Brand identities have felt flat. AI-powered this and AI-driven that sounds great in boardrooms, but customers are all quite tired of it. Aren’t we all? This collective burnout feeling is AI fatigue. 

Consumers are tuning out of the digital noise and turning to something more real, more human: sensory marketing, the antidote to the AI overdose.

In episode 41 of the Digital Shelf Insider podcast by MetricsCart, Nourhan Wahdan, Founder of Pew Design Bureau, walks us through a critical shift toward emotional and sensory branding in 2026 and why it is essential for the future of brand design in an already-on-its-way anti-digital world.

Watch the full episode here:

The Great Marketing Hangover

As Wahdan puts it, we are currently living through a hangover of the “mass consumer consumption syndrome” of the early 2020s. 

We spent months locked inside, panic-buying from our couches, and optimizing our lives through our phones. We told ourselves that utility and convenience were the ultimate brand drivers.

She also points out that since 2020, we’ve lived in a state of “perma-crisis”, a relentless cocktail of global instability, economic unrest, and a digital world that feels increasingly synthetic. She notes that the desire for comfort began to manifest during the pandemic lockdowns with the explosive rise of “cozy gaming” and the Nintendo Switch, where anxious adults sought solace in tending to digital farms.

Today, that anxiety has compounded. The marketing hangover is the collective consumer realization that digital utility alone cannot sustain us. When the macro-world feels terrifyingly out of control, humans instinctively seek “micro-stability” through physical touch and nostalgic comfort.

“We want to feel things again and not like in just an emotional state but even in our physical world… we all want to like literally touch it, feel it, and know the textures and the smell of it. And this is like the very anti-digital world.”

Nourhan Wahdan

Founder and Creative Director at pew.design bureau

If your brand only exists as pixels on a screen, if it has no weight, no scent, no tactile resistance, it essentially does not exist in the consumer’s emotional reality. Sensory branding in 2026 is the process of sobering up.

Sensory branding is the process of building a brand identity through the five human senses, sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste, rather than relying solely on visual logos or written claims. It is when your brand shifts from “what a brand says” to “how a brand feels” to the consumer.

It requires moving from the frictionless (which the human brain immediately forgets) to the tactile (which the human brain anchors to). We’ve spent so much time making e-commerce “easy” that we entirely forgot to make it “felt.”

READ MORE | Consumer Confidence: Trends, Indicators, and Market Impact

Toyification in Marketing, Play Is Now Serious Business

The trend of hanging labubu dolls as bag charms is an example that will immediately give you an idea about what toyification in marketing is. It is the most disruptive psychological trend of the decade.

“In my own mind, the reason I picked toyification as a term is because it feels like everything has become a toy.” says Wahdan.

Now, before we dismiss it as a juvenile, fleeting TikTok aesthetic, there is consumer psychology at play behind toyification. 

There’s a booming consumer category in the toy industry called kidults. As Wahdan highlights, kidults are adults 18 and older who buy toys for themselves and drive a massive share of the toy market. Kidults are enveloped in nostalgia, craving for things that cater to their inner child, and they come with serious buying power.

Wahdan points to the evolution of the Stanley Cup craze and the viral explosion of Pop Mart’s Labubu plush charms to highlight the rise of toyification across industries. Consumers stickered up and accessorized them, creating highly tactile, personalized rituals around these products.

We see this spilling into high fashion and everyday consumption:

• Tactile Couture: JW Anderson’s clutches shaped like realistic pigeons or slices of cake.
• The Bratz Renaissance: High-end eyewear brand Gentle Monster’s collaboration with Bratz dolls proves that luxury and play are no longer mutually exclusive.
• Edible Play: The rise of latte art featuring 3D miniature foam cats and dogs.

Why does toyification in branding work so effectively? Because it acts as regression therapy for a burnt-out workforce. Introducing “groomable” products, squishy textures, or blind-box surprise elements provides a fidget-like interaction that actively caters to the growing factor of nostalgia in consumers. 

If your product’s sensory branding strategy doesn’t invite the consumer’s inner child to reach out and play with it, you are ignoring the most lucrative coping mechanism of 2026.

READ MORE | Exploring Phygital In E-commerce with Industry Examples

Quiet Luxury, Soft Logos, and the Death of Yelling Your Brand

The 2010s were defined by the loud, abrasive aesthetic of “blanding”, the flattening of every brand identity into a bold, black, sans-serif font that screamed, “We are a disruptive, venture-backed startup!” 

In 2026, that aesthetic is dead, buried, and universally cringed at. Consumers have developed what Wahdan brilliantly terms “logo fluency”. 

They are hyper-literate in marketing tactics. They recognize your brand codes, your color palettes, and your silhouettes. The need to slap a giant, high-contrast monogram across the chest of a sweater or the front of a digital storefront has vanished.

In fact, in 2026, high-decibel branding is the ultimate signal of a low-trust product. If you have to scream your name, you are practically admitting you have no substance.

“More so they want the quality. They want the fabric. They want the leather… but they don’t necessarily want to have like the logo. I think there’s an appreciation of quality of the items and this kind of silent luxury category.” says Wahdan.

This quiet luxury movement, propelled by the exhaustion of fast-fashion giants like Shein and Temu, demands that your brand identity be baked directly into the material reality of the product.

For your sensory branding strategy, this means prioritizing inconspicuous minimalism:

• The substrate is the brand: Think of Jacquemus or Bottega Veneta. Bottega’s Intrecciato leather weave is a sensory signature so distinct it requires no nameplate. You know it by how the light hits the texture.
• Softening the mark: Brands are actively softening their visual identities, rounding out sharp edges, and utilizing blind debossing or embroidery. The goal is to look embedded and organic rather than stamped and manufactured.
• The rise of olfactory signatures: Fragrances and distinct scent notes have gained massive popularity because scent operates silently. It is the ultimate quiet luxury; it announces a brand’s presence directly to the brain’s memory center without requiring a single pixel of screen real estate.

Want to Decode What Consumers Want? Try Ratings & Review Analysis Solution!

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Cultural Literacy: Why Posting Memes Won’t Save Your Brand

Here is a painful reality check for brand founders and social media teams: posting a low-resolution meme about Moo Deng, Punch, the monkey, or the viral Dubai pistachio chocolate three weeks after it peaked does not make you “culturally relevant.” It makes you look like a corporate chaperone crashing a teenager’s basement party.

Wahdan is mercilessly accurate on this point. Legacy brands frequently mistake “trend-chasing” for true “cultural literacy”. They skim the surface of internet culture without ever bothering to understand the underlying psychological currents driving it.

She says, “Your audience are probably smarter than you think they are. They are hyper aware. They’re living in the same reality as you are.”

If you ignore the material reality of your audience, their financial anxiety, their political fatigue, their desire for escapism, because you are afraid of “negative associations”, you will inevitably create a brand that is hopelessly bland.

Here’s how you do cultural literacy for sensory branding in 2026, right:

The Gentle Monster Approach: When eyewear brand Gentle Monster launched a campaign featuring Tilda Swinton, it wasn’t just about slapping her face on a billboard. They leaned into a theatrical exploration of a futuristic theme, blending performance, design, and conceptual art. 

The Poppi Execution: Wahdan points out that better-for-you soda brand Poppi didn’t just tweet a few memes on Labubu and call it a day. They leaned into the physical manifestation of the trend by creating plush, toy-like cans and custom key charms, authentically participating in the tactile culture of their audience. 

True cultural literacy is empathetic and rooted in authenticity. It is understanding why a texture, a sound, or the sight of a product feels comforting at a specific moment in time. If you are taking notes for your sensory branding strategy, highlight this one in neon green!

READ MORE | 5 Best Customer Insight Tools Smart Brands Swear By

The Post-AI Mood Shift: Hey! Is This 100% Human-Made?

The world is utterly choked up with AI-slop. We have reached the pop of the AI bubble. Hyper-polished, mathematically perfect, soullessly efficient generative content is in such abundance that the idea of what is premium has completely changed. 

The sheer over-saturation of automated assistants and synthetic imagery is creating a massive counter-movement. The imperfect, the physical, and the undeniably human are what count as premium now.

The reason ASMR product-tapping videos dominate social media feeds is that consumers are starving for physical verification. They want to hear the thwack of the glass, the crackle of the paper, and the snap of the plastic to confirm that the object is real.

In 2026, if your brand feels like it could have been entirely generated by a prompt, it will be discarded as cheap. The ultimate luxury is proof of human hands.

Nourhan Wahdan made some really sharp points there, didn’t she? Read the full show notes to know more about how toyification and sensory branding are redefining brand identity in 2026.

How to Build a Sensory Branding Strategy Without Looking Desperate

A desperate brand tries to buy attention by screaming louder. A smart brand earns loyalty by infiltrating the senses. You cannot retrofit a sensory marketing strategy onto a bland product right before launch; it must be intrinsically woven into the R&D and creative processes from day one.

To determine if you are ready for the 2026 consumer, subject your brand to the blindfold test:

If a consumer were completely blindfolded and could not see your logo, your typography, or your website, would they still be able to identify your brand?

