Private Label Groceries Growing in Popularity, According to Market Force Study
Boulder, CO (PRWEB) June 12, 2014 -- More shoppers are purchasing private label (store brand) products this year compared to last year, according to a recent study of more than 6,200 consumers by Market Force Information, a worldwide leader in customer intelligence solutions. The study revealed that 98% of shoppers purchase private label food items or cleaning products at least some of the time, on the rise from 96% in 2013.
Market Force’s grocery study was designed to uncover consumers’ awareness of private label brands, as well purchasing trends for private label grocery products. Private label products continue to be popular options for budget-minded shoppers, though there is still substantial opportunity for grocery brands to increase wallet share in certain categories.
The study shows that a small percentage of shoppers are unaware of private label brands, and as many say that they never purchase them – both categories showing a 1% drop from 2013. The percentage of consumers who sometimes opt for private label is up 1% from 2013, as are the number of shoppers who always reach for private label. See Graph 1.
Graph 1: Overall Private Label Purchases
Buying Private Label Until the Cows Come Home
Most shoppers are familiar with their supermarket’s private label dairy products, and most are frequently purchasing them. Seventy-eight percent of shoppers indicated that their primary grocer offers private label dairy products, 8% said they do not and 14% don’t know. This high level of awareness appears to translate into frequent purchases, as 60% of consumers indicated that they buy private label dairy most of the time or always, and another 35% said they sometimes purchase it. See Graph 2. These were the highest percentages of any category studied, suggesting that consumers perceive the taste quality to be similar to national brands, but at a lower price-point.
Graph 2: Frequency of Private Label Dairy Purchases
Fewer Serial Cereal Purchasers
Private label cereal is a less common private label grocery purchase, and shoppers don’t seem to be reaching for it as frequently as they did one year ago. This year, 27% of participants said they purchase private label cereal most of the time or always, a slight dip from the 30% who reported doing so in 2013. What’s more, 31% said they never buy private label cereal – the highest of any grocery category studied. See Graph 3. When asked if their primary grocer offers private label cereal, 76% indicated “yes,” 6% said “no” and 18% were unsure.
Graph 3: Frequency of Private Label Cereal Product Purchases
Cents-able Snacks
Similar to cereal, 27% of consumers report buying private label snacks most of the time or always, while 53% sometimes buy them and 19% never do. See Graph 4. These findings shifted very little from the 2013 study. Sixty-eight percent of shoppers said that their primary grocer carries a private label snack brand, while 25% were unsure and 7% said their grocer doesn’t offer one.
Graph 4: Frequency of Private Label Snack Product Purchases
Awareness Low for Private Label Cleaning Products
Market Force also looked at consumer behavior around the purchase of private label cleaning products and saw some growth from last year. Twenty-six percent of shoppers said they opt for private label most of the time or always, up from 23% in 2013. See Graph 5. In this category, private label awareness was particularly low, as 39% of respondents said they don’t know if their grocer sells a private label cleaning product – that is nearly 15% higher than any other category studied.
Graph 5: Frequency of Private Label Cleaning Product Purchases
“While private label purchases in general are trending upwards, there is significant opportunity to capture additional wallet share, particularly in the categories with longer shelf-lives such as cleaning products and cereal,” said Janet Eden-Harris, chief marketing officer and senior vice president of strategy for Market Force. “Shelf promotion is key, as shoppers often report trying a new brand because they noticed it on the shelf.”
Survey Demographics
The survey was conducted in March 2014 across the United States and Canada. The pool of 6,247 respondents reflected a broad spectrum of income levels, with nearly 60% reporting household incomes of more than $50,000 a year. Respondents’ ages ranged from 18 to over 65. Approximately 73% were women and 27% were men, and 50% have children at home.
About Market Force Information
Market Force is the leading global customer intelligence solutions company for multi-location businesses, including major retailers, restaurants, grocery and convenience stores, financial institutions, entertainment studios and consumer packaged goods companies. With more than 125 years of combined industry experience, Market Force has pioneered the industry with a suite of customer intelligence solutions – from proprietary decision-support tools to 600,000 field associates across North America and Europe who conduct mystery shopping, to real customer surveys, contact center solutions and social media monitoring. Its solutions enable brands to identify the actions required at the store level to increase customer loyalty and improve financial performance. Market Force was named one of Forbes’ America’s Most Promising Companies in 2011. For more information, visit http://www.marketforce.com.
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Rebecca Scanlan, GroundFloor Media, +1 (303) 733-0328, [email protected]
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