The customer experience is FMCG’s next growth advantage

Keegan Reddy

According to consumer insights specialist Worldpanel by Numerator, South African shoppers are visiting stores more frequently but buying fewer items per trip. The average number of items purchased per shopping trip declined to 6.50 in Q4 2025 from 6.69 in Q4 2024, as consumers become increasingly intentional and value-conscious in their spending decisions.

For FMCG businesses, this shift carries important implications. Consumers are not evaluating brands only on affordability. Reliability, consistency, convenience and trust are increasingly shaping purchasing decisions and loyalty.

In many ways, the customer experience has become an important competitive differentiator in the sector. Traditionally, customer experience was more strongly associated with industries like banking, hospitality or telecommunications. In FMCG, historically, the emphasis was largely on pricing, scale, distribution and product availability.

While these fundamentals remain critical, particularly in a price-sensitive market like South Africa, the definition of customer experience has evolved. Today, the customer experience is shaped by every interaction consumers have with a product or brand. Availability on shelf, product quality, packaging, responsiveness, delivery and consistency all contribute to how a brand is experienced.

The customer experience is becoming a reflection of operational performance as much as marketing or brand positioning. This means the customer experience can no longer sit within one function of the business. It should now extend across operations, supply chains, logistics, customer engagement and leadership decision-making. Consumers may never see the complexity behind production or distribution networks, but they immediately notice when products are unavailable, quality is inconsistent or service delivery falls short.

The commercial impact of this cannot be ignored. According to the 2025 South African Customer Experience Report, 54% of dissatisfied consumers say they simply stop supporting a company after a poor experience. In the highly competitive FMCG market, loyalty is becoming more closely tied to consistency and trust.

Consumers are also placing greater importance on responsible business practises, paying closer attention to how organisations treat people, manage environmental impacts, support communities and respond during moments of scrutiny or crisis. In a reputation-sensitive environment, the perception of irresponsible behaviour can have a significant negative impact on consumer trust and long-term brand loyalty.

At the same time, South African consumer trends are not altogether homogenous. Expectations, purchasing behaviour and definitions of value differ across regions, income groups and communities. Businesses that understand these nuances are better positioned to remain relevant and responsive.

At Rainbow Chicken, understanding the realities facing South African households remains central to how we think about customer engagement and operational responsiveness. Consumers are balancing affordability with quality and reliability, and brands are expected to deliver on all three consistently.

Technology and data are also reshaping how businesses respond to customer expectations. Organisations today have more access to customer insights and purchasing data, but the real advantage lies in how quickly those insights are translated into action. Responsiveness is now a key part of the customer experience.

Importantly, the customer experience should be viewed as a growth opportunity. The FMCG brands that make it easier and more rewarding for consumers to engage with them strengthen loyalty over time. Competitive advantage comes down to consistently delivering on the basics: product availability, quality, responsiveness and understanding customer needs in practical ways. Consistency is a differentiator.

As customer expectations evolve, FMCG businesses need to think more holistically about how the customer experience is delivered across the value chain. The companies that succeed over the long term will likely be those that stop viewing the customer experience as a standalone function and, instead, embed it into every part of the business. In South Africa’s FMCG sector, the customer experience is increasingly becoming central to sustainable growth.