If the answer is no, start executing this sensory audit checklist immediately:

• Haptic Hierarchy (The Sense of Touch): Audit the physical weight and texture of your product and packaging. In human psychology, physical weight correlates directly with perceived value. If your unboxing experience feels light, flimsy, or hollow, you are subconsciously signaling that your product is disposable. Incorporate soft-touch mattes, cold-pressed metals, or textured organic papers that AI cannot simulate.
• Auditory Architecture (The Sense of Sound): Define your brand’s mechanical sound. We are not talking about a digital jingle or a TikTok audio trend. What is the physical sound your product makes? The heavy, vault-like “thud” of a luxury car door closing, or the sharp, satisfying “click” of a magnetic cosmetic lid. If your product operates in silence, it fails to anchor itself in the consumer’s physical reality.
• Olfactory Anchoring (The Sense of Smell): Scent is the only human sense that bypasses the rational brain and wires directly into the memory center. Use this ruthless biological loophole. Whether it is a signature ambient scent in your retail spaces or a specific unboxing fragrance sprayed on your packaging tissue paper, scent is an unskippable ad.
• Strategic Toyification (The Ritual of Play): Give the consumer something to do with their hands. Can your product be customized, groomed, or fidgeted with? Integrate magnetic closures, satisfyingly squishy components, or collectible charms. Turn the utilitarian act of using your product into a micro-moment of play.

READ MORE | How to Measure Brand Awareness: 10 Metrics You Must Know

The Point Is, Get Back To Your Senses

The shelf might be digital, but the person reaching for your products is craving a product experience beyond the screen. Sensory branding in 2026 is your brand renaissance. Build your strategy and brand design to cater to what the consumer truly wants.

The great marketing hangover is soon going to be over. Stop trying to out-optimize the algorithms, and start designing for the human nervous system. But how do you know which texture will soothe their perma-crisis anxiety, or which toyified ritual will turn a one-time buyer into a lifelong collector?

At MetricsCart, we bridge the gap between digital data and human desire. Our consumer insights platform tracks consumer conversations beyond your PDP, tapping into the psychological sentiment shifts and emotional undercurrents that drive the “add to cart” moment. We help you understand the material reality of your customers.

Before you design your next sensory experience, let us show you the data behind the feeling.

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So,

• What is consumer confidence? 
• How does it impact markets and spending?
• What are the KPIs of consumer confidence?
• What are the latest consumer confidence trends in e-commerce?

This blog answers it all.

What is Consumer Confidence?

Consumer confidence is a measure of how comfortable people feel about spending money. It reflects whether consumers believe their income is stable, their jobs are secure, and their financial situation is likely to improve or worsen in the near future.

When confidence is high, consumers are more willing to spend on non-essential items, try new brands, and make bigger purchases. When confidence is low, they become cautious. Spending shifts toward essentials, purchases are delayed, and price sensitivity increases.

What makes consumer confidence important is timing. It doesn’t describe what consumers already did; it signals what they are likely to do next. That’s why businesses track it closely. Changes in confidence often appear weeks or months before shifts in sales, demand, or market performance become visible.

In simple terms, consumer confidence helps explain why spending changes before the numbers actually change.

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How Consumer Confidence Impacts Markets and Spending

Consumer confidence directly shapes how money moves through the economy. In fact, almost 70% of the US GDP comes from personal consumption expenditures (PCE). So when households feel good (or bad) about jobs, prices, and income, it shows up quickly in sales, profits, and market prices.

Spending Expands or Contracts Based on Perceived Risk

When consumers feel secure about their jobs, income, and future economic conditions, they spend more freely. When this confidence is high, discretionary categories such as apparel, electronics, dining out, travel, and home upgrades benefit first. Big-ticket purchases like cars and appliances also see a lift because consumers feel confident committing to long-term payments.

When confidence weakens, behavior flips quickly. Households delay large purchases, reduce non-essential spending, and trade down to lower-priced brands or private labels. In this scenario, staples hold up better, but even then, shoppers look more for value packs, discounts, and promotions. 

Low confidence also increases precautionary saving. Consumers hold cash, pay down debt, and avoid impulse purchases because they are uncertain about future income or employment stability.

Research from the Federal Reserve and academic studies shows that sharp moves in consumer sentiment often precede changes in consumption, especially during periods of economic stress or recovery.

READ MORE | Understanding the Consumer Behavior at Walmart: Expectations and Implementations

Inflation Expectations Change How and When People Spend

When consumers believe prices will keep rising, they may pull forward purchases for essentials. However, if they believe wages will not keep pace with inflation, spending slows instead. 

This tension between price expectations and income confidence plays out clearly in retail. Brands often see higher price sensitivity, shorter decision windows, and stronger promotion response when confidence is weak but inflation remains elevated.

Markets React Because Confidence Affects Earnings and Interest Rates

Lower confidence signals softer demand and potential margin pressure, especially in consumer-driven sectors like retail, travel, and restaurants. In that case, investors adjust their growth expectations and, as the risk of a slowdown rises, their interest-rate outlooks change as well. Central banks watch these signals closely because confidence shapes future demand, not just current activity.

The impact doesn’t stop with consumers and markets. Businesses react to confidence trends by slowing hiring, tightening inventory plans, increasing promotions, and reassessing pricing strategies. These decisions can reinforce spending slowdowns, creating a feedback loop between consumer behavior and market performance.

A recent example shows how quickly this plays out. In December 2025, the Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index fell to 89.1, with the Expectations Index near 70, a level often associated with recession risk. The decline reflected concerns about jobs and prices and reinforced expectations of continued pressure on discretionary spending.

In practice, confidence is less about how consumers feel today and more about what they will do next. When confidence shifts, spending patterns, business decisions, and market expectations follow, often before the numbers make it obvious.

READ MORE | Optimizing Consumer Buying Process: What Every E-Commerce Brand Needs to Know

KPIs of Consumer Confidence

Consumer confidence is not a vague feeling. It is tracked through well-defined indicators that help businesses, investors, and policymakers anticipate shifts in spending behavior. Two KPIs matter most because they capture both current conditions and future expectations.

The Consumer Confidence Index, published by The Conference Board, measures how optimistic or pessimistic consumers feel about the economy. It is based on a monthly survey that asks households about current business conditions, job availability, and expectations for income, employment, and economic conditions over the next six months.

What makes CCI valuable is its structure. It separates confidence into two components:

• Present Situation Index, which reflects how consumers feel about the economy right now
• Expectations Index, which captures how they expect conditions to change

The Expectations Index is especially important. Historically, when it drops below the mid-70 range, it has often preceded periods of economic slowdown. For businesses, this component acts as an early warning system. Declining expectations usually show up first as reduced discretionary spending, increased deal-seeking behavior, and hesitation around big-ticket purchases.

For e-commerce and retail teams, tracking CCI alongside sales data helps explain why demand softens even when pricing or promotions remain unchanged. It often signals that consumer hesitation is macro-driven, not execution-driven.

Consumer Sentiment Index

The Consumer Sentiment Index, published by the University of Michigan, focuses more directly on how consumers feel about their personal finances and purchasing power. It measures perceptions around income, inflation, and whether now is a good time to make major purchases.

This index is particularly sensitive to:

• Inflation expectations
• Interest rate concerns
• Changes in real income and affordability

Because of this, sentiment tends to move quickly in response to price increases, fuel costs, or interest rate changes. Even when employment remains stable, declining sentiment often leads to reduced discretionary spend and stronger price sensitivity.

For brands, the Consumer Sentiment Index helps explain shifts in conversion rates, basket sizes, and promotion performance. When sentiment weakens, shoppers may still browse and compare but delay checkout or wait for discounts.

READ MORE | Search Listening In Marketing: How Brands Can Unlock Consumer Intent

Consumer Confidence Trends E-commerce Brands Must Know

Here are the top 5 trends shaping consumer confidence in e-commerce today:

• Value-aware shoppers dominate spend decisions. During the 2025 holiday season, Brand Equity cites that sales rose modestly despite low confidence, and consumers focused on essentials and gifts while avoiding non-essentials, indicating tighter priorities in online purchase decisions.
• Channel-less shopping is the default. Consumers switch seamlessly between Amazon, D2C sites, quick commerce apps, social platforms, and stores. Confidence depends on consistent pricing, availability, and experience across all of them.
• Mobile and AI are shaping confidence online. Mobile commerce drove nearly 55% of online transactions, and AI-powered shopping tools sharply increased traffic and conversions, reinforcing shopper trust in digital discovery and deal-finding.
• Gen Z and younger cohorts amplify omnichannel behavior. Millennials and Gen Z show strong omnichannel and online orientation, engaging with brands across platforms, evidence that confidence is tied to seamless experiences, not single channels.
• Planned, not impulse, purchases are rising. Consumers are researching products more deeply before buying, often referring to multiple sites and reviews. This indicates cautious, confidence-tied decision patterns.

READ MORE | Impact of Online Reviews & Ratings on Consumer Purchasing Decisions

Three Pillars Brands Must Develop to Win Consumer Confidence

In a channel-less, comparison-first buying environment, consumer confidence is earned through execution, not claims. Brands that win trust do three things consistently.

