February 2, 2010
More than one-third of shoppers who embraced store brands during the hardest times of the recession will continue purchasing them once the economy recovers, according to a study conducted by BrandSpark's 2010 Best New Products Awards American Grocery Shopper Study.
Conducted between Oct. 12 and Dec. 8 among 50,000 grocery shoppers, the research found that 66 percent of shoppers "completely agree" or "agree" that "private labels are usually extremely good value for the money" and 59 percent said "private labels are just as good as brand name products," according to a report in Supermarket News.
"Private label's strength is holding," Robert Levy, president of BrandSparks said while presenting the findings in New York earlier this week. "It's not just about price. People have a very strong sense of agreement that they provide good value for the money."
The study also found, however, that store brands are not for everyone with 36 percent of shoppers claiming they are loyal to national brands.
BrandSpark research also gauged shoppers’ opinions about 135 new products with respondents indicated how likely they were to recommend each product to their friends.
New products that scored the highest were Yoplait Smoothie, Johnson’s Baby Bubble Bath & Wash and Olay Professional Pro-X Intensive Wrinkle Protocol. These items and 39 others earned the right to bear the 2010 Best New Product designation, which includes the Better Homes and Gardens logo, according to the report.