Scaling an FMCG brand is often described as the exciting part; it is but it is also where a different kind of pressure starts.
Retailers ask tougher questions. Internal decisions carry more weight. And instinct alone is no longer enough to guide the next move.
That was the focus of a recent conversation between Justin Healy, Founder of Spark Market Research, and Graham Beales, former CEO of Hip Pop, exploring how the brand accelerated growth in just two years, and what it really takes to move from traction to scale.
Across the discussion, three themes emerged: clarity before change, planning for growth before it happens, and replacing instinct with evidence. Together, they highlight why market research becomes increasingly critical as brands grow.
1. Scaling isn’t about moving faster, it’s about making better decisions
One of the first points Graham made was that scaling successfully isn’t about rushing into change. It’s about understanding what’s working before making decisions.
“The first thing you do is you don’t make any snap decisions… you’ve got to see the lay of the land, understand what’s working, what’s not, and think about what the future might look like.”
This is a common challenge for growing FMCG brands. Momentum creates pressure to act quickly, rebrand, expand ranges, enter new channels. However, without clarity, speed can create risk.
This is where market research plays a critical role. It provides the external perspective needed to validate what should stay, what should evolve, and what should change entirely. Rather than relying on internal opinion, brands can make decisions grounded in customer reality, category context and retailer expectations.
Scaling successfully isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing the right things, at the right time, with confidence.
2. Growth creates new questions; especially from retailers
As brands move from startup to scale, the nature of the questions they face changes. Internally, it becomes about supporting growth. Externally, it becomes about justifying it.
Graham described this shift clearly:
“The biggest question was how do we support growth… not just how do we get more distribution, but how does our supply chain meet our sales and marketing demand going forwards?”
Alongside operational challenges comes commercial scrutiny. Retailers want evidence. They want reassurance that growth is sustainable. They want confidence in range expansion, new SKUs, and category role.
This is the moment where gut feel stops being enough.
Market research helps brands answer questions like:
- Who is buying the product, and why?
- What role does the brand play in the category?
- Where is the real growth opportunity?
- What gives retailers confidence to expand distribution?
- Which innovations are worth backing?
Without this clarity, scaling conversations become harder. With it, brands move from hopeful to credible.
3. Planning for scale means looking further ahead
Another key theme from the conversation was the importance of thinking beyond immediate growth.
Graham described the mindset shift required:
“It’s not always looking at the ground below your feet. It’s looking 100 yards, a mile, 10 miles in front of you… and considering what the impact will be down that road.”
This forward-looking thinking is exactly where research becomes most valuable. Rather than reacting to growth, brands can anticipate it. Instead of guessing future opportunities, they can quantify them.
Market research enables brands to:
- Identify new audiences before expansion
- Understand category whitespace
- Prioritise channels and retailers
- Validate innovation pipelines
- Build long-term growth strategy
Scaling then becomes deliberate, not accidental.
4. Insight strengthens instinct
Interestingly, Graham also talked about the “feeling” that drew him to Hip Pop in the first place, something many FMCG leaders recognise.
“I had this feeling, a gut instinct, something that I just felt really good about the brand.”
Instinct often plays a role in early-stage growth. Founders rely on intuition. Decisions happen quickly. Momentum builds organically. However, as brands scale, instinct needs support.
Market research doesn’t replace gut feel it strengthens it. It helps brands test assumptions, validate opportunities and build commercial credibility around decisions that might otherwise rely on opinion.
The result is confidence internally and externally.
Why insight matters more than ever
Hip Pop’s journey highlights a broader truth for FMCG brands. The move from early traction to scale isn’t just about growth. It’s about clarity.
Clarity on:
- who the brand is for
- where growth will come from
- what retailers need to see
- which decisions matter most
- and how to scale sustainably
That clarity doesn’t come from instinct alone. It comes from insight.
As brands grow, the stakes increase. So do the questions. And the brands that answer them best are the ones that move beyond gut feel and use market research to guide the next stage of growth.
If you’re navigating the move from early traction to scale, Spark helps FMCG brands replace gut feel with clarity, confidence and commercial credibility.
Get in touch to see how Spark can support your next stage of growth.
