Shrinkflation and its sister skimpflation have hit many of the items in your shopping basket as rampant inflation in the cost of ingredients, energy and staff has forced manufacturers to take steps to keep prices down.
Read the full article on The Guardian website
NAM Implications:
- A detailed reading of this Guardian article may help to explain the inevitable future slide in sales of some well-known brands…
- The article describes reader examples of perceived ‘shortchanging’ that have caused brand loyals to extend their ‘tell-a-friend’ reactions to a national newspaper.
- As you know, traditional ‘tell-a-friend’ is limited to complaining to 10 friends when disappointed (vs. telling 1 friend when pleased with a product)
- However, add skilled use of social media to amplify the volume of complaints to an extent far in excess of The Guardian readership…
- Patently the brands mentioned are not breaking the Letter-of-the-Law in that the correct weight of contents is indicated on the pack.
- The problem is potential Spirit-of-the-Law breaches i.e. their perception of the brand by some of its most loyal of users…
- i.e. those that know the brand well enough to tell the difference…
- Hopefully, the even greater potential damage of skimpflation does not need spelling out…
