20% less liquid. Same price. And a communication disaster.
Recently, Spain’s biggest supermarket, Mercadona, reduced their private-label fabric softener from a 2-liter bottle to 1.6 liters. But they kept the promise of exactly 80 washes on the package.
Their explanation: the new formula is “concentrated.” Use 20ml per wash instead of 25ml. It is better for transport and the planet.
Shoppers didn’t buy it. A consumer on X posted photos of the old and new ingredient lists side by side. The text was identical. The internet exploded, accusing Mercadona of faking the concentration just to put less soap in the bottle.
But scientifically, the internet is wrong.
Under EU detergent labeling regulations (EC No 648/2004), manufacturers do not list exact chemical formulas. They use massive percentage brackets. If the old softener had 6% active softening agents and the new one has 14%, both bottles will just say “5% to 15% cationic surfactants.” The labels will look exactly the same. A side-by-side photo proves nothing about the actual concentration.
But here is the real problem for Mercadona: consumers are not scientists.
They do not know EU labeling laws. They look at the volume, the price, and the text on the back. If it looks like a trick, they conclude it is a trick.
The issue isn’t the chemistry; it’s the transparency. Every customer has a camera in their pocket and an audience online. If they audit your label and think you are lying, the technical truth does not matter anymore.
My takeaway for FMCG and retail:
If you execute shrinkflation, you have to be completely clear and open about it. You cannot hide behind regulatory labeling quirks or expect shoppers to understand supply chain chemistry.
If you rely on a technicality to defend a price hike, you have already lost the argument. Treat the buyer with respect.
Have you seen a retailer handle volume reductions honestly, or is it always a quiet cut?
Shrinkflation Communication: Inside Mercadona’s PR Disaster
20% less liquid. Same price. And a communication disaster.Recently, Spain’s biggest supermarket, Mercadona, reduced their private-label fabric softener from a 2-liter bottle to 1.6 liters. But they kept the promise…
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