Your CPG brand is collecting more data than ever. But are you using the right information to actually grow your business?

In this episode of CPG Insiders, Dr. Mark Young and Justin Girouard welcome Tim Shea, Founder & CEO of Latticework Insights, to reveal why so many CPG and DTC brands are sitting on untapped growth opportunities hidden inside their own data.

With 25 years of experience in data science and retail, Tim explains what separates good brands from elite brands, why tracking the wrong KPIs can derail your strategy, and how AI is making advanced analytics faster and more accessible than ever.

One of the biggest opportunities? Customer retention. Tim shares a real-world example of how identifying one overlooked customer behavior revealed a potential $500,000 revenue opportunity.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why collecting more data doesn't necessarily lead to better decisions
• The biggest mistakes CPG brands make when measuring performance
• How siloed teams and conflicting KPIs prevent growth
• Why customer lifetime value (LTV) and acquisition costs (CAC) matter
• How AI can uncover opportunities traditional reporting misses
• The SMART framework for evaluating customer behavior
• Why identifying one high-leverage metric can transform a brand's strategy
• How smaller and emerging CPG brands can start using AI and analytics today

You don't need more dashboards. You need better insights, clearer priorities, and a team that's aligned around what drives growth.

About our guest:

Meet Our Guest: Tim Shea

Tim Shea is the Founder & CEO of Latticework Insights, a data science agency helping retail, CPG, and DTC brands turn complex data into actionable business intelligence.

With 25 years of experience spanning retail, consumer products, apparel, luxury, and technology, Tim works with brands to improve customer retention, understand profitability, identify growth opportunities, and build stronger data-driven organizations.

Learn more about Tim and Latticework Insights at https://www.latticeworkinsights.com/

Episode chapters:

00:00 – The AI revolution and what it means for business

04:25 – Meet Tim Shea, Founder & CEO of Latticework Insights

07:51 – Why data and team alignment matter

11:29 – The hidden costs of fragmented data

14:01 – What separates good brands from elite brands

19:59 – The customer retention opportunity brands overlook

23:22 – How AI is accelerating business analytics

28:36 – Should businesses be afraid of AI?

33:11 – What your P&L isn't telling you

37:24 – How smaller CPG brands can get started

40:04 – Working with Latticework Insights

44:31 – Tim's practical advice for getting started with AI

Subscribe to CPG Insiders for more conversations on brand growth, CPG marketing, retail strategy, consumer behavior, and scaling your business.

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Consumers are feeling more pressure—but that doesn’t mean they’ve stopped spending.

In this episode of CPG Insiders, Mark Young and Justin Girouard sit down with Baringa’s Caspian Conran and Maureen Bossi to break down the state of the U.S. consumer, where spending is shifting, and what CPG brands should be watching next.

One of the biggest takeaways: consumers are becoming more selective about where they spend, but they’re still willing to pay a premium when the product delivers real value.

The conversation covers:

• Why aggregate consumer data can hide major differences between income groups

• How premium brands can protect their positioning in a softer economy

• Why cutting marketing during a downturn can cost you market—and mind—share

• How gas prices and other economic indicators can signal changes in buying behavior

• Why consumers may delay big-ticket purchases while still indulging in smaller premium experiences

• How AI could reshape both the consumer journey and the broader economy

For CPG leaders, the message is clear: understand exactly who your customer is, stay visible, and make sure the value of your offer continues to exceed the price you’re asking.

Private label has changed.

Store brands used to wait for successful products, create a cheaper alternative, and sit next to them on the shelf.

Now? Retailers are building brands of their own—and in some cases, they may not need your brand on the shelf at all.

For CPG companies, getting retail distribution isn’t enough. You need to build a brand consumers actively demand.

Because if shoppers don’t care which brand they buy, the retailer has every reason to choose its own.