[4clicknet]

My understanding is that this comment is stating that there is a trend towards products having more or less identical functional features, but at different price points and that they will only be distinguished from each other by marketing. I would argue this has always been the case, from the day people first started trading goods instead of making everything for themselves. Whenever there are competing, nearly-identical goods in the marketplace, someone invents ways to distinguish them based on pricing, logos, fatuous claims, etc., but that happened a long time ago.

An interesting thing about FMCG companies and profitability:

BigCo selling a bar of soap for $4 has a similar contribution margin to GenericCo selling a bar of soap for $1. Why? BigCo has larger overheads (i.e., they have to promote and advertise, do consumer research, etc.). In fact, BigCos don't make much profit from categories like soap and laundry powder, but they need them to cover overheads.