Aug 31, 2026 · 46 min · 12 segments
The traditional shopper funnel is dead, yet most brands still chase it. Nico Laruina, General Manager of Nestlé's Food Business Unit, bridges both worlds daily, running a global food portfolio while…
Nico LaruinaGuestNatalie KellyHostSeemingly, every organization says that they are consumer-centric, but at the same time, real leadership begins when consumer needs, retailer demands, commercial targets, and operational realities don't all point in the same direction.
When those priorities collide, how do you keep the consumer's voice at the center of the decision?
well um it is very uh it's very easy to answer at the end of the day um if the product we propose no not what the consumer the final consumer needs they will not be purchased or they might be purchased once because you know you invest and you make your advertisement and then they will purchase once, but then they will not repurchase.
You need a product that satisfies a need, something that the shoppers really need and that can be repurchased.
more so you know all the time therefore um if you and you're right no lots of lots of companies they do say that the shopper is at the center of everything but at the end you know there is so many tpis that sometimes you might neglect the shopper but i can tell you that i've been lucky enough that um in the conference where i've been working the shopper is the center of everything all the decisions are taken starting from the shopper because the insight is something that starts from from a shopper need and then all the decisions are taken along the way you know when it comes to all the different parts of the product development including for example then the pricing it's all taken into account what the shopper needs and what the shopper is also ready to pay for that product.
Therefore, if the shopper would not be at the center of everything we do, I think that we would have not, now talking about Nestlé, we would have not been there for more than 140 years.
So I do think that it is very important that we keep the shoppers at the center of everything we do.
Yeah, because the consumer is changing all the time, right? If they don't remain at the center, then we lose sight of how their needs are changing, what the trends are.
example, in food, I can tell you that there was a time when maybe the shopper needed just taste, or needed convenience, or needed just price.
because they know they can have everything so as a company we need to make sure that we deliver something that is um that is that that satisfies everything you know that is nutritious that is healthy but sometimes also tasty um and that the price is the right one so convenient convenience also plays a role and you you're right you know what might have satisfied the shopper need uh few years ago is not the same that you need now in order to satisfy and then it's not just about this it's also about having in mind what and that's why it's so important also to do studies all the time you know and and also observing observation is key you know because the the things are also changing you know the the the trends are changing for example We have been, you know, a brand like Maggi, which, you know, because you live in South America, you know how relevant it is there.
But then also, for example, an air fryer, you know, this gadget now, in Austria specifically, we are assuming like 30% penetration, you know, but in countries like the UK, we're talking also already above 50% penetration.
And people have the gadget, but sometimes don't know how to use it properly, you know, so they cook it, but then the meat is too dry.
You need to be always careful of what the shopper needs, but then also the trends that are there and how you help the shopper navigating these trends and helping them, you know, satisfying this emerging need that sometimes they don't even know they have.
Seemingly, every organization says that they are consumer-centric, but at the same time, real leadership begins when consumer needs, retailer demands, commercial targets, and operational realities don't all point in the same direction.
When those priorities collide, how do you keep the consumer's voice at the center of the decision?
well um it is very uh it's very easy to answer at the end of the day um if the product we propose no not what the consumer the final consumer needs they will not be purchased or they might be purchased once because you know you invest and you make your advertisement and then they will purchase once, but then they will not repurchase.
You need a product that satisfies a need, something that the shoppers really need and that can be repurchased.
more so you know all the time therefore um if you and you're right no lots of lots of companies they do say that the shopper is at the center of everything but at the end you know there is so many tpis that sometimes you might neglect the shopper but i can tell you that i've been lucky enough that um in the conference where i've been working the shopper is the center of everything all the decisions are taken starting from the shopper because the insight is something that starts from from a shopper need and then all the decisions are taken along the way you know when it comes to all the different parts of the product development including for example then the pricing it's all taken into account what the shopper needs and what the shopper is also ready to pay for that product.
Therefore, if the shopper would not be at the center of everything we do, I think that we would have not, now talking about Nestlé, we would have not been there for more than 140 years.
So I do think that it is very important that we keep the shoppers at the center of everything we do.
Yeah, because the consumer is changing all the time, right? If they don't remain at the center, then we lose sight of how their needs are changing, what the trends are.
example, in food, I can tell you that there was a time when maybe the shopper needed just taste, or needed convenience, or needed just price.
because they know they can have everything so as a company we need to make sure that we deliver something that is um that is that that satisfies everything you know that is nutritious that is healthy but sometimes also tasty um and that the price is the right one so convenient convenience also plays a role and you you're right you know what might have satisfied the shopper need uh few years ago is not the same that you need now in order to satisfy and then it's not just about this it's also about having in mind what and that's why it's so important also to do studies all the time you know and and also observing observation is key you know because the the things are also changing you know the the the trends are changing for example We have been, you know, a brand like Maggi, which, you know, because you live in South America, you know how relevant it is there.
But then also, for example, an air fryer, you know, this gadget now, in Austria specifically, we are assuming like 30% penetration, you know, but in countries like the UK, we're talking also already above 50% penetration.
And people have the gadget, but sometimes don't know how to use it properly, you know, so they cook it, but then the meat is too dry.
You need to be always careful of what the shopper needs, but then also the trends that are there and how you help the shopper navigating these trends and helping them, you know, satisfying this emerging need that sometimes they don't even know they have.
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