A new launch by Fairy has topped the Worldpanel by Numerator product innovation rankings for 2025 in Great Britain, scoring highest for category incrementality across every tracked new launch, beating heavyweight brands in ice cream, crisps, cola, deodorant, and toothpaste.
The rankings are published today (April 16) as part of Worldpanel's new Innovation Advantage report, a major study of shopper behaviour across approximately 400 New Product Developments (NPDs) over three years across multiple categories.
The Top 10 FMCG NPDs of 2025:
- Fairy – Skip the Soak (£11.5m)
- Magnum – Utopia (£3.0m)
- Walkers – Tomato Ketchup & Worcester Sauce (£2.8m)
- Ariel – The Big One (£2.6m)
- Sure – Whole Body (£2.4m)
- Pepsi – Treats (£2.2m)
- McCain – Vibes (£2.2m)
- Cif – Infinite Clean (£1.9m)
- Fuel 10k – Flakes & Crunch (£1.5m)
- Sensodyne – Clinical Repair (£1.5m)
Measuring what matters
The report challenges the industry's conventional approach to measuring innovation success.
Nearly half of all new product launches (48%) actually reduce overall category spending rather than growing it, with 35% of branded launches reducing spend. Critically, the analysis finds no relationship between launch size and category incrementality.
Mark Smithson, Analytical Solutions Director at Worldpanel by Numerator, said: “Innovation is still the most powerful lever available to FMCG brands, but the industry has been measuring it against the wrong benchmarks for too long.
"Sales volume tells you how much activity a launch generated. Category incrementality tells you whether that activity created something genuinely new. Those are very different things and confusing them is expensive."
The winning formula
The most incremental launches command a price premium of 50-80% above category norms, delivered through pack sizes typically 15-25% smaller than standard – keeping entry accessible without diluting the premium signal.
Promotions run at 40-70% more volume than the competitive set average, but discount depth stays below category norms. The goal is discovery, not dependency.
Channel choice shapes how shoppers read a product's value. Incremental launches over-index in supermarkets and specialist retail, where premium cues have room to work. The best-penetration launches over-index on in-store visibility, making strong design and shelf placement critical penetration mechanics.
Across 400 launches, the relationship between spend and penetration is clear and consistent. The link between spend and repeat rate is virtually non-existent – launches grow by entering more baskets, not by deepening loyalty within a narrow base.
Smithson added: "Across the top performers, the formula is clear: a meaningful premium, accessible trial, promotional visibility without deep discounting, and a penetration-first mindset.
"But for the largest brands, even disciplined execution of that playbook has to contend with the reality that a significant proportion of launch sales will come from their own portfolio. The brands that navigate this best are the ones innovating into new needs, not competing harder for the same moments."
The leader’s dilemma
For the biggest brands in any category, the challenge of innovation is compounded by scale. Worldpanel's analysis shows that cannibalisation of existing portfolio sales rises sharply with brand size. Manufacturers holding 0-5% share of their competitive set see around 12% of launch sales drawn from their own portfolio. At 5-10% share that rises to 32%, and above 30% it is close to 59%.
The larger the brand, the harder it becomes for any new launch to generate genuinely incremental value rather than simply redistributing existing spend. The solution, the data suggests, lies in targeting new consumer needs rather than competing harder for the same moments.
Jackson Woods, Senior Marketing Consultant at Worldpanel by Numerator, said: "What strikes me about this year's top performers is how deliberate they are. They're not chasing novelty for its own sake – they're solving real problems that shoppers recognise immediately. That's what earns a place in routine. And routine, ultimately, is where brand advantage lives or dies."