Move Fast, Win Big: How Rapid Innovation Fuels Private Brand Success
Private Brands continue to outpace the broader retail industry, cementing their role as growth engines for leading retailers. In 2024, store-brand sales grew 3.9%, compared to just 1.0% growth for national brands (eMarketer). But what’s fueling this momentum? Looking beyond price inflation, the data reveals a clear answer: 86% of non-inflationary growth in Private Brands came from new product introductions (SPINS and CIRCANA). Simply put, innovation is the single biggest driver of Private Brand success.
Retailers that can move quickly to identify and act on emerging trends are best positioned to win. By rapidly developing and launching new products, they can take advantage of shifting consumer tastes — either as first movers, introducing a completely new idea, or as fast followers, capitalizing on a proven trend before competitors catch up.
Large retailers have mastered this playbook. In 2024 alone, Target introduced over 1,000 new products, and Kroger added more than 900. But speed isn’t reserved for the giants: Sprouts, a relatively smaller retailer, launched 300 new products last year, proving that massive scale isn’t required to innovate with pace.
The Bottlenecks Slowing Innovation
Moving quickly requires more than ambition. Even the most forward-thinking retailers face operational bottlenecks that slow new product launches. The key is to identify these friction points and address them systematically.
1. Trend Spotting
The process begins with spotting opportunities. Retailers must use their transactional and purchase data, insights from suppliers, and broader cultural trend analysis to anticipate consumer demand. A well-honed trend-tracking system acts as an early warning radar, ensuring the right products move into development at exactly the right time.
2. Product Sourcing
Finding the right suppliers is often the single biggest barrier. Large minimum order quantities can shut out smaller, innovative vendors, while niche suppliers may lack the capacity to meet network-wide demand. Overcoming this challenge requires flexibility in sourcing and strong relationships across categories — especially for products in entirely new segments.
3. Procurement Complexity
Once a supplier is identified, the internal processes begin: RFPs, business case evaluations, quality control, and planogram planning. Each step is essential, but collectively they can bog down speed to market. Streamlining approvals and aligning cross-functional teams is critical to keep momentum high.
4. Packaging Design
Packaging is often the final gatekeeper before launch. Great design takes time — but it doesn’t have to be slow. When a retailer has well-defined brand standards with built-in flexibility, packaging teams can move quickly while still creating compelling, consistent designs that resonate on shelf.
Building an Innovation Engine
Speed to market isn’t just about efficiency; it’s a strategic advantage. The faster you can get high-demand products on shelves, the more likely you are to attract new customers, grow basket size, and strengthen loyalty to your Private Brand portfolio.
At the Fish Agency, through our Whitespace Brands division, we’ve developed services that complement internal retailer teams at any stage of this process — from trend identification to packaging design — with a single goal: accelerating innovation.
The message is clear: new products are the engine of Private Brand success. Streamlining processes to launch quickly isn’t just an advantage — it’s essential for growth.