Brand Loyalty Under Siege During Coronavirus Pandemic

Nevin Barich

May 13, 2020 –

I have two jars of Jif peanut butter in my refrigerator and another six jars in my garage on standby.

Now why is my peanut butter hoarding during the coronavirus pandemic important? Because Jif is not my preferred brand. Nothing against it, but I grew up on Skippy Chunky Peanut Butter and thus that’s always been my go-to as an adult. But Skippy has been hard to find since the end of the world began. Stores have empty shelves and price gouging is rampant online. So when I saw that I could order Jif at a reasonable price while the Skippy products were marked up, I didn’t hesitate. I made the switch.

My peanut butter habits are in line with much of the country, according to a survey by shopping rewards app Shopkick. According to the survey, 69% of Americans said they are purchasing different brands if their preferred one isn’t available. Just 14% said they will not make a purchase if their preferred brand is unavailable, the survey said.

As far as shopping trips go, they have become less frequent for 72% of consumers, but those trips have become more expensive, according to the survey. Thirty-nine percent of consumers reported spending more money per shopping trip than before the COVID-19 outbreak. The average cost per trip for 39% of shoppers was $51 to $100. Thirty percent of people spend $26 to $50, 18% of shoppers spend between $100 and $200, and 13% spend $25 or less.

I love my Skippy Chunky Peanut Butter and hope to go back to it when all is said and done. But for now, I’ll take what I can find. And what I found was Jif.

Nevin Barich is the Food and Beverage Analyst at Industry Intelligence, which can help YOU better address your own industry challenges. To arm yourself with the latest market intelligence, contact ClientCare@IndustryIntel.com or call 310-553-0008 if you’re interested in receiving or sharing the IMPACT report with your colleagues or partners.

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