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Tamara Charm

PartnerBoston

Helps organizations drive holistic growth, innovation, and transformation by applying a deep understanding of consumer sentiment and behavior

As a leader of McKinsey's agile insights capabilities and our consumer insights hub, Tamara works with consumer-facing companies to drive brand transformation, growth, and innovation by deeply understanding consumers’ needs, beliefs, behaviors, and preferences. Her experience spans branding, marketing, and strategy decisions that can be shaped and reshaped by the changing consumer.

Tamara loves delving into the “why” by gaining insight into the motivations and preferences that drive consumer behavior. Based on her expertise, Tamara counsels clients on how to best address consumers’ needs. She brings this expertise and passion into her work and partners with organizations that are growing or innovating, as well as with private-equity companies evaluating or nurturing brands with strong consumer pull that will spur substantial growth.

Examples of Tamara’s recent work include the following:

  • guiding the creation and activation of global segmentation for an apparel company, including the ongoing transformation of its insights and analytics function
  • supporting the strategy development and customer experience design for the launch of a new national retail company
  • guiding private-equity companies through diligence and exit strategy for retail and consumer brands
  • Advising multiple retail and consumer companies through strategic refreshes of brand potential by using segmentation and brand positioning

Tamara authors McKinsey’s industry-leading research on consumer sentiment. She is also a frequent author on consumer insights topics and regularly speaks at industry forums. Tamara occasionally conducts in-home ethnographies and is a RIVA-trained qualitative moderator.

Before McKinsey, Tamara was involved in several not for profits and nongovernmental organizations in a professional capacity. She continues to be involved in her areas of passion as a community and board member.

Published work

It’s the holiday season: Insights for consumer business,” McKinsey & Company, November 2024

Holiday shopping in 2023: ‘It started early and will end late’,” McKinsey & Company, November 2023

US holiday shopping 2023: Consumer caution and retailer resilience,” McKinsey & Company, November 2023

US consumers send mixed signals in an uncertain economy,” McKinsey & Company, April 2023

US holiday shopping 2022: ’Tis the season to be (cautiously) optimistic,” McKinsey & Company, October 2022

The Great Uncertainty: US consumer confidence and behavior during inflationary times,” McKinsey & Company, August 2022

Taking the pulse of the US consumer,” McKinsey & Company, May 2022

How US consumers are feeling, shopping, and spending—and what it means for companies,” McKinsey & Company, May 2022

Rise of the inclusive, sustainable consumers,” McKinsey & Company, April 2022

Consumer sentiment and behavior continue to reflect the uncertainty of the COVID-19 crisis,” McKinsey & Company, October 2020

The great consumer shift: Ten charts that show how US shopping behavior is changing,” McKinsey & Company, August 2020

Understanding and shaping consumer behavior in the next normal,” McKinsey & Company, July 2020

Alternative proteins and the future of meat,” McKinsey & Company, October 2019

COVID-19 insights leaders roundtable: Edition 15,” GreenBook, November 2021

The role of marketers in a post-COVID-19 world,” ClickZ, May 2020

Education

MIT Sloan School of Management
MBA

Johns Hopkins University
BA, economics and international studies