What were the other items gone “in minutes”?

Within conversations around what was “sold out” we found many people referring to the phrase “sold out in minutes”. Here are the top five items mentioned most in this segment.

5. “Attack on Titan”, the Guinness World Record winner in the “Largest comic book published” category, was sold out in two minutes.

4. The South Korean boy band BTS’ “MOTS ON:E PHOTOBOOK” Special Set sold out within 15 minutes of its release.

3. The Eurovision 2021 winner Måneskin reported its merchandise sold out in 28 minutes.

2. The June cover of Vogue Japan portraying Lisa, a member of South Korean girl group Blackpink, made the issue sell out and forced pre-orders to be put temporarily on halt.

1. “Tickets to my downfall”, a studio album by Machine Gun Kelly sold out in minutes, the artist himself reported.

It seems like consumer spending is slowly recovering, and a recent report by McKinsey stated that “there is reason to be optimistic for a robust recovery in consumer spending […] due to pent-up demand and a significant accumulation of savings.” By the look of the above list, pop culture could be a key area for consumers looking to splash their saved up cash.

What everyday items are in high demand in 2021?

As we reviewed the general mentions of “sold out”, the following five everyday items were frequently mentioned as unavailable for purchase this year:

1. Air Conditioning
2. Canned food
3. Vegan food
4. Frozen food
5. Alfredo sauce

As one can imagine, air conditioners became hot commodities as temperatures worldwide started climbing to a record-high in early June.

But it’s not our desire to cool off that triggered one of the biggest spikes in “sold out” conversation earlier this year. Instead, it’s demand for Alfredo sauce.

One news outlet reported that the sauce shortage was related to companies limiting the production of different sauce types and prioritizing more common flavors such as marinara to increase overall volume.

On the other hand, Brandwatch Consumer Research revealed that many consumers started reporting Alfredo sauce being sold out in anticipation of St. Valentine’s Day. Turns out, both Alfredo pasta and Chicken Penne Alfredo are staple Valentine’s dinner ideas!

A quick glance over the last five years of Google searches related to Alfredo sauce showed that there was also a spike in interest in 2020, but interest around the topic started picking up again in 2021. This time around, it is (hopefully) related to post-pandemic dating rather than stockpiling sauce.

Another tweeter shared their message.

Consumers have high expectations and want a convenient experience. Taking items off your website if they’re sold out seems like a popular idea – it eliminates the time wasted navigating to products that aren’t available. In a competitive market, retailers who listen to their customer’s needs and pain points can differentiate themselves from the pack.

Influencer marketing and social responsibility

If you want to see an example of the power of influencers, look no further than BTS member Jungkook. In February they were seen drinking their favorite brand of kombucha at an event, and the company sold a month’s supply of product in just three days (a sales increase of 500%).

Promoting his favorite drink was not an accident. In fact, it was reported that the singer thought such a move could help small businesses that were struggling due to the pandemic.

It’s no secret that the popularity of influencer marketing has skyrocketed over the past couple of years. Perhaps what’s different today is that the narrative has shifted. Today, influencer marketing is all about transparency, social issues, and building genuine connections with customers.

Retailers who can build strong and authentic relationships with relevant influencers have a much better shot at cementing trust in their brand and products among consumers.

What should we cover next?

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Stay safe,

The Brandwatch React team