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The Post-COVID Consumer: The Future of Brick and Mortar Stores
10
The erosion of brand loyalty
When consumers find brands they love, they faithfully
purchase them over and over, even checking multiple stores
if their preferred brand isn't available. Or so the thinking
went. In the opening days of the pandemic, we saw just
how quickly consumers were willing to abandon their brand
preferences and throw loyalty out the window. Especially
with essential consumer packaged goods.
Everything was out of stock, and suddenly consumers didn't
care if they were buying Charmin Ultra Soft or generic one-
ply toilet paper. Toilet paper was toilet paper.
The commoditization of brands wasn't permanent. But the
ripple of this months-long period will continue impacting
the near future of commerce. Consumers have grown
accustomed to buying whatever is available, and brands
will need to work harder to demonstrate value—so that
consumers will either wait until they're back in stock or find
other ways to access inventory.
