Have you ever heard the term Shrinkflation?

Definition from Economic's Help is here:

Shrinkflation occurs when firms reduce the size or quantity of a good and keep prices the same. Shrinkflation is an alternative to increasing prices, and you could argue it is a disguised form of inflation because if you wanted to buy exactly the same quantity of the good, you would have to spend relatively more. However, shrinkflation won't show up in the consumer price index because prices stay the same.

Here are some examples of chocolate bars' changes in weight from 2014 to 2018. Brands sold these weight changes as an anti-obesity act in these years. I didn't buy this. I believe that the real motivation of these companies for shrinkflate is probably getting more profit. In today's economic view, we are talking about another scenario.

These days brands are shrinking their products because of inflation. Shrinkflation is an economical choice, and I understand the reasons and consequences of it. But I think these companies are making a big mistake.

The most important part of being a brand is trustworthiness. We prefer brands to commodity products because they promise a unique value proposition. Standardization is one of them. If you change your weight, but you don't change your packaging, it is a kind of cheating. The consumer never forgets the disappointment you delivered. It damages your brand. You spent tons of money to create a brand from scratch. A shrinkflation decision can sabotage your investment.

Being a brand is challenging. But, keeping it is harder than.