Customers don’t just buy price. They buy value.
Yesterday, I heard a senior leader briefing her team. No corporate deck. No polished narrative. Just the reality now.
Pointing to the Lindt bunnies discounted 40% off the week before Easter, the message: “Customers don’t just buy price. They buy value.”
Because if it was just about price, everything discounted would sell through instantly. It doesn’t.
Fuel prices are rising. That flows into household budgets. Then into daily decisions.
This is where customer behaviour shifts. During the last crisis, we saw it clearly:
- McKinsey reported 75% of consumers tried new shopping behaviours, switching brands and channels
- Accenture found over 60% of consumers reassessed what matters most in how they spend
Customer loyalty didn’t disappear. It became conditional. Customers stayed where value was clear, effort was low, and trust was intact.
The briefing was to prepare the team for possible tough times ahead. Simplifying the offer. Training the frontline. Staying flexible.
Then she said something most miss: “In tough times, people look for small moments that feel normal in their day”
Because in difficult periods, customers don’t just buy products or services. They buy:
- Value: this is worth the cost
- Ease: don’t make me work for it
- Experience: moments that feel good
And they will actively choose the brands that deliver it.
Three moves that matter right now:
- Double down on the core experience
- Actively reduce effort across frontline touchpoints
- Fix small pain points fast
If customers have to work to understand why you’re worth it, you’ve already lost ground.
Friction becomes intolerable under pressure. Hard times don’t create churn, they expose it. They reveal where value was already weak, where effort was already too high, and where alternatives were already being considered.
The organisations that retain customers are the ones that understand the role they play in their customers’ lives when everything else feels uncertain.
Sometimes that role is bigger than you think.
Sometimes it’s just five minutes of normality.
And that’s enough to be chosen again tomorrow.