TRANSLATING STRATEGY: THE CRUCIAL DISTINCTION BETWEEN WANTS AND NEEDS

In the highly competitive world of Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), translating strategy into effective operational execution is often the difference between market leadership and irrelevance. Unlike sectors with longer product cycles or high-margin buffers, FMCG demands speed, precision, and adaptability—all while navigating changing consumer behaviours, retailer expectations, and internal capacity constraints.

Execution isn’t about ticking boxes. It’s about making strategy real. And that starts with a simple but powerful concept: knowing the difference between wants and needs, both in the consumer context and the executional business environment.

Strategy Isn’t Enough: It Must Be Executable

Defining Strategy Clearly

A strategic plan in FMCG often focuses on:

Expanding market share in a segment
Launching a new product or format
Entering new channels (e.g., D2C or modern trade)
Improving profitability through cost optimization

A clearly defined strategy answers:

What are we trying to achieve?
Why is it important now?
Where will we focus resources?
How will success be measured?

Clarity at this stage avoids downstream confusion and ensures alignment across sales, marketing, R&D, supply chain, and finance.

Example: “Grow market share in the health snacks category by 5% in the next 12 months through the launch of protein-rich mini-bars targeting Gen Z consumers via digital channels.”

Breaking Strategy into Executable Objectives

Once the “what and why” of strategy are defined, it must be decomposed into clear, measurable, time-bound actions at all operational levels.

From Strategy to Executional Objectives:

Strategic Focus	Operational Execution Objectives
Launch new health snack SKUs	Finalise formulations by Q1, secure packaging vendors, develop POs by Q2
Enter modern retail channels	Negotiate shelf space with top 10 modern retailers by Q2
Target Gen Z digitally	Deploy social media campaign with influencer partnerships by April
Improve gross margin by 2%	Shift to regional suppliers and reduce packaging costs by 8%

This breakdown is where many organisations fail—they stop at the idea level and underestimate the detail needed in execution.

Understanding the Difference Between Wants and Needs

This distinction is often overlooked but is critical to execution success—particularly in FMCG, where margins are thin and complexity must be tightly controlled.

Consumer Perspective: Serving Needs Before Wants

In FMCG, consumer needs are non-negotiables: availability, freshness, affordability, and trust in the brand. Wants, on the other hand, are often shaped by trends, marketing, or aspirations—gluten-free, artisanal, plant-based, etc.

Needs	Wants
Product is always available and fresh	Product comes in a limited-edition flavour
Reasonable price point	Premium packaging or positioning
Clear labelling and compliance	Functional benefits (e.g., adaptogens)

Insight: Companies that execute based solely on “wants” without covering the “needs” often see poor repeat purchases and shelf dropouts.

Business Execution Perspective: Operational Discipline

From an internal lens, business teams often confuse strategic ambitions (wants) with operational imperatives (needs). This can lead to overextension, burnout, or channel conflicts.

Executional Needs	Executional Wants
Accurate demand forecasts	Real-time AI-powered analytics dashboard
Reliable logistics and stock replenishment	Next-day delivery across all locations
Performance visibility at outlet level	Full automation across the supply chain
Sustainable cost structures	Expanding to every new retail format at once

Wants are often valid—but only if foundational needs are reliably executed.

Operationalising the Distinction

Use a Simple Execution Filter: “Need First, Want Second”

For every idea or initiative:

Is this critical to keeping the core promise to the customer? → Need
Will this differentiate us if the core is already secure? → Want

Apply Prioritisation Frameworks:

Use models like MoSCoW method to classify:

Must-Have (Needs)
Should-Have (Important Wants)
Could-Have (Optional Enhancements)
Won’t-Have (Deprioritized)

Executional Best Practices for FMCG

Consumer-Centric Thinking: Build execution plans around the most important need—product availability where and when it’s needed.
Data-Driven Prioritisation: Let sell-through data, customer feedback, and supply chain KPIs shape priorities.
Cross-Functional Alignment: Align marketing, operations, and sales to deliver both needs (distribution, pricing, availability) and selected wants (innovation, premiumization).
Continuous Feedback Loop: Use real-time retail audits, POS data, and customer insights to recalibrate execution priorities.

Final Thoughts

In FMCG, your product lives or dies on the shelf. Strategic brilliance means nothing if the product isn’t available, visible, or meeting a basic consumer need. The brands that win consistently are those that:

Execute the essentials flawlessly (needs)
Innovate and differentiate selectively (wants)

To translate strategy into execution is not just a process—it’s a mindset shift. It requires asking, “Are we solving the right problems in the right order?”

Contact us today – we would be delighted to assist your strategy and execution no matter the size of project or business

STRATEGY ISN’T ENOUGH: IT MUST BE EXECUTABLE