. 

❋ The Evidence

Rich Products

  • 31% reduction in agency costs: Consolidated agency relationships to improve resource efficiency

  • 68% audience growth: Expanded audience reach in 2013

  • 2-7% sales increases: Results associated with marketing initiatives

  • 33% case-sales growth: Performance associated with consumption-focused programs through November 2012

  • 50% above established goals: Performance of a 2014 Valentine’s initiative

CDS

  • Two consumer brand strategies: Developed within the first twelve weeks

  • 25-SKU licensed product program: Contributed to product and retail strategy

  • 43% advancement rate: Performance of the licensed program against a reported 10-12% benchmark

  • Integrated brand and product planning: Connected shopper insights, retail considerations, and product development priorities

❋ The Alchemy Principle

Understand the person making the decision, not merely the person using the product.

Commercial success depends on recognizing that different stakeholders may have different motivations, constraints, and definitions of value.

Whether developing a consumer product, positioning a B2B solution, or shaping an organizational strategy, the ability to understand those perspectives changes how opportunities are evaluated and decisions are made.

Moving between the retailer and manufacturer sides of the business changed how I approached the relationship between brand strategy and commercial performance.

The most effective decisions came from understanding not just what consumers wanted, but what shoppers valued, what retailers needed, and what the business could successfully deliver.

That perspective continues to shape how I think about audiences and stakeholders, even in industries far removed from consumer products.

The specific purchasing journey may change, but the importance of understanding human motivations and decision-making does not.