More brilliant pack design: How Price Pack Architecture is powering FMCG growth

By Robert Baker

With rising input costs, softening consumer demand, and ongoing channel disruption, CPG brands are forced to rewrite the playbook for profitable growth. Traditional tactics like blanket price increases or one-size-fits-all promotions no longer deliver the impact they once did.

At Roland Berger, leading consumer goods companies are turning to an underutilized but highly effective lever: Price Pack Architecture (PPA).

More than simply resizing products, PPA is about building a portfolio that meets the needs of modern consumers—offering the correct value, at the right price, in the proper format, through the right channel. Whether it's trial-sized formats to capture new consumers, family packs that support value-seeking behavior, or premium offerings that justify higher margins, PPA enables brands to grow share and protect profitability.

Why PPA, Why Now?

Our research shows that in today’s market:

• Consumers are “channel surfing” for value, increasingly buying from mass retailers, dollar stores, and private label alternatives.
• Traditional promotional tactics are losing effectiveness.
• Retail partners are demanding more tailored formats and pricing logic.

PPA helps companies respond to these pressures by aligning product design with consumer occasion, price elasticity, and channel strategy. According to Roland Berger's analysis, transformational PPA initiatives can increase EBIT margins by up to four percentage points while unlocking new usage occasions and consumer segments.

From Tactical to Transformational

Winning companies approach PPA as a strategic growth engine, not a packaging exercise. They:

• Use data-driven insights to design format and pricing structures based on actual consumer behavior
• Coordinate across marketing, sales, finance, and supply chain to ensure scalable execution
• Develop differentiated offerings across channels to expand consumption and brand loyalty

Critically, the most successful brands view PPA not as a cost-cutting tactic or response to inflation, but as a core pillar of their revenue growth management (RGM) strategy.

Enabling Growth Through Holistic RGM

Price Pack Architecture is just one of five interconnected levers we help clients activate as part of a holistic RGM transformation. When executed in harmony with pricing, promotion, trade optimization, and mix management, PPA can help FMCG brands survive market volatility and emerge stronger, more efficient, and more relevant to the modern consumer.

At Roland Berger, we partner with leading CPG players to reimagine their approach to growth. From analytics to activation, we work side by side with commercial and operational teams to design pack strategies that drive real margin impact.

Now is the time to review your portfolio. Let’s discuss how Price Pack Architecture can help you win the next moment of truth with your consumer.