Isolated, consumers try new brands

Part of the Brazilian population has been in social isolation since mid-March. As a reflection of this, and the economic crisis caused by the new coronavirus, 44% of Brazilians have tried new brands since the beginning of quarantine, according to a dunnhumby study.
The main causes for the change are focused on the pricing of products: 55% of consumers say they have changed because of a promotion and 44% say they sought cheaper brands in the period. Also with a rate of 44%, consumers say they changed brands because they sought to try new products; 34% said they even liked to try new brands and 22% said they only changed brands after not finding the product they were looking for – the sum of the questions is not 100% because it was possible to tick more than one option.
"If the brand experienced offers the consumer a better value equation, it should not return the old brand. Especially considering that the post-pandemic scenario comes with an economic recession," says Flavia Villani, head of Dunnhumby Brazil.
The survey heard more than 1,100 Brazilians in all regions of the country through an online questionnaire on June 25. According to the study, 58% of brazilians heard modified their purchasing behavior in up to 12 categories, either by increasing the volume purchased, decreasing or also changing the chosen brand. The one that underwent the most changes was that of basic foods, reaching 28% of people buying new brands for the first time.
Another piece of research points to the growing "extravagant economic" consumption, where consumers save in one category while adopting premium brands in others. With the pandemic, it was possible to perceive this scenario in the increase in the purchase of more expensive products in categories such as beers, chocolates and goodies.
"Extravagant economic behavior is independent of social class. This is due to the interests of the consumer and the value that the different categories give," villani explains.