⁍ Unilever, Procter & Gamble and other major consumer goods manufacturers are touting lower-priced brands.

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⁍ Nestle has launched single-use sachets of Maggi seasonings in Indonesia and smaller sachets and cooking sauces in the Philippines.

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⁍ Many companies initially pulled back on price-focused promotions, such as ‘buy one, get one free,’ in March and April.

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– With consumers struggling to make ends meet during the worst recession since the Great Depression, some of the world’s biggest consumer brands are rolling out price cuts and smaller packages to woo the penny-pinching. Nestle, for example, has introduced single-use sachets of Maggi seasonings in Indonesia and smaller sachets and cooking sauces in the Philippines, Reuters reports. Unilever, maker of Hellmann’s mayonnaise and Lipton tea, is making sure every market has low unit-price packages and cheaper brands. Tide detergent maker Procter & Gamble brought back promotions in most categories in the United States, except where demand remains high, like for its Charmin toilet paper and Microban 24 disinfectants. Many companies initially pulled back on price-focused promotions, such as ‘buy one, get one free,’ in March and April when coronavirus-related shutdowns drove shoppers to hoard everything from hand sanitizer and cleaners to toilet paper and flour. The demand spike strained supply chains and all parties just focused on keeping stores clean and shelves stocked. But a $600 weekly US federal aid program ended in July and prospects for any follow-up government stimulus look bleak. ‘Consumer spending levels are not going to recover until at least end-2022, so there is going to be a sustained pressure on consumer-packaged goods companies to offer promotions and incentives,’ said an Accenture’s global industry lead of consumer goods and services.