The commercial strategy consultancy for consumer product brands.

We work with ambitious business leaders to identify, build and deliver profitable growth strategies.

JDS Strategists have professionalised our processes and brought our teams together within the company. They delivered our ecommerce strategy well ahead of target. The detail and effort put into the project is exceptional.

Martyn Bell - Owner & Director

For me it is important that I feel I can work with the personalities of any business we look to partner with, as well as their ability to do the job. JDS ticked both boxes.

We were impressed with the knowledge of our market and the growth we have seen so quickly in parts of the business.

Ross Taylor - Owner & Director

We were surprised at the detail and depth at which JDS Strategists go to. We were further surprised (and impressed!) with the speed at which they picked up the core elements of our business. Their passion to succeed is obvious to all they work with.

Hugo Douglas-Pennant - Owner & Director

JDS were pivotal in building our growth strategy for a recent acquisition. Significant in-depth market research was undertaken and the strategy, and their recommendations were backed up with detailed data. The team now has an accelerated understanding of the marketplace and where the opportunities for growth are.

Alex Monk - Chief Executive Officer

It's fair to say that myself and the team absolutely loved working with Jack. He's sharp and has a great agility to be big picture focused but then swiftly drill down to the detail, if required, to get the results he's looking for. He is extremely focused on the commercial success and highly strategic in delivering the numbers effectively.

Lawrence Collis - Executive Director

Talented with incredible attention to detail. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Jack and his expertise to any brand.

Matt Steel - Business Director

An astute strategist, efficient executor and inspirational leader. It's rare that you find someone in business that possesses all three of these qualities, and even more rare that you get to work for them.

Phil Power - Marketing Communication’s Manager

He was always supportive but raised important strategic questions and challenged us to face into issues that others were happy to side-step.

John Callender - Management Consultant

Jack is fantastic leader and businessman, with exceptional knowledge in both sales and marketing. He consistently delivered clear direction and built a strategy that the team and the business believed in.

David Ayers - Category Manager

Why work with us

Dedicated Expertise

You will have a combined 30+ years of sector specific, marketing, sales and ecommerce expertise at your fingertips.

We are the recommended strategy services provider, for ‘British Home Enhancement Trade Association’ (BHETA)

True Partnerships

You can be 100% confident in our drive to deliver - our performance based-pay contracts ensure it.

Your objectives aligned with ours, so we can work together to deliver your growth.

Project Ownership

We provide you with the dedicated, agile resource to do what needs to be done.

We take the strain and make your business objective(s) our priority.

Strong Network

A trusted network of agencies and tactical specialists we can source, so you don’t have to.

The combination of our expertise and connections ensures a smooth and efficient path to your success.

What we do

Business & Brand Strategy

Identify and implement long-term growth initiatives.

Direct-to-Consumer Strategy

Create and develop an online D2C channel.

Sales Channel Strategy

Increase market share in a specific sales channel.

Product Go-to-Market Strategy

Launch a new product or develop an existing category.

Marketing Communications Strategy

Deliver impactful communications across the customer journey.

How we do it

Our approach is built on 3 core principles:

cross Customer-Centric

cross Insight-Driven

cross Profit-Focused

We use our Strategic Strength™ ‘thinking and action’ system to guide the process (see right).

This results in effective, efficient marketing & sales activity that delivers against your business objective and maximises the return on your efforts.

Our Thoughts

Should I be selling on Amazon? - SHORT VIDEO

65% of all product searches now originate on Amazon. 5 years ago, that statistic belonged to Google. There is no denying the cultural and business phenomenon that is the Amazon beast. But does that mean everyone should be selling on there?

How do we continue to grow online now the Ecommerce wave is flattening? - SHORT VIDEO

Covid-19 has had an undeniable impact on the % of retail sales that are happening online. However recent reports suggest that the wave that a lot of brands have been riding as a result is starting to flatten (and in some cases, decline!). Here, Jack gives his advice to keep growth going in the right direction.

