Industry Insights 03 Jan 2026 views ( )

Brands Ready to Launch: NIQ Reveals the Strategies Behind Top Innovations in 2025

NIelsenIQ (NYSE: NIQ), a global leader in consumer intelligence, today released its fourth annual Innovation Vitality Report, revealing strategies that help brands achieve multi-year growth through innovative product lines. Based on data from over 70,000 manufacturers across 130 categories, the report highlights strategies that double companies’ chances of achieving overall sales growth through top-performing innovations.

As retailers accelerate shelf refresh cycles and private-label competition intensifies, brands face growing pressure to design innovations with lasting power. NIQ’s research shows that top innovators consistently follow a replicable pattern rooted in strong consumer-centric ideas, early performance signals, and cross-functional collaboration—enabling long-term, sustained growth in global markets.

Key Findings from the 2025 Innovation Vitality Report

Winning innovation starts before launch

Brands investing in genuine innovation—rather than simply extending variants or sizes—are twice as likely to achieve overall sales growth compared to others.
Last year, only 9% of companies achieved innovation-driven sales growth, highlighting the significant opportunity for those following best practices.

Early trends signal long-term vitality

Analysis of 300,000 SKUs reveals that performance gaps between growing and non-growing innovations emerge as early as week four.
Nevertheless, 67% of marketers must wait 12–15 weeks to assess performance, missing critical retailer decision windows.
Early evaluation enables faster optimization of distribution, promotion, and support.

Private labels are redefining industry benchmarks

Private labels and small emerging manufacturers continue gaining market share, evolving from “fast followers” into strategic portfolio players.
Retailers increasingly deploy multiple private labels to “surround” national brands and maintain dynamic shelf presence.
Many major retailers now operate on more frequent 12-week merchandising cycles, intensifying competition for shelf space and velocity.

Cross-functional collaboration drives breakthrough results

Top innovators are 2.5 times more likely than others to collaborate across R&D, marketing, sales, and consumer insights throughout the innovation lifecycle.
End-to-end collaboration enhances agility and increases the likelihood of sustained growth into the second year.

“In today’s private-label-driven consumer goods market, successful innovation requires more than just good ideas. The best product launches follow a proven formula built on three pillars: a powerful idea that meets real consumer needs, a superior product that outperforms competitors, and marketing campaigns that sustain momentum beyond the first year post-launch. Innovation alone isn’t enough—you must excel in pre-launch development and build products designed to last,” said Ramon Melgarejo, President of Strategic Analytics & Insights at NIQ.

Building enduring innovation

This year’s report is based on NIQ’s expanded suite of innovation analytics and its investment in tools that measure business vitality from week one. With trillions of transaction records across more than 90 markets, NIQ helps brands evaluate performance, refine R&D strategies, and identify key drivers that enhance innovation capability and longevity.

Read the full report to explore NIQ’s innovation intelligence solutions.

About NIQ

NIQ is a global leader in consumer insights, delivering the most complete understanding of consumer behavior and uncovering new paths to growth. Operating in over 90 countries, NIQ reaches approximately 85% of the world’s population and more than $7.2 trillion in global consumer spending. Through comprehensive retail measurement, the deepest consumer insights, and advanced analytics delivered via cutting-edge platforms, NIQ provides clients with a true Full View? of the marketplace.

Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer

This Innovation Vitality press release contains forward-looking statements regarding the Innovation Vitality Report. These statements reflect current expectations and forecasts based on available data, historical patterns, and various assumptions. Words such as “expect,” “anticipate,” “project,” “believe,” “forecast,” and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements.

These statements are not guarantees of future performance 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 assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances unless required by applicable law.

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