Transparency

Shoppers expect accurate pricing, clear product information, and honest delivery promises. Studies show misleading pricing, unclear availability, or inflated claims are among the fastest reasons consumers abandon a purchase and lose trust in a brand.

Reliability

Confidence is built when brands deliver what they promise, every time. Consistent in-stock availability, on-time delivery, stable pricing, and responsive support matter more than novelty. Research from PwC shows that a single bad experience is enough for 32% of consumers to walk away from a brand.

Consistency across channels

Channel-less shoppers expect the same experience everywhere. Pricing gaps, review mismatches, missing content, or stock issues on one platform can undermine confidence across all channels. Salesforce reports that 73% of consumers expect companies to understand and meet their needs consistently across touchpoints.

Together, these three pillars determine whether shoppers feel confident enough to buy, return, and buy again. And brands that invest in transparency, reliability, and consistency don’t just protect trust, they create sustained demand that is unshattered by fluctuating confidence index values.

Wrapping Up with Confidence

Consumer confidence is a leading indicator of how shoppers will behave next, where demand will shift, and which brands will win or lose at the shelf. Brands that rely only on sales data react too late. Confidence gaps show up earlier in declining conversions, rising price sensitivity, uneven review sentiment, and demand volatility across channels.

This is where MetricsCart becomes critical. By giving brands real-time visibility into pricing, promotions, availability, reviews, content, and competitive movements across marketplaces and quick commerce platforms, MetricsCart helps teams spot confidence risks before they impact revenue. Instead of guessing why performance changed, brands can see it, fix it, and stay ahead.

Winning consumer confidence today isn’t about messaging harder. It’s about monitoring smarter, acting faster, and staying consistent wherever your shoppers choose to buy. MetricsCart helps brands do exactly that.

See Confidence Shifts at the Digital Shelf in Real-time with MetricsCart Insights

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To many consumers, that felt like a sneaky move. In reality, it reflected the growing cost pressures brands face, from raw materials and labor to packaging and logistics, while still trying to keep products affordable.

And this kind of shrinkflation in CPG brands is not an isolated case. According to a LendingTree survey, one-third of products in the US market have already shrunk in size, and 71% US shoppers have noticed it.

In this article, we’ll break down what shrinkflation in CPG brands really means, why companies turn to this strategy, and how they can implement it without harming brand image and customer trust.

What Does Shrinkflation in CPG Brands Mean?

Shrinkflation is the practice of reducing the size, weight, or quantity of a product while keeping its price unchanged. In the Consumer Packaged Goods industry, it can appear in many everyday forms. 

Snack packs may contain fewer chips, chocolate bars may become thinner, detergent bottles may hold slightly less liquid, and toilet paper rolls may come with fewer sheets. Sometimes the packaging is redesigned to disguise these changes, such as taller boxes or wider bottles, making the adjustment less noticeable at first glance. 

Why Brands Use Shrinkflation

While shrinkflation looks like a greedy practice from the outside, for most CPG brands, it is about survival rather than opportunism. 

The costs have been climbing across the board. Ingredients, packaging, logistics, and labor are all becoming increasingly expensive. As per UN Trade and Development research, the freight costs increased 115% from what it was in 2023, and packaging costs are growing at an average rate of 7% each year. For companies selling everyday staples with razor-thin margins, these increases leave little room to operate profitably.

Raising prices outright is the obvious option, but considering shrinkflation vs price increases, brands see the latter as less risky, as nearly half of US consumers are highly price-conscious and quick to switch brands if they notice an uptick in cost. 

On the other hand, shrinkflation offers a middle ground. The reduced product size by 5–8% to absorb costs, while keeping the shelf price steady. It isn’t perfect. Consumers eventually notice, and backlash can be sharp. But for many brands, it feels like the lesser evil compared to scaring shoppers away with a higher price tag.

READ MORE | How Consumer Behavior Shaping CPG E-Commerce Growth?

Impact on Consumer Trust

Shrinkflation in CPG brands, although an effective short-term strategy, can do more harm than good to consumer trust if not implemented carefully. Consumers who notice shrinkflation might feel deceived, especially if the changes aren’t apparent on the packaging or communicated properly. 

This could lead to a significant loss of customer loyalty, as shoppers might feel that they’re getting less value for their money. Shrinkflation also fuels skepticism about product pricing, with many consumers questioning whether the price is truly justified. 

The cumulative effect of poorly executed shrinkflation in CPG brands can lead to a negative perception of the brand. And it’s harder to regain consumer trust once it’s lost.

READ MORE | Good & Gather on Target: How the Retail Giant Nailed Brand Loyalty

6 Best Practices for Implementing Shrinkflation in Consumer Packaged Goods

Shrinkflation is a challenging yet necessary strategy for many CPG brands, but its success depends on how well you execute it. To minimize the risk of losing customer loyalty, here are some best practices brands can adopt:

Transparent Communication with Consumers

Brands should openly disclose any changes in product size or pricing, possibly disclosing the reason behind the change. It is essential to maintain consumer trust and encourage fair market practices. 

A prime example of this is Carrefour, a leading French supermarket chain, which has introduced shrinkflation warning labels on products that have reduced in size while increasing in price.

By clearly communicating these reductions, Carrefour enables consumers to make informed purchasing decisions and holds manufacturers accountable for their pricing practices. This transparency helps them build trust with customers and demonstrates a commitment to fairness.

For CPG brands, adopting similar transparency can help prevent negative consumer reactions, ensuring their customers are retained despite shrinking product sizes.

Maintain High Product Quality

Even if a product is slightly smaller, maintaining its perceived quality is crucial to prevent alienating loyal customers. If consumers notice that a favorite product feels “cheaper” or less satisfying, shrinkflation can backfire.

Here are some tips for maintaining quality:

• Focus on core attributes: For example, if it’s a chocolate bar, the taste and texture should remain unchanged even if the weight drops slightly. Consumers are more forgiving of smaller sizes if the experience is consistent.
• Use premium ingredients strategically: Some brands reduce quantity but improve the quality of ingredients or packaging to maintain a sense of value.
• Test changes with loyal customers: Before rolling out a new, smaller pack nationwide, pilot it with a select group to see if the quality perception remains intact.

Use Value-Added Packaging or Bundles

Value-added packaging and bundle offers are a smart way to mitigate the impact of shrinkflation.

When brands reduce the size or quantity of a product, bundling products together or offering larger packaging can make consumers feel they are still getting a better deal. This approach can provide customers with more perceived value, softening the blow of shrinkflation

For example, instead of reducing the size of a detergent bottle and raising the price, a brand can offer a multi-pack or a larger container that offers better value per unit. This makes consumers feel that, despite the smaller individual size, they’re still receiving a good deal overall.

READ MORE | All About Amazon Virtual Bundle Explained with Example

Monitor Competitor Pricing and Positioning

Shrinkflation doesn’t happen in isolation. How your competitors price and package their products also directly affects consumer perception of your brand. So, carefully track the market to ensure that any reduction in size or quantity doesn’t make your product appear less valuable compared to alternatives.

Regularly compare your product sizes, prices, and promotions to similar offerings in the market. This ensures your products remain competitively positioned. When you notice your product is slightly smaller, emphasize what sets it apart, such as premium quality, unique flavors, or added benefits. Marketing can turn shrinkflation into a narrative of value rather than loss.

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Leverage Customer Loyalty Programs

Customer loyalty programs are an effective way to counter the negative effects of shrinkflation or price increases. These programs offer consumers rewards, discounts, or personalized benefits, which help maintain their loyalty even when product sizes shrink or prices rise.

For instance, while Starbucks doesn’t directly implement shrinkflation in the traditional sense, the brand has been able to mitigate negative consumer reactions to price hikes through its loyalty program. 

When prices increase due to inflationary pressures, Starbucks uses its rewards program to offer customers personalized discounts, free drinks, or bonus points. This keeps consumers feeling appreciated, even when the product price increases or product sizes decrease.

Regularly Collect and Act on Customer Feedback

Customer feedback is a critical tool for managing shrinkflation without harming loyalty. When shoppers notice changes in product size, quality, or pricing, their reactions can quickly shape the brand’s reputation. Brands that actively monitor and respond to this feedback can prevent minor dissatisfaction from turning into widespread backlash.

Best practices include:

• Track mentions of your product on platforms like Reddit, Twitter, and review sites to catch early signs of consumer frustration.
• Conduct surveys and directly ask loyal customers about their perceptions of product changes to gauge potential risks.
• Use feedback to make real improvements, whether that’s adjusting product size, quality, or communication strategies.

PepsiCo faced backlash when customers noticed smaller bags of Tostitos and Ruffles. Rather than ignoring the complaints, the brand responded by adding 20% more chips to select bags at no extra cost. This swift response, prompted by consumer feedback on social media, helped restore trust and showed that PepsiCo valued customer opinions.

By regularly collecting and acting on feedback, brands can turn shrinkflation into an opportunity to demonstrate responsiveness, reinforcing loyalty even amid cost pressures.

READ MORE | Benefits of Customer Feedback Tracking: Everything You Need to Know

The Future of Shrinkflation for CPG Brands

Shrinkflation is a necessary yet delicate strategy for CPG brands facing rising costs and supply chain challenges. The difference between success and backlash lies in execution. 

