Did my brand gain share during Covid-19?

A key question many brand owners are currently asking is “Did my brand do better or worse than my competitors during the Covid-19 period?” Analysis conducted by Kantar Worldpanel shows that in the 8 weeks of the Covid-19 period the number one brand in the category stood a better chance of gaining share. This shows that in a time of crisis consumersare more likely to buy a brand they are more aware of and that is more readily available.

Looking deeper into the specific number 1 brands that grew share we saw that almost two thirds of the growing brands were local brands. The switch from foreign to local brands has been a growing trend in China for several years now and it seems has though Covid-19 has helped to accelerate this trend as people opted for homegrown brands in times of uncertainty.

Homecare brands accounted for 38% of the decliners (vs just 7% for the growers). This was driven by the move to more niche products in categories like hand wash and bleach where shoppers were looking for specific benefits to help protect against the virus. Plus these categories may have been in shorter supply so people may have had to switch to whatever was available in their local store.

Understanding how a brand performed vs competitors during Covid-19 and more importantly, how to grow share as we come out of the epidemic, will be on all brand owners minds. Kantar Worldpanel is uniquely placed to help FMCG manufacturers plan their future marketing strategy based on the consumer behaviour changes we are witnessing in China post Covid-19.