Observa Index Report overview

Observa conducted our second annual study to measure the pricing of consumer goods supporting various lifestyles across the United States. The results revealed significant trends in how brands and retailers price their products in varying cities and how that...

Tariff upset trickles down from CPGs to retailers to customers

After months of deliberation, President Trump’s tariff policies will now be enforced. These tariffs include a 10 percent tax on aluminum and a 25 percent tax on steel that Canada, Mexico, and the European Union (EU) ship to the United States. For perspective, Canada...

Small brands are biting away at big competitors

Years ago, the same big brands lived in the pantry of every home in the United States: the Heinz ketchup bottle, the stacks of Campbell’s soup, the Kraft Mac-and-Cheese boxes, and more. Now these brands are becoming obsolete within the average home. Instead, novel...

The latest gossip on back-to-school lunches

After months of entertaining energetic children, parents all over the United States are excited for the school bell to ring once again. As children head back into school hallways, parents head into grocery stores in an attempt to pack lunches that their kids will...

Money & pain: the new sales tax Supreme Court decision

On June 21, 2018, the Supreme Court declared that states have the right to tax online sellers that do not have physical stores within their state. This went against a twenty-six-year-old ruling and will have a massive effect on online retailers, brick-and-mortar...