Has Brand Loyalty been Thrown Out the Window?

During the lock-downs and beyond, according to an article by Steve Smith entitled Ferrero And The Great Chocolate Search Of 2020, chocolate rivaled toilet paper and other coveted items in the “get-whenever-you-see-em” category. Brands needed to scramble for notice on e-commerce and shelves of Walmart and Target.

MediaPost.com interviewed Rachel Tetreault, vice president of e-commerce at Ferrero for The Brand Insider. She said this,“One of the things that is always happening on Amazon, but maybe even more now that everybody’s supply chains are in flux, is accidental brand discovery. In many ways, brand loyalties have been thrown up in the air by this crisis.”

If customers are looking for sweets and snacks, and their brand is not available, they may move on. Supply chain issues can cause a temporary or long-term customer loss. Getting a brand noticed and keeping it top-of-mind with customers has never been more important. The pandemic has given many brands, that are not as well known, a chance for new customer acquisition through availability and packaging that communicates quality and safety. Regarding new customer acquisition, Rachel Tetreault also said, “Once that happens and you convert that shopper, the next time that [the shopper goes] back to that same application or platform, they automatically [see their] past purchase history and, therefore, you are likely to get selected again for the next purchase.”