Consumer Packaged Goods - CPG

Not to be confused with just “packaged goods” like beer and wine, consumer packaged goods is an economic term to define a category of products that consumers use and replace on a frequent basis.

So technically, “packaged goods” like beer and wine are “consumer packaged goods,” along with cosmetics, food, and cleaning products. These products were traditionally sold in brick-and-mortar retail stores until Jeff Bezos and Amazon showed up, and people became too lazy to drive a mile down the street to purchase toothpaste.

The rise of e-commerce and the supporting delivery infrastructure has dramatically altered human shopping behavior, and made it possible for you to get consumer packaged goods delivered directly to your door. This combination of little human mobility and the growing consumption of consumer packaged goods could make us even fatter and lazier. Perhaps the robots will use us for fuel when “that day” comes.

Consumer packaged goods are a different category of products than durable goods, which includes cars, washing machines, and furniture. They’re traditionally far less expensive too.