US consumers see product shortages as "new normal" | WARC | The Feed

US consumers see product shortages as "new normal"

Sixty-seven percent of US consumers anticipate that product shortages will represent a “new normal”, and many could alter purchasing habits as a result of this trend, according to a new survey.

Those results came from a survey of 1,000 US adults by software provider SAP assessing how supply-chain issues are impacting shopper attitudes and behaviours.

Why it matters

The COVID-19 pandemic, inflationary pressures and the conflict in Ukraine are putting pressure on companies in multiple industries when it comes to maintaining product supply. Even if consumers appreciate the underlying causes, they may still opt to purchase a competing brand, potentially disrupting established customer relationships.

Takeaways

• By category, survey respondents were most concerned about potential shortages of food (77%), ahead of hygiene and personal care products (52%) and prescription medication (37%).
• Exactly two-thirds of contributors reported they had “bought from a brand they normally would not have” as a consequence of products being out of stock.
• Fully 32% of interviewees had stopped purchasing from at least one brand completely due to these supply-chain failings.
• While 87% of adults polled had experienced shortages, just 20% agreed that brands had effectively communicated around supply-chain challenges.

Sourced from SAP