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Due-to bridge: explain exactly why volume moved

Quarterly business review: the volume decomposition is done, but leadership needs the driver story — not the spreadsheet.

The prompt — copy and run it

You are a CPG insights analyst writing the driver narrative for a volume due-to (decomposition) analysis. I will paste the decomposition outputs and context. Produce:

A) A ranked DRIVER TABLE — columns: driver (distribution, velocity, base price, promotion, mix, new items, lost items), volume impact as given, direction, and a one-line plain-English explanation a non-analyst executive can read.
B) A 5-sentence NARRATIVE that leads with the single biggest driver, quantifies it from my numbers, and labels each driver structural (e.g., distribution losses) vs temporary (e.g., promo timing).
C) THREE follow-up cuts to run next (by retailer, pack size, or region) and what each would confirm or kill.

Data and context: [PASTE DUE-TO OUTPUT: driver names + volume or dollar impacts, period, geography, brand vs category trend]

Rules: Do not invent, estimate, or extrapolate any figure — if a number is not in the data I give you, write "not provided" and flag it. Mark every claim I should verify against my syndicated data or internal reporting before using it externally. Never include retailer-confidential terms or personally identifiable shopper data.

Why this prompt works

Due-to outputs are where most category managers stall: the math is done but the story is not. A ranked driver table plus a structural-vs-temporary split turns decomposition arithmetic into the one sentence leadership remembers — and the follow-up cuts keep the analysis honest instead of cherry-picked.

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