South Africa, Oct. 7 -- According to Stats SA, food inflation hit 5.1% in June 2025, the highest level in 15 months, while the Household Affordability Index placed the cost of a basic 44-item basket at R5,443.12, up 3.6% from a year earlier. These rising costs are leaving township households with less room to manoeuvre and forcing more deliberate choices at the till.

"Conventional marketing wisdom assumes loyalty is fixed. What our research shows is that loyalty in the township context is highly rational and deeply tied to survival," says Mongezi Mtati, senior brand strategist at Rogerwilco. "When 39% of consumers switch brands due to rising prices, it's not disloyalty, it's a calculated move to stretch every rand. Brands need to show up...