I only have a small advertising budget , what should I do? - SHORT VIDEO

Advertising is crucial - without customers knowing who you are and what you are selling, well there is no business! Here Jack gives a quick overview of his top tips to focus your budget in the right places.

How can I gather data without blowing my budgets? - SHORT VIDEO

At JDS Strategists we work with a lot of small to medium sized businesses who don't have unlimited budgets for research, but the power of data is crucial for successful strategy. Here Jack gives a quick overview of what you can use to gather information without breaking the bank.

My business feels unfocussed, what should I do? - SHORT VIDEO

In this short video Jack recommends best practice to rediscover the focus your business needs to grow.

PLAN ON A PAGE FRAMEWORK

Use your Commercial Strategy framework to structure your thoughts, then create your 'plan on a page'. One page that captures the crucial elements of your strategy to keep you keep you focussed and on track.

MAP YOUR MARKET FRAMEWORK

Use this framework to gather the data and insights you need to start building your strategy.

Strategic Strength Wheel

Let's walk the wheel . . .

WHAT IS STRATEGY?

Try answering this question, in one sentence: What is Strategy? Not so easy.

THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF RETAIL AND IT'S IMPACT ON ROUTE TO MARKET - VIDEO

‘Online’ has been shot in to hyperdrive, so how are traditional retailers responding? Most importantly, how should you, the brand owner, support and respond

Stop trying to predict the future. Instead? Start again.

The end is nigh . . . well perhaps not completely but we are edging ever closer to that tantalising taste of freedom. And with that brands are inevitably shifting from reactive ‘What now?’ decisions, to a more proactive ‘What next?’ stance.

PLANNING - HOW TO GET STARTED

Planning is the fundamental basis of management functions, and yet not as simple as it might first appear. It involves looking ahead, relating current events with future opportunities - not an easy

3 KEY CONSIDERATIONS FOR YOUR ECOMMERCE STRATEGY

Planning a D2C proposition? Here we condense down your key considerations to 3. All 3 need to work together to successfully sustain growth

COMMERCIAL STRATEGY FRAMEWORK

From 'objective' through to 'performance' this will help you identify and deploy the right tactics to win.

COMPETITOR ANALYSIS FRAMEWORK

You certainly don't want to be obsessed with competitor activity . . . but you certainly do need to be aware of it.

Consultant? Strategist? Or something new . . .

From the outset we have stayed true to our vision - true strategic partnership with business owners of up and coming consumer durable brands. Interestingly though it raised the question of how we classify what we actually do.

D-2-C Strategy Framework

Use this helpful framework to start the Direct to Consumer planning process.

JDS Strategists - The Origins

I am Jack Sweeney, founder of JDS Strategists Ltd. I would like to tell you a little more about myself and the creation of JDS.

MANAGING POTENTIAL D2C CONFLICT

Spoiler alert - your retail partners are NOT going to be overly thrilled with the news you are either exploring or expanding a Direct-to-Consumer offering. However they will understand it, especially if you follow these crucial steps.

Debunking Digital Transformation - Video

Digital Transformation has long been heralded as the change requirement for brands of all types, accelerated 10-fold by Coronavirus over the last 12 months.But when it comes to marketing, what does it

Direct-to-Consumer: The 5 fundamental questions asked and answered.

Direct-to-Consumer (“D2C”) is the practice of brands selling their products directly to their end customers, without distributors or retailers. It’s not a particularly new model...

Growth Opportunities Through Data - Video

How to use data for effective commercial planning. JDS walk through the strategic planning process; from where to find the data, how to piece it together to discover insights, and then turning those

How to Build a Commercial Strategy - Video

In this short webinar, we define commercial strategy and explore why it's paramount to business growth.

Direct-to-Consumer for Retail Distributed Brands - Video

How do you create and sustainably grow the channel? How do you ensure incremental growth and avoid upsetting existing retailer relationships? 20 minute webinar.

Strategic Strength™ Insights

Sector specific observations, resources and news stories, designed to equip you with actionable insights for strengthening and growing your business.

Exclusively for consumer product business leaders, delivered directly to your inbox every month.