New consumer polling data shows the majority of U.S. supermarket shoppers will continue purchasing store brand products even after the recession has come to an end.
A poll conducted this month by GfK Custom Research North America for the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA), found 91% of shoppers plan to continue buying store brand products after the recession ends. Meanwhile only 8% of consumers polled said they will stop buying these products.
The quality of store brand products is a big factor in drawing repeat buyers. The GfK poll found that nine out of every 10 shoppers agree the store brand products they buy are just as good as, or better than, national brand products. And, almost half of consumers polled said they wanted their supermarket to carry a wider assortment of private label products.
The recession is affecting shoppers, PLMA’s ongoing study, “Store Brands and The Recession,” based on GfK’s nationwide poll of nearly 800 main household grocery shoppers, found. Nearly three-fourths (74%) indicated the recession is an important factor in their decision-making. Well into the recession, shoppers are still switching to store brands. The poll found 35% of shoppers are trying store brand products in categories where they had previously only purchased national brand items. In fact, more than three out of every 10 shoppers said they are now buying more store brand products than they were a year ago. This latest research in the study was co-sponsored by Marketing Management Inc., Ft. Worth, Texas, a sales and marketing company that specializes in store brands.