Looking ahead to the future of shrinkflation for CPG brands, those that prioritize transparency, maintain product quality, add value through packaging or bundles, leverage loyalty programs, and actively collect customer feedback are more likely to preserve trust and loyalty.

Tools like MetricsCart can further strengthen these efforts by enabling brands to monitor competitor pricing, product availability, and market trends in real-time, ensuring data-driven decisions and competitive positioning. 

By combining thoughtful shrinkflation strategies with proactive engagement and real-time insights, CPG brands can manage costs while keeping consumers happy and loyal.

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Whether you’re running marketing campaigns, pitching clients, or launching products, knowing what the competition is doing isn’t optional- it’s essential.

But do you have the right tools to track their every move across search, social, PR, and marketplaces?

If you’re an agency, consultant, brand manager, or business team looking to outpace the competition, you can’t afford to rely on guesswork. You need real-time visibility into what’s working for others and how you can adapt faster.

This guide breaks down the 10 best competitor analysis tools designed to give you that edge. From SEO and traffic intelligence to email tracking and digital shelf analytics, these tools help you monitor, benchmark, and respond quickly and confidently.

Let’s begin.

Best For: E-commerce brands, consumer goods companies, and marketing agencies focused on online retail.

MetricsCart is an e-commerce market intelligence platform offering digital shelf analytics. It provides real-time data on pricing, search rankings, stock availability, and customer reviews across major online retailers. 

Brands use MetricsCart to monitor their products’ visibility, performance, and competitor pricing on marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, Target, etc. The platform delivers actionable insights without restricting data access, helping businesses optimize product listings and respond quickly to market changes.

Key Features:

• MAP Monitoring
• Share of Search Monitoring
• Ratings & Review Analysis
• Price Monitoring
• Content Compliance and Optimization
• Assortment & Availability Monitoring

Pricing: MetricsCart offers flexible pricing plans tailored to the needs of businesses of all sizes. While exact pricing is available upon request, the platform provides options for small businesses, mid-market companies, and large enterprises.

READ MORE | Confused about Selecting the Right Digital Shelf Analytics Solution? Check out How To Pick the Best Digital Shelf Analytics Vendor in 2025

Semrush – SEO & Online Visibility Tracking

Best For: SEO specialists, content marketers, digital marketing agencies, and anyone focused on search engine visibility.

Semrush is an all-in-one SEO and marketing tool known for its powerful competitor analysis capabilities. It helps users track competitors’ search rankings, keywords, and online advertising strategies. 

With Semrush, you can see how your website’s traffic and keywords compare to competitors, find gaps in content, and monitor your rivals’ backlink profiles. This competitor monitoring tool provides a complete view of online visibility, helping you improve SEO, PPC, and content marketing based on competitor data.

Key Features:

• Domain Analytics
• Keyword Gap & SEO Research
• Rank Tracking & Alerts

Pricing: Free plan (limited features); Pro: $139.95/month; Guru: $249.95/month; Business: $499.95/month; Enterprise: custom

Similarweb – Website & Traffic Intelligence

Best for: Market researchers, web analysts, digital marketers, and business strategists who analyze website traffic and engagement.

Similarweb is a web analytics platform that provides website traffic intelligence for any site on the internet. It allows you to benchmark your website’s performance against competitors by estimating their total visits, traffic sources, and user engagement metrics. 

With Similarweb, you can uncover which channels (search, social, referrals, etc.) drive traffic to competitor sites and even see what geographic regions visitors come from. This helps businesses identify market trends and learn where competitors are gaining online traction.

Key Features:

• Traffic Overview
• Traffic Source Breakdown
• Industry & Audience Insights

Pricing: A free version is available (limited insights). Starter: ~$125/month; Professional: ~$ $333/month; Enterprise/Advanced plans: custom quotes. (A 7-day free trial is available.)

Prowly – Coverage Tracking & PR Outreach

Best For: PR professionals, communications teams, and PR agencies managing media outreach and tracking press coverage.

Prowly is a public relations software platform that streamlines PR outreach and media monitoring. It includes a media contact database for finding journalists and influencers, tools for crafting and sending press releases, and coverage tracking to see where your brand (or competitors) are mentioned. 

Prowly’s insights help you measure the impact of PR campaigns by monitoring online news, blogs, and social media for brand mentions. By tracking competitor press coverage, you can stay informed about their public relations activities and find opportunities to position your brand.

Key Features:

• Media Contacts & CRM
• Online Media Monitoring
• PR Performance Reporting

Pricing: 7-day free trial. Basic: ~$369/month (or $258/month billed annually); Pro: ~$589/month (or $416/month billed annually; Enterprise: custom pricing.

Sprout Social – Social Media Competitor Tracking

Best For: Social media managers, marketing teams, and agencies handling multiple social media profiles and tracking competitor performance.

Sprout Social is a comprehensive social media management platform that also offers robust social media competitor analysis features. With Sprout, you can monitor how your competitors are performing on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. 

The tool allows you to compare engagement metrics, follower growth, posting frequency, and even ad performance across competitors. Sprout Social’s analytics and listening tools help you identify trends in your industry’s social conversations, so you can refine your strategy and stay ahead of the pack on social channels.

Key Features:

• Competitor Reports
• Social Listening
• Unified Inbox & Scheduling

Pricing: 30-day free trial. Standard: $199 per user/month; Professional: $299 per user/month; Advanced: $399 per user/month; Enterprise: custom pricing (with tailored solutions).

Owler – Business Insights & News Alerts

Best For: Sales teams, entrepreneurs, and market intelligence analysts who need daily updates on competitors and industry players.

Owler is a crowdsourced business intelligence platform that provides company profiles and news alerts. With over 15 million company listings, Owler delivers daily or real-time updates on the companies you follow – including competitors’ press releases, product announcements, leadership changes, and financial news. 

Users can follow a competitor’s profile to see estimated revenue, employee counts, funding information, and even CEO approval ratings contributed by the Owler community. Owler keeps you informed of your rivals’ moves through email newsletters and a dashboard, acting like a personalized business news digest.

Key Features:

• Company Profiles
• Daily News Alerts
• Competitive Analysis & Community Input

Pricing: The Community (Free) plan includes basic company information and news. Pro: ~$39/month (billed annually) for full data on up to thousands of companies. Owler Max (Enterprise) offers custom pricing for advanced sales intelligence.

See How Your Brand Stacks Up Instantly. Monitor Competitor Pricing, Stock Levels, And Ratings Daily with MetricsCart.

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BuzzSumo – Content Performance Monitoring

Best for: Content marketers, social media teams, SEO, and PR professionals who want to track content performance and trends.

BuzzSumo is a popular tool for analyzing what content performs best in terms of social shares and engagement. It allows you to search for the most shared articles or videos on any topic or domain – great for spying on competitor content. By entering a competitor’s website, you can see which of their blog posts or infographics gained the most traction on social media. 

BuzzSumo also provides alerts for brand or keyword mentions and backlinks, so you can monitor when a competitor’s content is picking up buzz. This helps you generate new content ideas and gauge how your content marketing compares to the top competitor analysis tools in content strategy.

Key Features:

• Top Content Analysis
• Content Alerts
• Influencer Identification

Pricing: A free trial is available (limited searches). Paid plans include Content Creation, $199/month; PR & Comms, $299/month; Suite, $499/month; and Enterprise, $999/month (with annual billing discounts).

Crayon – Battlecards & Market Intelligence

Best For: Product marketing teams, competitive intelligence professionals, and large enterprises that need in-depth, continuous monitoring of competitors.

Crayon is an enterprise competitive intelligence platform that automates the process of tracking competitors’ every move. It continuously monitors hundreds of data sources – from competitors’ websites and product pages to customer reviews, news, and social media – and uses AI to flag important changes. 

Crayon helps teams create and maintain “battle cards, ” concise comparison sheets highlighting how your product or service compares to a competitor’s. These battle cards ensure sales and customer-facing teams have the latest talking points. Crayon enables organizations to react swiftly to competitor moves and craft better strategies to win more deals.

Key Features:

• Automated Competitor Tracking
• Insights & Alerts
• Battlecards & Collaboration

Pricing: Custom (Contact Sales). Crayon’s pricing is tailored to your competitive intelligence program’s needs. All plans include unlimited competitor tracking and access to the full feature set. Free trials or demos are typically available upon request.

Mailcharts – Competitor Email Monitoring

Best For: Email marketing teams, e-commerce marketers, and CRM managers who want to track and learn from competitors’ email campaigns.

Mailcharts is a tool dedicated to competitor email marketing analysis. It maintains a massive database of marketing emails from thousands of brands across industries. With Mailcharts, you can search and view your competitors’ email newsletters, promotional blasts, and automated drip campaigns. 

The platform shows email designs, subject lines, send dates, and campaigns (e.g., holiday promotions, cart abandonment series). By exploring your competitors’ email strategies, you gain insight into their marketing tactics, such as their deals, how often they email, and how they target customers. This helps you plan your email calendar and find opportunities to stand out.

