Mumbai: Brand loyalty is being put to the test with homemakers open to trying fresh alternatives and adopting them too. The trend of consumers switching to other brands has been clearly visible during the pandemic.

A study by EY on the impact of Covid on homemakers, which has been shared exclusively with TOI, reveals that a little more than half (53 per cent) tried a new brand during the pandemic. Of this, 35 per cent liked the new brand and stayed with it, while 38 per cent switched back to their original brand. The study, conducted in July-August this year, pertains to essentials, non-essentials, household cleaning, perishables and personal care categories.

EY collected responses from 385 homemakers from different age groups, family types and spend categories across various cities. The consultancy said brands will need to build strong differentiators to hold the increasingly flexible customer base as consumer baskets are growing, with room for experimentation.

Also Read: The Name Game: Picking a Brand Name that Sounds RightOne seldom finds a homemaker experimenting frequently with new brands and products. EY partner (design thinking & digital transformation) Shashank Shwet said the pandemic served as a critical event that compelled consumers to explore and accept new brands based on availability.

“Initially, consumers were seen adjusting to the lockdown by becoming more flexible and buying new specialty food and DIY items to compensate for lack of entertainment options. This not only force-changed consumer preferences but also paved the way for new product categories with a thrust of localism. Therefore, the switch to new brands was triggered by factors like convenience, availability and pricing,” said Shwet.

Also Read: CMOs need to drive the shift from Consumer Experience to Human Experience: Study

Jyothy Labs joint MD Ullas Kamath said during disruptive times like Covid when there’s non-availability of a certain brand, consumers may opt for others but such a switch is temporary in nature. In the FMCG business, continuous supply of products and its availability across all formats of stores is critical, added Kamath.

“Products/brands with strong differentiations will always have loyal customers. We at Jyothy not only offer differentiated products to our loyal consumers, we have also ensured that products were made available pan-India during tough and testing times like Covid. We also have the offerings at different price points to cater to the needs of every consumer — both urban and rural,” said Kamath.

Shwet said for brands to be successful post-Covid, it will be important for them to uphold the brand promise consistently with an equal focus on the intent to prioritise safety and hygiene, health and natural foods.
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