Once upon a time, the old shopper truth was that consumers were habitual shoppers. They visited the same store, bought the same products and brands week in, week out. They shopped on auto pilot. It took a lot to disrupt them and get them to consider a different brand, let alone a retailer. 

Fast forward to the cost of living crisis and this is no longer true. 

There are so many stats telling us that consumers are increasingly buying own labels and /or switching supermarkets. The trigger is clearly an attempt to save money. But how are they making decisions about which brands to switch to? 

With the autopilot behaviour gone, shoppers are being forced to investigate and try something new. And here’s where the curiosity and discovery happens. 

With the ‘usual’ brand being out of the consideration set as it’s no longer offering value (see last month’s article), how do shoppers shop? They have no choice but to spend more time at shelf, taking time to look, evaluate, compare and then purchase. 

What do they consider? 

How do they judge taste? Quality? Performance? What’s the value equation for the new ‘brands’ being considered? 

The purchase decisions they make may result in shoppers finding that: 

They have discovered new previously unconsidered brands 

They have discovered they can live without some household brands  

They have discovered that the quality of own label is on a par with their (ex) brand  

They have saved money 

They are taking great delight in announcing that the ketchup their children have just smeared on their chips and wolfed down isn’t that leading brand 

In a time where shoppers are open to discovery, and trying alternatives, what is your ‘brand’ offering them? (apart from price) 

Does your value equation add up?  

And are they going to stick with your brand? Or continue their journey of discovery?