Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), also known as Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), are products that are sold quickly at relatively low cost. Though the absolute profit made on FMCG products is relatively small, they generally sell in large quantities, so the cumulative profit on such products can be large.
Examples of FMCG generally include a wide range of frequently purchased consumer products such as toiletries, soap, cosmetics, teeth cleaning products, shaving products and detergents, as well as other non-durables such as glassware, light bulbs, batteries, paper products and plastic goods. FMCG may also include pharmaceuticals, consumer electronics, packaged food products and drinks, although these are often categorized separately.
The retail market for FMCGs includes businesses in the following International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC) (Revision 3) categories
- ISIC 5211 retail sales in non-specialized stores
- ISIC 5219 other retail sale in non-specialized stores
- ISIC 5220 retail sale of food, beverages and tobacco in specialized stores
- ISIC 5231 retail sale of pharmaceutical and medical goods, cosmetic and toilet articles
- ISIC 5251 retail sale via mail order houses
- ISIC 5252 retail sale via stalls and markets
- ISIC 5259 other non-store retail sale
Supplier industries for FMCGs include 1511 meat and meat products, 1512 fish and fish products, 1513 fruit and vegetables, 1514 vegetable and animal oils and fats, 1520 dairy products, 1531 grain mill products, 1532 starches and starch products, 1533 animal feeds, 1541 bakery products, 1542 sugar, 1543 cocoa, chocolate and sugar confectionery, 1544 macaroni, noodles, couscous, 1549 other food products, 1551 spirits; ethyl alcohol, 1552 wines, 1553 malt liquors and malt, 1554 soft drinks, mineral waters, 1600 tobacco products, 2101 pulp, paper and paperboard, 2102 corrugated paper, containers, 2109 other articles of paper and paperboard, 2424 soap and detergents, cleaning preparations, perfumes.
FMCG products contrast with durable goods or major appliances such as kitchen appliances, which are generally replaced less than once a year. In Britain, "white goods" in FMCG refers to large household electronic items such as refrigerators. Smaller items such as TV sets and stereo systems are sometimes termed "brown goods".
A subset of FMCGs are Fast Moving Consumer Electronics which contain innovative electronic products such as mobile phones, MP3 players, digital cameras, GPS Systems, cell phones and Laptops which are replaced more frequently than other electronic products mainly due to technology changes.
Some of the best known examples of Fast Moving Consumer Goods companies include Clorox, Colgate-Palmolive, General Mills, H. J. Heinz, Reckitt Benckiser, Sara Lee, Nestlé, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, Carlsberg, Kimberly-Clark, Kraft, Pepsi, Wilkinson and Mars.
Unlike other economy sectors, FMCG share float in a steady manner irrespective of global market dip, because they generally satisfy rather fundamental - as opposed to luxurious - needs.
