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Consumer goods industry

business case
New answer on Aug 17, 2021
2 Answers
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Anonymous A asked on Aug 14, 2021

from my understanding retail is a sub bucket within the consumer goods industry, right? And do beauty products (sunscreens, makeup etc) classify as consumer goods or are these classified under some other industry/category?

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Agrim
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updated an answer on Aug 15, 2021
BCG Dubai Project Leader | Learn to think like a Consultant | Free personalised prep plan | 6+ years in Consulting

Retail is the industry of the shops and stores that sell consumer goods. These retail stores generally do not manufacture the consumer goods that they sell.

Consumer goods are goods that consumers consume. Beauty products are goods that are consumed - so they are consumer goods. Consumer goods industry is about the manufacturers of consumer goods.

Most Consumer Goods players sell their products to large scale distributors who keep supplying the product further down the chain until it reaches a retail store - where it will be purchased by consumers.

If you wish to sub-classify consumer goods then you can do so in different manners. One sub-classification is FMCG - Fast Moving Consumer Goods.

If you wish to sub-classify CG along categories - then you can do so in a manner similar to Amazon - and in which case - Beauty products could become one such category.

(edited)

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Ian
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replied on Aug 17, 2021
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

Agrim said it best. 

It's important to understand the products across most industries so I'd highly recommend you continue reading up on the major industries your target office is known for.

If you'd like an industry deep-dive outline, feel free to pm me!

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Agrim gave the best answer

Agrim

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