Get over it, I say. If you're worrying about who has the upper hand, then you're misallocating resources from the real challenge-that is, making things right with consumers. Economics aside, mass retail has overwhelmed shoppers for some time with cluttered store environments, mind-numbing SKU proliferation and unfocused packaging. That's in stark contrast to the  premium brands we profile in our September issue, whose simplified presentations, smaller store formats and seamless integration between packaging and the retail environment should serve as inspiration (see United, By Design below). 

Since your retail customers have just as much at stake, why not come together to develop a better shopper experience? Share insights about your consumers, the way they shop and where. Ask retailers to disclose findings on their shoppers, namely what influences them to buy certain brands. And tap into some of our resources for ideas. Our archives are a good place to start. Then there is our PACKAGING THAT SELLS conference, where Hershey, TerraCycle, Clorox, Supervalu and Unilever will share their own packaging and retail solutions. Co-located with Packaging that Sells is our newly hatched LEAP conference, a brand-owners-only event that brings design thought leaders together like no other event does. 

Shopper experience will likely be one of the few things driving consumer loyalty going forward. So, come together with your retailer partners and customers to solve for the challenge right now, and then with us in October at LEAP and Packaging that Sells.