27 Jul 2020
The Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector is the fourth largest sector in the Indian economy. In the quarter ending September 2019, FMCG’s urban segment witnessed a growth of 8 percent and the rural segment grew by 5 percent. The rural segment contributes around 45 percent of the overall revenue generated by the sector in India. By the end of 2020, the sector is expected to generate revenue of $ 103.7 bn, compared to $ 52.75 bn in FY18.
An increase in consumer awareness, rising disposable income in the middle-class population, and easier access to consumer goods are some of the leading factors contributing to the growth of the sector. The FMCG sector comprises of three main segments – Food & Beverages (F&B), healthcare, and household & personal care. The household and personal care segment command close to 50 percent of the overall FMCG market in India.
Though the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in changes in consumption and shopping patterns, the FMCG sector is on a path to a gradual recovery, with sales reaching pre-COVID levels in June 2020. However, companies in the FMCG sector must rethink and reshape their marketing plans around new brand purpose, consumer loyalty & demands, and changing consumer behaviour.
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), one of the largest chambers and exhibition leaders in India, has been making significant efforts to assist the industry in these turbulent times. One such initiative is the launch of ‘CII Hive’, a platform for virtual exhibitions and conferences. Online exhibitions are expected to be the ‘new normal’ in the post-COVID world and CII’s platform is designed with an intense focus on ‘leads generation’ to not only help participant organizations generate leads based on their product category, but also create a unique personal experience for visitors.
Moving ahead in the direction, CII has launched ‘FMCG EXPO 2020’, a virtual FMCG exhibition that provides an opportunity for participants to meet domestic and international exhibitors just like in-person on a click. The participants can interact and do business online without being bound by the physical constraints of time and space. The virtual exhibition is live from 1 July to 30 September 2020.
As the virtual exhibition will be live for 3 months, the exhibitors will get regular updates, irrespective of their physical location. FMCG EXPO 2020 has a diverse exhibitor profile, comprising of leading manufacturers in the food, beverages, beauty & cosmetics, cleaning & hygiene, healthcare, personal care & skincare, dairy, confectionery, and other sub-categories.
The major focus of ‘FMCG EXPO 2020’ is to help visitors (buyers) choose quality product companies from whom they can source their products. Being a virtual event, visitors to the expo have the flexibility to visit the virtual booths at their convenience. ‘FMCG EXPO 2020’ provides an opportunity to leading manufacturers of food, beverages, beauty & cosmetics, cleaning & hygiene, personal-care & skin-care and more, suppliers, retailers and Brand-owners showcasing their offerings to retailers, brand-owners, HORECA, and other buyer groups.
Unlike offline events where there is no in-depth information about visitor footfalls at the exhibition booths, FMCG EXPO 2020 has strong data analytics support for recording visitor information. It is a unique event, as it provides an opportunity for manufacturers, retailers, suppliers, and brand-owners to maximize business opportunities by making useful connections through ‘virtual exhibition showcase’ and ‘networking programme’.
Apart from ‘online exhibition showcase’, there are many potential reasons for buyers and exhibitors to register for FMCG EXPO 2020:
Networking and Key Sessions – The virtual event provides an opportunity to build meaningful contacts with the manufacturers, suppliers, and FMCG industry representatives.
Conference Sessions – Exclusive sessions are planned on topics such as Supply Chain Management (SCM), procurement, marketing in retail, Industry 4.0 (I4.0) in retail, quality & packaging, and more.
ONE2ONE Virtual Meeting at the Booth – Exhibition booth is an integral part of any exhibition or event. By leveraging the capabilities of the CII HIVE platform, the ONE2ONE Meeting Service helps in connecting with booth visitors that matter the most. The meetings will happen at the exhibitor stands and the CII team would assist the exhibitors in setting up the appointments. Hence, exhibitors have the opportunity to generate more leads when compared to a trade fair (physical expo).
Knowledge Sharing – Buyers and exhibitors can benefit from the learnings shared by industry leaders from leading FMCG companies in India. The leaders would share their views on devising long-term strategies, best practices, cultivating the culture of ideation and innovation, and creating a wide range of businesses across different FMCG verticals.
In a nutshell, ‘FMCG EXPO 2020’ is a powerful initiative that will help buyers and exhibitors to make the most of the powerful FMCG ecosystem.