Key Features:

• Email Campaign Archive
• Visual Analytics & Calendar
• Subject Lines & Content Insights

Pricing: A free account (limited campaign examples) is available. Pro: $149/month (includes one user) + $49 per additional user. Enterprise: custom pricing (around $999/month for unlimited users, according to some reports).

vidIQ – YouTube Monitoring & Optimization

Best For: YouTube content creators, video marketers, and agencies managing one or more YouTube channels who need to track competitors and improve video performance.

vidIQ is a YouTube optimization and analytics tool that helps you grow your channel and track competitors on the platform. It provides features for keyword research, tag optimization, and trend analysis specifically for YouTube. Using VidIQ’s competitor tool, you can add competitor YouTube channels to track their subscriber growth, view counts, and video uploads. 

The platform surfaces trending videos and topics in your niche so you won’t miss what your competitors are up to. It also scores your videos on SEO factors and gives suggestions (like optimal tags or titles) to help you outrank competing videos. With vidIQ, you get both real-time competitive insights and practical guidance to boost your YouTube strategy.

Key Features:

• Competitor Channel Tracking
• Keyword & SEO Tools
• Trend Alerts & Suggestions

Pricing: A free plan (basic YouTube analytics) is available. Pro: ~$7.50/month (annual billing) for expanded stats on one channel. Boost: ~$39/month for more features (higher quotas and up to 1-3 channels). Boost+ (Enterprise/Agency): ~$415/month for managing multiple channels at scale. (vidIQ also offers a 7-day free trial for Boost plans.)

Conclusion

Staying competitive in business today means continuously monitoring your rivals. The top 10 competitor analysis tools we’ve discussed—from digital shelf analytics solutions like MetricsCart to specialized platforms like Mailcharts—empower you with data and insights to make smarter decisions. 

By leveraging these tools, agencies and teams can quickly spot trends, benchmark performance, and uncover opportunities that might otherwise go unnoticed. With real-time insights at your fingertips, you’ll be well-equipped to stay ahead of the pack and drive your brand toward success.

Stay Ahead On The Digital Shelf with MetricsCart.

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Whether you sell chocolates, apparel, home décor, or digital products, using Easter marketing strategies can help you capture consumer attention and drive spring sales that last well beyond the holiday.

To maximize Easter e-commerce strategies in 2026, brands need real-time insights into product performance, such as price monitoring, consumer behavior, and market trends. 

Digital shelf analytics software provides data-driven insights, helping brands optimize their product listings, set promotional pricing, and track competitor activity.

Why Is Easter an Important Season for E-Commerce Marketing?

Easter presents a golden opportunity for brands to ramp up their marketing efforts. As one of the first major holidays of the year, it marks the arrival of spring, when customers tend to spend more.

With over $25B in US spending expected, brands can tap into strong buying interest during this period. Gen Z and Millennials, in particular, are looking for sustainable and personalized products.

Here’s why Easter marketing strategies should be a priority for businesses looking to boost sales in 2026:

Seasonal Shopping Trends Are on the Rise

Consumers actively seek out themed products, gifts, and decorations, making seasonal marketing ideas highly effective. From chocolates and gift baskets to home decor and apparel, Easter-related purchases surge, offering brands a chance to capitalize on this demand.

Strong Emotional Connection with Customers

Easter is associated with family gatherings, nostalgia, and celebration. Brands that craft spring marketing ideas that tap into these emotions- whether through storytelling, personalized campaigns, or community-driven events- can create lasting relationships with their customers.

Increased Engagement on Digital Platforms

Shoppers turn to social media for inspiration, whether it’s Easter recipes, DIY decor, or gift guides. Engaging content such as interactive polls, user-generated content campaigns, and Easter-themed giveaways can significantly increase brand awareness and customer engagement.

Perfect Time for Promotional Sales and Offers

Easter is a time when consumers are eager to shop for spring essentials. Offering limited-time discounts, Buy One Get One deals, or Easter-themed bundle pricing encourages urgency and increases conversions. Spring sales strategies aligned with Easter themes can attract both new and returning customers.

Aligns Well with Omnichannel Marketing

From in-store displays to digital ads, brands can create a seamless shopping experience for consumers across multiple touchpoints. Whether it’s optimizing product listings on e-commerce platforms or launching an engaging email campaign, Easter provides the perfect moment for a multi-channel marketing push.

READ MORE | Interested in knowing how digital shelf analytics can help in trade promotion strategies? Check out our blog on the Role of Data-Driven Insights for Trade Promotion Optimization.

9 Easter Marketing Strategies To Boost Sales For Brands & Sellers

Consumers are on the lookout for festive treats, gifts, and seasonal deals, making Easter the perfect time for brands and sellers to boost their sales. 

Here are nine Easter e-commerce strategies to help you stand out.

1. Optimize Product Listings with Easter-Themed Visuals

Consumers are drawn to products that feel relevant to the season. Even if your products aren’t directly Easter-related, you can tweak your product listings to align with the holiday spirit.

Ways to optimize product listings for Easter:

• Add Easter-themed images (e.g., pastel backgrounds, Easter basket settings).
• Use festive overlays or icons to highlight seasonal deals.
• Update product descriptions with Easter-related keywords (e.g., “Spring Essentials,” “Easter Gift Idea,” “Limited-Edition Easter Collection”).

By enhancing product visibility through seasonal marketing, you make it easier for consumers to find your products when searching for Easter gifts and decorations.

2. Offer Exclusive Easter Discounts, Bundles, and Limited Editions

Nothing drives urgency like a limited-time offer. Easter is the perfect time to experiment with special promotions to encourage impulse purchases.

Strategies to increase sales:

• Create Easter gift bundles (e.g., “Spring Self-Care Bundle” or “Easter Basket Fillers”).
• Offer BOGO (Buy One, Get One) Easter deals.
• Use limited-time discount codes.

Limited-edition products can also create hype. Whether it’s a seasonal flavor, a limited-edition colorway, or exclusive packaging, customers love the idea of products that won’t be available year-round.

3. Use Social Media Contests and Easter Giveaways

Social media engagement skyrockets during holidays, making it the perfect time to run Easter contests and giveaways.

Here are some contest ideas for high engagement:

• Ask customers to share photos using your product in an Easter setting.
• Fill a jar with Easter eggs or chocolates and ask followers to guess how many are inside for a prize.
• Encourage customers to tag friends for a chance to win a special Easter bundle.

Partnering with influencers can amplify your campaign and introduce your products to a new audience.

4. Improve Products Based on Previous Easter Reviews

One of the smartest Easter marketing strategies is learning from the past. Look at last year’s customer feedback and reviews to identify patterns.

Analyze customer insights to improve your Easter strategy by asking the following questions:

• Which products performed best last Easter?
• What did customers say they loved or disliked about your seasonal offerings?
• Were there common requests for new features, flavors, or bundle ideas?

If customers love a particular product but want more variety, introduce new variations. If they wish for faster shipping, streamline logistics before the Easter rush. 

Adapting based on consumer insights and reviews reduces cart abandonment rate, ensuring higher conversions and repeat customers.

Don’t miss the Easter rush. Track customer sentiment early and fix what matters before peak demand hits.

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5. Launch an Easter Email Marketing Campaign with Personalized Offers

Email marketing remains one of the most effective spring sales strategies. Use segmentation and personalization to deliver tailored Easter promotions to different customer groups.

Easter email campaign tips:

• Reward loyal customers with exclusive early bird discounts.
• Use purchase history to suggest the perfect Easter gift.
• Send festive follow-ups with an extra incentive.
• Adding Easter-themed subject lines can boost open rates and engagement.

6. Create Easter-Themed Blog Content and Gift Guides

If you have a blog, seasonal content marketing can drive organic traffic to your store. Write Easter-related articles that align with your product offerings.

Easter content ideas include blog titles such as “Top 10 Easter Gift Ideas for Kids & Adults”, “How to Create the Perfect Easter Basket”, “DIY Easter Decorations for a Festive Home”, etc. 

By optimizing your blog posts for seasonal keywords, you can attract shoppers searching for Easter ideas and funnel them toward your products.

7. Invest in Easter-Themed Paid Advertising

Paid ads on Google, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok can increase brand visibility during Easter.

The Ad strategies for seasonal success include:

• Using Easter-themed creatives in your ad visuals.
• Targeting customers searching for Easter gifts, décor, and outfits.
• Retargeting website visitors who browsed but didn’t complete a purchase.

If you sell on Amazon, make use of sponsored product ads with Easter-specific keywords to improve Amazon listings and increase sales.

8. Ensure Fast and Reliable Shipping Before Easter Sunday

Customers expect fast shipping, especially for holiday purchases. Be transparent about delivery times to prevent last-minute drop-offs.

Some of the popular Easter shipping strategies are:

• Offer express shipping options for last-minute shoppers.
• Display Easter delivery cutoff dates prominently on product pages.
• Provide real-time tracking to enhance customer confidence.

A smooth shipping experience increases repeat purchases and builds long-term customer loyalty.

9. Boost Post-Easter Sales with Spring-Themed Marketing

Once Easter is over, transition your campaigns into broader spring promotions. Many customers remain in spring shopping mode, looking for home refresh items, outdoor gear, and seasonal fashion.

