The McKinsey Quarterly

McKinsey Quarterly is the business journal of McKinsey & Company.

Register now for immediate access to hundreds
of articles.
First time here? Read our Quarterly Basics.

Functions

	Business Technology Application Management Infrastructure Operations Organization Outsourcing & Offshoring Strategy Corporate Finance Capital Management M&A Performance Valuation Economic Studies Country Reports Productivity & Performance Governance Boards Compensation Leadership Marketing Branding Digital Marketing Management Pricing Sales & Distribution Sectors & Regions Strategy Operations Outsourcing Performance Product Development Purchasing Supply Chain & Logistics Organization Change Management Postmerger Strategic Organization Talent Risk Banking Risk Corporate Risk Strategy Alliances Globalization Growth Innovation Strategic Thinking Strategy in Practice

Industries

	Automotive Strategy & Analysis Energy, Resources, Materials Chemicals Electric Power Environment Oil & Gas Steel Strategy & Analysis Financial Services Banking Insurance Investment Management Personal Financial Services Securities Food & Agriculture Packaged Foods Strategy & Analysis Health Care Hospitals Pharmaceuticals Strategy & Analysis High Tech Hardware Software Strategy & Analysis Media & Entertainment Publishing Radio & TV Strategy & Analysis Nonprofit Performance Philanthropy Public Sector Economic Policy Education Government Regulation Management Retail & Consumer Goods Sectors & Regions Strategy & Analysis Telecommunications Broadband Equipment & Services Strategy & Analysis Transportation Sectors Strategy & Analysis

Regions

	Africa Americas Asia-Pacific China Europe India Middle East

Big Ideas

	Business in Society Climate Change Emerging Markets Growth & Innovation Managing in the New Normal Productivity Talent Women & Leadership

Multimedia

	Audio Interactive Video

Voices

	By Invitation Interviews Surveys

Add to E-mail Alerts
Create RSS Feed

featured Retail & Consumer Goods article, How recession changed US consumer behavior

DECEMBER 2009 Premium

How the recession has changed US consumer behavior

Companies waiting for a return to normality following the recession may be disappointed. Their customers have tried cheaper products—and actually like them.

APRIL 2009

Managing innovation: Pages from Alessi’s handbook

A three-part multimedia feature explores how design firm Alessi manages innovation—from working with collaborators, to how design constraints help shape products, to assessing new innovations’ potential.

Includes:
DECEMBER 2008

Industry trends in the downturn: A snapshot

In times of great uncertainty, an understanding of long-term industry trends can help executives plot robust strategies. This roundup highlights structural issues likely to influence the future performance of four industries: steel, technology, chemicals, and consumer goods.
SEPTEMBER 2008

What’s new with the Chinese consumer

It’s hard for brand managers to keep pace with the shifting attitudes of Chinese consumers. But some trends can be discerned amid the noise.
AUGUST 2007

Tracking the growth of India’s middle class

Over the next two decades, the country’s middle class will grow from about 5 percent of the population to more than 40 percent and create the world’s fifth-largest consumer market.

Includes:
SEPTEMBER 2008

How retailers can make the best of a slowdown

Moving quickly to improve performance can help retailers to recover faster.
MARCH 2007

Selling to 'mom-and-pop' stores in emerging markets

Traditional shops and the companies that serve them are finding life harder and harder. For the suppliers, segmented execution is the answer.
MARCH 2007

How big retailers can serve Brazil’s mass-market shoppers

Large food retailers in Brazil can grow only by reaching out to its 130 million mass-market consumers.
JUNE 2006

Building brands in China

Chinese shoppers love brands but don't purchase them consistently. Market research shows the way forward.
MARCH 2007

Financing Latin America's low-income consumers

Lower-income groups in Latin America represent a huge opportunity, but banks must change dramatically to serve them.
NOVEMBER 2006

Reinventing innovation at consumer goods companies

A range of orthodoxies is making it harder to develop breakthrough products in the consumer goods industry. It urgently needs a reformation.

DECEMBER 2009

Water as a scarce resource: An interview with Nestlé’s chairman

The chairman of Nestlé explains why water is “by far the most valuable resource on this planet” and what we must do to conserve it.
OCTOBER 2009

Consumer electronics gets back to basics

Most people don’t use advanced—and expensive—new features. There may be a better way for companies and consumers alike.
OCTOBER 2009

McKinsey conversations with global leaders: Paul Polman of Unilever

Unilever’s chief executive reflects on lessons learned at three major consumer goods companies, including how to manage people in a global context, the obligations corporations have to society, and why you should never waste a good crisis.

Includes:
AUGUST 2009

Unlocking the potential of frontline managers

Instead of administrative work and meetings, they should focus on coaching their employees and on constantly improving quality.

OCTOBER 2009

China’s retail revolution: An interview with Wal-Mart’s Ed Chan

Wal-Mart China’s CEO outlines the strategy of the world’s largest retailer in the world’s most populous nation.

Includes:
SEPTEMBER 2009

Think regionally, act locally: Four steps to reaching the Asian consumer

The most successful global consumer enterprises are radically reshaping their organizations and business models to suit the region’s rapidly evolving high-growth markets.
AUGUST 2009

Japan’s luxury shoppers move on

The Japanese consumer’s seemingly insatiable appetite for luxury goods has declined, so companies in this sector must rethink the way they compete.
JULY 2009

Understanding China’s wealthy

China will soon be home to the world’s fourth-largest population of wealthy households. Companies that hope to reach them must understand how they differ from their counterparts elsewhere, from other Chinese consumers, and from one another.

MAY 2009

Understanding online shoppers in Europe
APRIL 2007

Price promotions in Latin American retailing
FEBRUARY 2006

Building a top consumer goods sales force

Buy the Q3 issue on government and business at Amazon.com

Embed E-mail