Growing market share

the role of innovation and assortment for large and small brands

Winning share without innovating is rare

Between 2019 and 2023, roughly 75% of the Top 10 brands across six European markets brought an innovation to the market. Amongst winning brands, that number was a bit higher, slightly above 80%. The likelihood of winning brands to engage in innovation increases with brand size: almost all brands with a share above 20%, and 9 out of ten brands with a share above 5%, did launch at least one new SKU.

Winning share less dependent on assortment growth

While a vast majority of winners did bring new SKUs to the market, this did not typically lead to an increase in assortment size. In fact, the assortment size for winning brands remained relatively stable (on average) indicating that new SKUs often replace existing ones rather than add to the breadth of the brand’s offering.

Assortment share growth matters

A majority of winners managed to increase their share of the category assortment. While the average losing Top 10 brand saw its assortment size decline, winners’ assortment sizes remained stable which allowed a majority to capture more of the category’s assortment share – possibly resulting in more shelf space and therefore higher presence during shopping trips.