Post-Easter marketing ideas:

• Launch “Spring Refresh Sales” for home décor and fashion brands.
• Continue promoting pastel and floral-themed collections.
• Introduce Mother’s Day sneak peeks to retain customer interest.

By extending your seasonal marketing ideas into late spring, you can maximize revenue well beyond Easter weekend.

READ MORE | The Holiday season is another major opportunity, like Easter and Spring sales. Check out our blog on E-Commerce Holiday Readiness: Essential Guide for Brands.

Cracking Easter Sales

Easter is more than just a date on the calendar; it’s a moment of celebration, tradition, and seasonal excitement that brands can meaningfully engage with. 

Whether you’re refreshing product listings with festive visuals or analyzing last year’s customer feedback to fine-tune your offerings, using digital shelf analytics solutions like MetricsCart can make your sales soar and create a stronger connection with your audience.

The key is to be intentional. Consumers don’t just want another Easter sale; they want an experience that feels thoughtful, relevant, and fun. By combining creativity with data-driven Easter marketing strategies, you can turn seasonal shoppers into loyal customers who keep coming back.

So, start early, test new ideas, and most importantly, enjoy the process. When your brand embraces the holiday spirit, your customers will, too.

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Simply listing your products online isn’t enough; brands need smarter strategies to rise above the noise and increase e-commerce sales.

This is where retail media networks come into play. Imagine advertising your product directly on a retailer’s website, right where customers are already browsing and ready to buy. It’s like having the best shelf placement in a physical store but in the digital world.

Retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Target have taken this concept to the next level, offering brands powerful advertising spaces within their ecosystems. 

These networks not only boost product visibility but also give brands access to valuable shopper data, helping them target customers more effectively and measure real sales impact.

An advanced digital shelf analytics software can help brands acquire insightful data that can help improve their retail media strategies. 

READ MORE | Interested to know about shopper marketing? Check out our blog on Shopper Marketing Explained With Examples.

What Is a Retail Media Network?

A retail media network is an advertising platform operated by a retailer. It allows brands to promote their products directly on the retailer’s physical store, website, app, or other digital properties. 

These networks use the retailer’s first-party data to enable precise ad targeting, placing ads in front of consumers when they’re closest to making a purchase.

For an e-commerce brand, think of it as the digital equivalent of prime shelf space in a physical store but with data-driven targeting and measurable results. 

From sponsored product listings and banner ads to in-app promotions and personalized recommendations, retail media networks give brands a variety of tools to reach potential buyers.

Some of the top retail media networks in the US include:

• Amazon Advertising
• Walmart Connect
• Target’s Roundel
• Kroger Precision Marketing
• Instacart Ads
• CVS Media Exchange
• Home Depot (Orange Apron Media)

Importance of Retail Media Networks in E-Commerce

The importance of retail media networks has skyrocketed in recent years as more consumers shift to online shopping. 

These networks offer brands a powerful way to reach shoppers at the most critical point in the buyer’s journey: when they’re actively browsing or about to make a purchase.According to Emarketer, in 2025, more than $62 billion is projected to be spent by advertisers on retail media. Amazon and Walmart have also seen significant revenue growth from their retail media arms.

For example, Amazon’s retail media share accounts for 77.3% of the total US retail media ad spend. This accounts for a growing share of its e-commerce profits, thanks to its ability to connect brands with millions of shoppers daily.

Missing Crucial Data in Your Retail Media Strategy? Fortify Your Brand Visibility With Our Digital Shelf Analytics Solutions!

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Top Benefits of Retail Media Networks for Brands and Sellers

Some of the main benefits of using retail media networks for brand promotions are: 

Enhanced Targeting Through First-Party Data

One of the biggest advantages of retail media networks is their ability to use first-party data for precise targeting. Retailers have rich datasets on customer behavior, preferences, and purchase history. 

Brands can tap into this data to create hyper-targeted campaigns that reach the right audience at the right time.

For example, Amazon Advertising allows brands to target shoppers based on past purchases, browsing habits, and even wish list items, significantly increasing the likelihood of conversion.

Increased Brand Visibility at the Point of Purchase

Advertising within a retailer’s ecosystem means that your product appears right where customers are making purchasing decisions. This proximity to the point of sale increases the chances of a click turning into a conversion.

Walmart Connect uses both online and in-store data to ensure ads are seen by the most relevant shoppers, maximizing brand visibility and engagement.

Improved Inventory Management and Sales

Retail media isn’t just about visibility; it also helps with operational efficiency. By promoting specific products through retail media network strategies, brands can move slow-moving inventory, push seasonal items, or highlight new product launches.

Kroger Precision Marketing, for instance, uses its loyalty program data to help brands predict shopping trends, ensuring better inventory management and reduced stockouts.

Closed-Loop Attribution and Measurable ROI

One of the biggest challenges in digital advertising is proving ROI. Retail media networks solve this problem through closed-loop attribution, which tracks the entire customer journey from ad clicks to final purchases.

Target’s Roundel provides in-depth analytics, showing brands exactly how their ads impact sales, which products see the highest conversion rates, and where to optimize spending.

Monetization Opportunities for Retailers

Retailers themselves benefit by turning their platforms into profitable ad spaces. By selling ad placements to brands, they generate additional revenue streams while offering customers more personalized shopping experiences.

This win-win scenario has made retail media networks an attractive proposition for both retailers and advertisers.

READ MORE | How does digital shelf analytics help in retail media success? To know, check out our blog on Cracking the Code: Digital Shelf Analytics for Next-Level Retail Media Strategy for Brands. 

Retail Media Network Strategies: How to Maximize Success

To fully harness the power of retail media networks, brands need to implement effective strategies tailored to the platform and audience. Here are some proven tactics:

Focus on High-Intent Keywords

In platforms like Amazon Advertising, bidding on high-intent keywords ensures that your product appears when shoppers are closest to making a purchase.

Use Sponsored Products and Display Ads

Sponsored product listings and banner ads help increase visibility and drive traffic to product pages.

Use Dynamic Pricing and Promotions

Retail media networks allow real-time updates so brands can implement dynamic pricing and run time-sensitive promotions based on demand.

Optimize Product Pages

Ad clicks are only valuable if they lead to conversions. Ensure product pages are optimized with high-quality images, compelling descriptions, and strong calls to action.

Analyze Data and Iterate

Continuous monitoring and analysis of ad performance help brands refine strategies and maximize ROI. Use the network’s built-in analytics tools to track impressions, clicks, and conversions.

Future of Retail Media Networks

The growth of retail media networks shows no signs of slowing down. As digital commerce continues to expand, brands can expect even more sophisticated targeting, digital shelf monitoring, AI-driven ad placements, and integration with omnichannel strategies.

Key trends shaping the future of retail media include:

• Personalized shopping experiences
• Increased use of AI and machine learning
• Expansion beyond traditional retailers

READ MORE | Planning to start an e-commerce business? Check out our blog on E-Commerce Business in 2025: 10 Strategies for Thriving in a Competitive Market. 

Conclusion

Retail media networks undoubtedly have emerged as a powerful tool for brands to increase visibility, improve sales, and connect with high-intent shoppers. 

By using digital shelf analytics tools like MetricsCart, precision targeting, and closed-loop measurement, brands can create smarter, more effective ad campaigns that drive accurate results.

Whether you’re a brand manager, digital shelf manager, or online seller, understanding what a retail media network is and how to build effective retail media network strategies can give your brand a significant edge. 

As more retailers invest in these platforms, adopting a data-driven approach to retail media will be crucial for long-term success.

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The internet has made it easier to make smart purchasing decisions through comparison shopping. According to the 2022 Online Consumer Behavior Global Report, 60% of people surveyed agreed that they compare prices on a few sites before making a purchase.

Let’s examine the challenges webrooming and showrooming pose for each other and probe whether there are any solutions to encourage customers to purchase online without abandoning the cart.

Looking for a cheat sheet on driving up profitability in e-commerce channels? Read How to Increase E-Commerce Sales? 

What is Webrooming?

Webrooming is a comparison shopping behavior in which the customer researches online but buys offline. Consumers who show this behavior usually do not indulge in impulse buying. Instead, they research and take time to make a purchasing decision.

To cite an example of webrooming, people may compare the features and the price of home appliances online. However, most home appliance sales in the US still happen offline. Statista forecasts this trend may change from 2024, and online sales of household appliances may grow.

Reasons for an Increase in Webrooming

Americans spent $7.071 trillion in retail stores and $1.257 trillion online in 2023.

