Shopper Digest: Growing Up with Your Consumers

In FMCG industries, the top brand is often perceived as having the most loyal consumers. This is because they are usually the most well-known and the most trusted option, often making it the go-to choice for many people. People tend to stick with a brand unless they have bad experiences or find a great product at a cheaper alternative.

By gaining insights into how consumers interact with the brand throughout their purchasing journey, top brands can adapt their strategies to meet evolving consumer needs and expectations. This understanding enables them to stay ahead of competitors by optimizing their marketing efforts and enhancing product offerings. By consistently delivering value at every touchpoint, top brands can solidify their position, foster customer loyalty, and maintain their lead in the marketplace.

Our data from Kantar Worldpanel offers a compelling counterpoint to this assumption. While the No.1 Brand may initially command a sizable market share, our findings reveal a noteworthy challenge in maintaining consumer loyalty as babies progress in age. Surprisingly, its market share experiences a significant decline as infants reach 7-12 months old, with no apparent recovery as they continue to grow. In contrast, smaller brands such as the No.2 and No.6 Brand demonstrate more adaptability to retain their share in the older baby market.

This observed divergence prompts an exploration into the underlying factors driving these disparate behaviours within the same brand ecosystem. Could it be attributed to variations in product perceptions, nuanced marketing strategies, or perhaps distinct consumer demographics and preferences? Understanding these intricacies is paramount for strategic decision-making within the brand, enabling tailored approaches to address consumer needs and optimize brand experiences across the different baby ages and activation touchpoints. This, in turn, aims to foster greater consumer loyalty and brand affinity.

Brand loyalty is a crucial factor that determines the longevity of your growth performance. Loyal customers don't just buy a product – they become advocates for the brand, spreading positive word-of-mouth and strengthening its market presence. In this way, consumer loyalty not only drives sales but also serves as a catalyst for expanding the brand's reach and forging deeper emotional connections between consumers and the brand.

As shoppers seek more value from every penny they spend, it is crucial to inform them that they could either buy the same quality at a lesser price or have a higher value perception of what they are getting for the same price they pay. The key is to optimize your investment across different activation touchpoints and also to emphasize your unique selling points that attract shoppers to continue buying and staying with your brand.

Being the key market player is even more important to find the right strategy by engaging the right audience with the right message to drive brand relevancy and ultimately loyalty. A brand must grow with the consumers' evolving needs.

At Kantar Worldpanel, we provide baby panel data covering 1200 panellists across Peninsular Malaysia. Our approach allows you to compare your brand's performance to competitors at different stages of a baby's growth, highlighting areas of strength and gaps to close.

As part of our advanced Analytics solution, our flagship Consumer Journey specializes in uncovering growth opportunities by answering crucial questions like:

• Which product is the key entry point for my shoppers?
• At which stage do my shoppers stay longer?
• At which stage am I losing shoppers to my competition?
• How can I foster stronger brand loyalty?