What if you FLIP IT? Buy single-serve vs. bulk.

A stable US consumer trend for the past ten years has been buying in bulk. Big box retailers, club stores and many of our retailer partners have significantly benefited from this consumer buying behavior but in some parts of the world the exact opposite occurs. In many Eastern countries inexpensive single-serve merchandised products have taken the place of larger more expensive club-packs. Many eastern consumers purchase single-serve products because it requires less financial investment at the point-of-purchase which allows them to spread their dollar further. Consumers in turn buy more of a broader product offering with a higher frequency.

There are downsides to buying single-serve most notably increased packaging waste and reduced basket size; both of which could be creatively overcome. The upside may be increase foot traffic and consumer-retailer interaction, increase incremental purchase opportunity and offering a soft-benefit to consumers. Single-serve products offer “more for less” but in a different way altogether than US consumers are accustomed to thinking. With looming recession and jobless discussions occurring in offices and homes across the world could less expensive single-serve products be a solution for financially strained consumers’ wallets? It might be worth considering.

Check out the Martin Lindstrom single-serve trend video on Adage.com.
http://adage.com/brightcove/lineup.php?lineup=1182767334