Some of the reasons that contribute to the increase in webrooming behavior are:

• More retailers adopting e-commerce
• Availability of experiential marketing in stores
• Well-trained sales staff to assist during shopping
• Increase in buy online pickup in store option (BOPIS)
• Instant gratification when buying from physical stores

Webrooming vs. Showrooming

Comparison shopping empowers consumers to make informed choices as it involves researching and comparing similar products or services from various sellers online or offline. Two trends seen in comparison shopping are webrooming and showrooming. Here are the differences:

	Webrooming	Showrooming
Definition	Shoppers research online, read reviews, and compare prices to make an informed decision before purchasing.	Shoppers browse through physical stores and inspect products before purchasing.
Challenge	After online research, shopper buys from physical shops where they touch and feel the product.	Shoppers buy from online stores where the same product is available for a lower price.
Consumer behavior	Consumers’ desires are instantly gratified. Physical stores provide in-person assistance and a sense of trust to shoppers regarding the quality of the products. Easy returns or exchanges are possible. No shipping cost or fear of losing in transit. Customers showing this behavior feel good supporting local businesses and may ask to price match the online price.	Consumers showing this shopping behavior are focused on finding the best value for money. In most cases, they find low prices at online stores or social media shops. Shoppers are ready to bear the delay during the shipping and delivery of goods.
How to prevent?	To avoid webrooming and encourage customers to buy online: Engage customers with AR experiences and chatbots to address queries. Extend customer loyalty benefits like faster delivery and no shipping cost. Offer competitive pricing. Ensure product availability and feature ratings and reviews of products.	To avoid showrooming and encourage customers to buy offline: Focus on personalized customer service. Offer customer loyalty perks. Attract customers with in-store deals. Price match with competitor stores having an online presence. Incorporate product ratings and reviews on their own online stores.

Read more to understand Price Matching: A Retailer’s Perspective

How Do Online Retailers Prevent Webrooming?

Successful retailers do more than deliver customer needs.

Offer Connected Experiences

Kroger’s data analytics subsidiary 84.51°revealed a 97% increase in households using two shopping methods. In an attempt to bridge the gap between online and offline retail, e-commerce retailers have been embracing phygital approach by tapping into augmented reality. Integrating 3D models and AR has helped to a great extent in bringing the in-store experience to online shopping in various categories.

A 2021 survey conducted by Deloitte Digital and commissioned by Snap Inc. revealed that 54% of consumers expect to readily view information about an item when they scan with their phone camera. Additionally, 56% of shoppers agree that AR gives them more confidence about product quality.

In 2017, IKEA was the first retailer in the furniture segment to introduce an AR app called IKEA Place. This app allowed shoppers to place true-to-scale 3D models of furniture within their homes virtually. Today, Companies like Wayfair, Houzz, Target, and Amazon have similar apps.

In the fashion segment, both Amazon and Walmart capitalize on AR-based virtual try-on features that replicate an in-store shopping experience.

Ease the Checkout Process

As the online medium is susceptible to data breaches, retailers must ensure that digital shoppers’ payment gateway and personal data are in safe hands.

Findings from Capterra’s 2022 Online Shopping Survey revealed that 82% of customers had abandoned their carts and decided against making an online purchase because the account registration process was too complicated.

43% of the consumers who participated in the survey added that they prefer e-commerce sites that allow guest checkout instead of mandatory registration.

Optimize the Listings

Optimizing the product pages with detailed product descriptions and high-quality images and having a live chat to answer all the customers’ doubts about the product encourages customers to shop confidently online and reduce returns.

Focus on Personalization

Based on previous order data, online retailers provide a sense of personalization and attention to detail by suggesting certain products to customers and offering the convenience of delivering the items to their doorsteps.

Foster Loyalty

The baby boomer generation is considered the most loyal of all shoppers. They possess a huge amount of disposable income and spend an average of $203 on every online purchase. Yet, they have much stronger ties to shopping in-store than millennials.

Last-mile delivery plays an important role in customers’ decisions about their grocery retailer. There is a growing adoption of buy-online/pickup-in-store (BOPIS) and direct-to-consumer (D2C) services.

To foster loyalty and appeal to this category, merchants offer:

• A hybrid shopping experience that links online ordering and offline transaction
• An engaging, user-friendly website that offers a streamlined shopping experience
• Exceptional pre and post-purchase customer service
• Dialed-in, personally calibrated interactions
• Competitive Pricing

Read about Understanding Customer Buying Behavior on Amazon in the US

In 2023, clothing, shoes, and food & beverages were the top three popular categories for online purchases in the US.

Retailers selling products, especially in these popular categories, have the upper hand in convincing customers to buy online.

How Digital Shelf Analytics Influence E-Commerce Sales

Digital influence in retail is inseparable from modern retail. It is futile to look for ways to fight modern-day shopper behaviors such as webrooming and showrooming. Instead, for a consistent customer experience, it would be wiser to capitalize on these trends by seamlessly integrating online and offline channels.

Low online price is clearly a differentiating factor from physical stores and encourages showrooming. Businesses can influence consumer behavior and avoid webrooming by leveraging the power of digital shelf analytics. Using MetricsCart’s price monitoring service, retailers can stay competitive by:

• Monitoring competitive pricing of the assortment across multiple channels
• Do competitors’ promotion monitoring to offer the best possible deal or value additions

Schedule a call with a MetricsCart representative to learn our price monitoring capabilities and explore how we can contribute to improving your brand’s e-commerce sales.

The post Webrooming and Showrooming: Shopping Trends Retailers Shouldn’t Ignore appeared first on MetricsCart.

In the current scenario, with rapidly changing consumer needs, Deloitte’s 2024 Consumer Products Industry Outlook report states that consumer goods companies should cautiously increase the volume of their product portfolio and focus on cost and efficiency to achieve profitable growth.

SKU rationalization is one way companies remove non-valued features from their product portfolio and achieve cost efficiency.

What is SKU Rationalization?

SKU rationalization is the process of determining products to be eliminated or improved based on the analysis of the value addition it provides to the business. Granular-level analysis of various factors about the inventory helps in rationalization.

Through SKU rationalization, brands do a value analysis of their product portfolio and decide on retaining, expanding, reducing, or discontinuing SKUs. Similarly, retailers decide on the optimal product assortment mix in their stores by implementing the SKU rationalization process.

Purpose of SKU Rationalization in Inventory Management

There are several benefits of SKU rationalization. Businesses looking to refresh their product catalog often conduct SKU rationalization to:

• Evaluate the performance and relevance of individual SKUs
• Streamline inventory processes to improve profit margins
• Discontinue non-valued SKUs that reduce the company’s operating efficiency

It is observed that retailers and brand owners who regularly review digital shelves or the product assortment and facings on physical shelves in stores execute better strategies related to pricing, promotion, and product availability.

Impact of SKU Rationalization on the Retail Sector

For customer loyalty, the product mix allocation in a store has to appeal to the shoppers. Therefore, it is challenging for retailers with stores spread out in a country to implement an optimal SKU mix.

Successful retailers conduct extensive market research to understand customer-based preferences before deciding on an assortment strategy and product mix.

The benefits of rationalizing SKUs for retailers include:

• Trace down inventory irregularities and cost-to-profit ratio
• Reduce carrying costs by discontinuing poorly performing SKUs
• Identify and allocate more resources towards high-performing SKUs
• Assess the impact of private labels in the assortment mix
• Maintain a product assortment as per the demand of customers in a catchment area
• Avoid issues such as stockouts by reordering goods when they are low in stock
• Decide on strategies to enhance competitiveness, operational efficiency, and profitability

According to the 2019 Analytical Assortment Optimization report by McKinsey, accurate inventory management and a streamlined supply chain are the two main elements necessary for e-commerce success.

By implementing SKU rationalization, sellers and brands manage and keep the catalog more organized and up-to-date across all online sales channels.

SKU Rationalization Is Most Prevalent in the Electronic Category

In terms of categories, technological advancements make products in the electronic industry obsolete faster than in other industries. Therefore, almost all retailers selling electronic products use SKU rationalization when new items debut.

To accommodate the latest upgrades and give more focus to high-demand products with higher margins, retailers remove unpopular items from the retail shelves.

Examples of Retailers That Have Benefitted from SKU Rationalization

Dollar General to Perform SKU Rationalization in 2024

The discount store, which has around 10000-12000 SKUs depending on the store format, plans to have a 19% cut in SKUs per store in 2024, especially in the core everyday non-consumable category.

The projected benefits the store is expecting from SKU rationalization are:

• Boost margins
• Reduce the risk of shrink
• Streamline supply chain constraints
• Improve employee engagement with consumers
• With easily manageable SKUs, dedicate more time to detail

SKU Management is Easy for Costco With the Lean Inventory Model

Costco stocks around 4000 fast-moving SKUs per store and around 11,000 SKUs online. To increase their membership count, the average markup on inventory is kept low at 11%.

Costco stocks fewer national brands and has its private label Kirkland in most categories to improve margins. The retailer’s SKU count remains stable, but it eliminates a rotational item that does not hit a certain threshold in a given time. They also keep introducing new items and give a brief 13-week commitment to these products to check customer response.

Outcome of Fewer SKUs

• As Costco procures limited SKUs in huge quantities, suppliers compete to provide them at the best price.
• Having fewer SKUs, a single account manager deals with all the suppliers reducing the complexities in logistics.
• There is a very slim chance of facing the issue of excess inventory

Examples of SKU Rationalization in Consumer Brands

Coca-Cola Company Achieves Revenue Growth By Reducing SKUs

In 2020, Coca-Cola Co. consolidated 17 business units into 9  and discontinued some SKUs.

To appeal to the new generation of consumers, the Coke creations platform introduced the world’s first futuristic flavor to its product portfolio, which was co-created with AI called Y3000 in 2024.

