Finding the True Voice of the Customer in CPG Supply Chains: Shopper-Centric Supply Chain Management

Demand and supply integration is the subject of increasing scholarly attention. The theoretical emphasis on combining market and supply chain data as the basis for strategic and operational decision making is particularly relevant in the context of Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) supply chains, and offers the basis for advancing our understanding and knowledge in this field. Point-of-sale (POS) data are commonly used as the demand signal in CPG supply chains. Using empirical data, this research demonstrates that POS data can be influenced by nondemand factors. We present a number of issues raised by this finding.