Our Insights
The philosophy of OC&C Strategy Consultants is to treat each problem as unique, providing truly customised solutions rather than generic packages for our clients.
This selection of OC&C's publications illustrates our ability to think creatively, generate new insights and provide a fresh perspective on established thinking.
In this section you can view and download our strategic "Insights"; short provocative pieces that we write as food for thought for our clients.
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OC&C Retail Proposition Index 2023
We’re delighted to share the OC&C Retail Proposition Index, which anoints this year’s winning retailers in the eyes of consumers, and also highlights the key trends influencing UK consumer behaviour over the last year. Now in its 13th year, the report is based on speaking to over 40,000 consumers and commenting on c.700 of the world’s leading brands.
Building loyalty through paid memberships & subscriptions
Memberships and subscription products are part of a broad array of loyalty-enhancing solutions and an increasing number of travel, leisure, and hospitality businesses are launching their own. In our latest insight we delve into the current offerings in the market, examine consumer motivations, and, most importantly, shed light on what it really takes to make a loyalty programme commercially valuable.
The OC&C Global 50 2023
2022 was a year of rampant inflation – but the largest consumer goods businesses were able to drive record revenue growth by successfully passing on significant price increases. Organic volumes also remained consistent, up 0.8% from last year, but this wasn’t enough for businesses to fully escape the impact of rapidly rising input costs… Our annual OC&C Global 50 report, now in its 21st year, is an independent snapshot of the financial performance of these businesses.
Nurturing Customer Loyalty in China
Chinese consumers are hugely committed to loyalty programs, with two thirds of Chinese residents enrolled in 15+ programmes, and 80%+ willing to pay for an enhanced Membership product. For retailers, leisure operators and brands the benefits of a strong loyalty proposition are clear - 60% of those enrolled are more likely to recommend the company, purchase more frequently, and engage with the brand more.
From rags to riches
Fifteen years ago, when we heard the word ‘second-hand’, car boot sales and charity shops sprung to mind. Today, it’s come to mean something very different. The second-hand goods market (outside of China) is worth $180bn, dwarfed by the second-hand market for autos, but still as large as the GDP of Greece. This growth began with the internet, but it was the shift to online marketplaces that revolutionised the sector.
Private Equity & Transactions 2022
A summary of 2022 Private Equity & Transactions activity by sector.
Doing more with less
Overproduction is a long-lasting, deep-rooted problem for brands. 15-45 billion items of clothing produced every year are wasted, mostly ending up in landfill or incinerated. This is both a huge sustainability problem and a costly commercial one. Yet improving buying processes to better align with future demand can enable brands to reduce wastage, improve operating efficiency, and ultimately drive value.
Opportunities & New Frontiers in Pet
In our latest consumer insight, we partner with global investment bank and M&A specialist Harris Williams to dig deep into the pet market.
The big squeeze
In collaboration with our long-standing partners The Grocer, we’re delighted to share our annual Food and Drink Top 150 report. Despite having to adapt to Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic and increased sustainability pressures in recent years, the UK food and drink industry has shown good resilience and exited 2021 in relatively good health.
Hitting the brakes
Our 3rd annual Speedometer report follows up our research in 2019 and 2021. We have drawn on a survey of over 9000 consumers across 8 countries (USA, Germany, France, UK, Netherlands, Italy, China, Australia) to understand the underlying disruptive trends affecting the automotive industry.