If you're in the consumer goods business, you've probably noticed transformation is here to stay. The old playbook for consumer goods just isn’t relevant in 2019. A new study from Salesforce, Consumer Goods and the Battle for B2B and B2C Relationships, suggests brands should evolve both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) operations for the future.

We’ve put together a few takeaways from our study to describe the modern balancing act of B2B and B2C strategies. Preview our study in this video, then check out a visual of top stats in the helpful infographic below.

• B2C offers a path to success: The consumer goods (CG) market has seen plenty of recent direct-to-consumer (D2C) success stories: Casper, Harry’s, and Glossier, to name a few. That’s according to Sunil Rao, global head for consumer goods go-to-market at Salesforce. CG leaders agree their industry has been transformed. Sunil explains, “CG leaders say these technologies are the most likely to be transforming their industry: ecommerce, online marketplaces, the internet of things, and voice assistants.”

• CG leaders need more data-driven insights: But just because they’ve discovered D2C doesn’t mean CG leaders have their problems magically solved. Sunil explains, “55% of CG leaders perceive barriers in turning customer data into insights.” So will companies be able to make the changes they need to turn into personalization powerhouses? Fortunately, the future looks positive.

• Investing in the future: Sunil says, “These are the areas where CG leaders plan to increase investments the most over the next three years: first-party consumer data, digital customer service support, second-party consumer data, and unified commerce.” The roadmap for success is clear: evolve B2B-only operations to include B2C. Our guide below shows how.