US Retail Client: Portfolio Fit & Product Strategy

How early exploration revealed a stronger portfolio opportunity — and why context mattered more than speed.

Why It Matters

Many underperforming products aren’t poorly made — they’re poorly positioned.

When a brief is shaped without full portfolio context, teams risk solving the wrong problem efficiently.
This case shows how early exploration across brand intent, category role, and supply reality can surface a better opportunity before costly decisions are locked in.

Context

A US retailer requested a straightforward brief:

“A simple, fast, single-varietal wine.”

Early conversations revealed gaps the surface request didn’t address:

• adjacent category opportunities
• evolving consumer cues
• an unclear portfolio ladder
• production feasibility varying by style and supplier

Instead of committing immediately, the opportunity space was widened.

How the Opportunity Was Explored

Three parallel paths were developed:

• style variations
• supplier capability scenarios
• category role options

This allowed the retailer to see not only what the product could be — but what role it could play within the portfolio.

Why Suppliers Engaged Early

Suppliers engaged because the opportunity was framed clearly within the retailer’s broader portfolio direction.

They could assess ambition, feasibility, and fit early — before committing production resources — reducing downstream friction and narrowing the field to partners genuinely suited to the concept.

How the Product Took Shape

• Co-creation workshops with buying, brand, and technical teams
• Consumer insight mapped against supply feasibility
• Prototypes developed with aligned suppliers
• Portfolio modelling across price, role, and competitive set
• Operational implications mapped before lock-in
• Agreement on what the product needed to achieve beyond flavour

Outcome

• A concept that outperformed the original brief in consumer testing
• Clearer portfolio structure and role definition
• Better supplier fit
• Reduced rework and late-stage course correction
• Stronger confidence in long-term performance

Sans Silos Insight

The brief is rarely the problem.
The opportunity becomes clear when teams slow down early — not later.