Impact of SKU Rationalization

After the inventory rationalization in 2020, fruit punch, green apple, red apple, wild cherry, and mango were among the few flavors that went missing from the Fanta lineup.

According to James Quincey, CEO, the company has begun achieving the expected revenue growth due to its focus on fewer brands and SKUs.

Mondelez Uses SKU Rationalization to Control Product Cannibalization

In 2020, Mondelez’s product assortment included 150 brands. The company’s many similar products under different brand names affected sales.

65% of Mondelez’s sales came from 20 popular brands like Cadbury, Barni, Clorets, Milka, Oreo, etc. This means the majority of the brands were slow-moving. In this case, such an innovation led to:

• Brand proliferation
• Increased operational costs
• Reduced profit margins

Thus, in 2020, the company discontinued 25% of the SKUs that contributed less than 2% of company sales. Instead, the company launched new products in specific sizes and price points as required by various channels.

Impact of SKU Rationalization

Modelez’s revenue (North American region) grew from $8157 million in 2020 to $11,078 million in 2023.

Nestle Unlocks Growth Through SKU Rationalization

In 2021, Nestle produced 100,000 SKUs. However, only 11% of the total SKUs accounted for 80% of sales. Roughly one-third of the total SKUs accounted for 1% of sales.

The key growth driver brands include Nestle Professional, Purina Petcare, beverages, frozen food, and Starbucks out-of-home solutions.

In 2022, Nestle initiated ‘Project Tasty’ to unlock growth and save costs through SKU rationalization and innovation in its product formulation and packaging. The company:

• Allocated all the resources to better-performing SKUs
• Ensured availability of top-selling products on retail shelves by improving distribution
• Developed differentiated offerings of coffee blends, updated formulations in dairy and pet food, and simplified the supplement formulation to drive market share

Impact of SKU Rationalization

According to Nestle’s financial report published in 2023, the company’s sales in the North American zone rose to $7 billion, 8.6% more than in 2022. Francois Xavier Roger, Nestle’s CFO, said, “In Q1 2023, volume development was impacted by active and deliberate choices to reduce the number of low-growth and low-margin products.”

Steps Involved in the SKU Rationalization Process

According to McKinsey’s Analytical Assortment Optimization report of 2019, assortment optimization is a continuous cycle. Listing and delisting SKUs are not supposed to be solely based on traditional KPIs like total sales. Brands and retailers follow a simple four-step process to optimize SKUs.

Segment Data on Each SKU in the Company’s Product Portfolio

The product portfolio is primarily categorized into product lines, brands in a category, and their SKUs. They are further grouped according to their sales volume and pricing.

Analyze Current SKUs and Archived Sales Data

To identify trends, patterns, and performance of each SKU, retail executives evaluate revenue, profit margin, and production costs to make informed decisions.

Organize Product Catalog Based on the Analysis

SKUs are flagged for potential discontinuation, bundling, or future modification to make them more profitable. Several factors are taken into account before listing and de-listing SKUs. This includes the customer choices and the impact of discontinuing certain SKUs on other products in the portfolio.

Decision-Making Based on Analysis of Inventory Data

After brainstorming, brands and retailers keep, remove, or review SKUs to maximize the profitability of their company.

Moreover, other dimensions, such as economic performance, value to customers, cost, and the SKU’s role in meeting the retailer’s strategic objectives, are also crucial.

Monitoring Inventory with MetricsCart to Rationalize SKU

MetricsCart’s assortment and availability monitoring service makes it easy to do the SKU rationalization process.

We provide data to manage product portfolios efficiently with a real-time peek into the performance of all the listings. We organize data into:

• The SKUs that are adding to excess inventory and impacting profits
• SKUs that are out of stock and need replenishment
• Customer reviews on each SKU to improve product, marketing, and distribution strategies
• SKU tracking both in physical stores and online data
• Category-wise and brand-wise Amazon bestsellers to understand trends

Explore MetricsCart’s services to leverage real-time inventory monitoring service.

The post Why Businesses Do SKU Rationalization? appeared first on MetricsCart.

This is a great example of price anchoring in sales and marketing.

Price anchoring is a promotion strategy businesses use to create a reference point for consumers to make informed pricing decisions. It is part of a psychological phenomenon called anchoring bias, as humans rely heavily on first-hand information. This information becomes an anchor point for them to make further decisions.

For instance, a 2023 survey by savings.com reports that 40% of online shoppers look for discounts before they start shopping on websites. It has become second nature for consumers to expect an offer or discount on any product displayed on the digital shelves of prominent US retailers.

Why Do Brands Use Anchor Pricing?

The 2023 Black Friday sales saw the retail giants offering considerable discounts to their consumers, and these methods create value with price anchoring in e-commerce.

Inform the Consumer on Deals and Discounts

E-commerce giants like Amazon, Walmart, Target, etc., often use the anchor pricing strategy to inform consumers about new offers, discounts, price changes, substitute products, and more.

Grab Consumer Attention

The strike-through prices in most online and offline stores would quickly grab the consumers’ attention as they feel that they are making a profit by buying the product with the new and improved price (which is cheaper compared to the strike-through pricing).

Anchoring is often a default reaction from the consumer. When they visit a brand’s or retailer’s digital shelf, their eyes naturally search for anchor points to get a head start on the shopping experience.

Ease the Consumer’s Decision Making Process

From a shopper’s point of view, anchor pricing makes the decision-making process easier. It allows consumers to navigate their preferences and expectations without wasting time and effort choosing certain products.

Read more on Promotional pricing and its significance

How Does Price Anchoring Work in Retail?

In e-commerce, this first-hand information can be many things, and the consumer tends to choose the best option available to them regarding a relative value proposition.

If product A is offered at a discount of 20% compared to product B and both serve the same purpose, then the consumer would naturally tend to sway toward the discounted product.

It can also work the other way when a consumer shops in the clothing category. A category where premium prices are often associated with better quality.

Nike reported $51.22 billion in global sales for 2023. The first four options in the Amazon search results for Nike Shoes show two of their products offered at discounted prices.

The anchor here has been set at strike-through prices of $100.00 and $164.63, respectively. A potential buyer would be immediately hooked on these prices and decide to get a discount deal.

This feeling of landing on a good value proposition enables effective price anchoring solutions in the e-commerce business.

Moreover, there is also an anchoring bias in a shopper’s decision when they see a particular item sold by a different seller for a slightly lower price. This requires third-party sellers in online retail stores like Amazon to adhere to the MAP policy of brand manufacturers.

Price anchoring also works within the allowed limits of the MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) policy. Sellers must continuously monitor this using services like MetricsCart to prevent price erosion and maintain consistent brand value.

Read more on Managing MAP Violations To Sustain Brand Value.

Different Types of Anchor Pricing Methods

The reference point or anchor can be designed in multiple ways so that the perception of the consumer can be influenced.

Strike-Through Pricing

The old and new prices of the product are shown side by side so that consumers can compare them.

This anchor makes the consumer believe they are getting a discount on the product.

Read more on the Popular brands using Promotional pricing

High and Low Anchor Pricing

This is a decoy technique for persuading the consumer to make a purchase.

It involves positioning a high-priced or less expensive product next to the target product.

Competitor Pricing

The seller creates a side-by-side comparison of the price, features, and differences of their own product with that of the competitor’s product.

The anchor point would be the competitor’s product helping the consumer to choose the best option.

Tiered Pricing

It is one of the most common forms of price anchoring. This usually involves three different variations of the same core product offered at three different prices to the consumer.

In tiered pricing, the anchor price is set either on the high or low tier. The customer then chooses from the three available options. In most cases, the consumer tends to choose the middle tier as they believe it provides the best value for money.

How Do Shoppers Perceive Price Anchoring?

Abbott, in his 1956 book Quality and Competition: An Essay in Economic Theory, argues that the ‘customer experience’ as a process is as valuable to the consumer as the product itself. This experience is mostly a result of the consumer’s subjective perception.

Anchor pricing in e-commerce is one of the core steps of establishing price transparency. Consumers prefer a transparent and easy-to-follow price structure for the products they wish to purchase. Any hidden or additional charges during checkout can scare them off.

It can also affect the trust built up in the brand by the consumer. Most of the time, the brand uses price anchoring to inform the consumer about the different kinds of products they are offering and the best prices for these products.

In a nutshell, anchor pricing would be higher or lower than the final amount paid by the consumer, and it would influence their value and price perception about different products offered by the brand.

Effective Price Monitoring Solutions With MetricsCart

Price anchoring is a legal trade practice that has existed for decades in the retail industry. However, the correct use of price anchoring is not to deceive consumers by putting up fake prices. Rather, it is an effort to inform the consumers about the value of your product.

Anchoring helps a brand create actionable value propositions for its consumers. With MetricsCart’s advanced price monitoring solutions, brands can effectively track the pricing of their own businesses and those of their competitors.

Here is how price monitoring can help your brand:

• Receive alerts on changes in minimum prices at SKU levels
• Maintain consistent pricing across e-commerce platforms
• Be in the know of price changes for competitor products

Let’s solve this together. Head over to MetricsCart and discover interesting business insights.

The post What Is Price Anchoring and How Does It Help Drive Sales? appeared first on MetricsCart.