Brands Poised for Growth: NIQ Identifies the Strategies Behind 2025's Top Performing Innovations
New analysis of 70,000+ manufacturers reveal the practices that double a brand's chances of sustained sales growth.
NielsenIQ (NYSE:NIQ), a global leader in consumer intelligence, today released its 4th Annual Innovation Vitality Report, revealing the strategies that are helping brands achieve multi-year growth from their innovation pipelines. Drawing on data from over 70,000 manufacturers across 130 categories, the report highlights the practices that double a company's likelihood of expanding overall sales through top performing innovation.
As retailers accelerate shelf refresh cycles and private label competition intensifies, brands are under increasing pressure to design innovations with staying power. NIQ's findings show that top performing innovators consistently follow a repeatable formula, rooted in strong consumer-led ideas, early performance signals, and cross functional alignment, to build products that deliver long-term, incremental growth across global markets.
Key Findings from the 2025 Innovation Vitality Report
Winning Innovation Starts Before Launch
- Brands that invest in true innovation, not just variety or size line extensions, are 2x more likely to achieve overall sales growth.
- Only a fraction of companies (9%) expanded innovation sales last year, underscoring the opportunity for those that follow best practices.
Early Momentum Predicts Long-Term Vitality
- Analysis of 300,000 Stock Keeping Units (SKU) shows performance gaps between growing and non-growing innovations as early as week four.
- Despite this, 67% of marketers wait 12–15 weeks to assess performance, missing critical retailer decision windows.
- Early measurement enables faster optimization of distribution, activation, and support.
Private Label Resets the Bar
- Private labels and smaller upstart manufacturers continue to gain share, evolving from "fast followers" to strategic portfolio players.
- Retailers increasingly use multiple private brands to "bracket" national brands and keep shelves dynamic.
- Many major retailers now pursue a higher cadence of 12-week assortment refresh cycles, accelerating competition for space and velocity.
Cross-Functional Collaboration Drives Breakout Results
- Top innovators are 2.5x more likely to collaborate across R&D, marketing, sales, and consumer insights functions throughout the innovation lifecycle.
- End-to-end alignment improves agility and increases the likelihood of sustained year-two growth.
"In today's consumer goods landscape where private labels are gaining ground, winning innovation demands more than just a good idea. Top performing launches deploy against a proven formula built upon three pillars: a strong idea that addresses a genuine consumer need, a superior product that outperforms competition, and activation that builds momentum well beyond the launch year. It's not enough to be new, you must be diligent in your pre-market development, and built to last," commented Ramon Melgarejo, President, Strategic Analytics and Insights, NIQ.
Building Innovations That Last
This year's report builds on NIQ's expanded innovation analytics portfolio and its investment in tools that measure vitality from week one. With trillions of transactions across 90+ markets, NIQ helps brands benchmark performance, sharper R&D strategies, and identify the attributes that unlock incrementality and endurance.
Access the full report and explore NIQ's Innovation Intelligence solutions.
About NIQ
NIQ is a leading consumer intelligence company, delivering the most complete understanding of consumer buying behavior and revealing new pathways to growth. Our global reach spans over 90 countries covering approximately 85% of the world's population and more than $ 7.2 trillion in global consumer spend. With a holistic retail read and the most comprehensive consumer insights—delivered with advanced analytics through state-of-the-art platforms—NIQ delivers the Full View™.
For more information, please visit www.niq.com
Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer
This Innovation Vitality press release contains forward-looking statements regarding the Innovation Vitality Report. These statements reflect current expectations and projections based on available data, historical patterns, and various assumptions. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "projects," "believes," "forecasts," and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements.
These statements are not guarantees of future outcomes and are subject to inherent uncertainties, including changes in consumer preferences, economic conditions, technological advancements, and competitive dynamics. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements.
While we strive to base our insights on reliable data and sound methodologies, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances, except to the extent required by applicable law.
© 2025 Nielsen Consumer LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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