Over time, it appears that consumers’ perception of private label or store brand products in comparison with name brands has changed. And, although a survey [download page] from The Integer Group shows that fewer consumers currently perceive name brands as being better than private labels in various aspects than did in 2010, the tide appears to be turning back in favor of name brands.
The report compares data from surveys taken in 2010, 2015 and 2020. It appears that the headway private labels had made in consumer perceptions back in 2015 has, for the most part, shifted back in the other direction.
For example, in 2010, 43% of respondents said they agreed that name brand groceries or household goods were better quality products than private labels. By 2015, only 31% of consumers felt that way, but in 2020, 40% agreed. Likewise, the share of consumers who believed name brands are more reliable dropped from 46% to 34% between 2010 and 2015. Nevertheless, 2020 results saw that percentage jump up to 39%.
What’s more, those who think that name brands are what their family expects (23% in 2010 vs. 29% in 2020) and who think name brand products better reflect their values and attitudes (21% vs. 26%) has actually increased between 2010 and 2020.
Even with this shift in perception, earlier research from The Integer Group shows that in 2020 about 9 in 10 consumers said they were spending either more (31%) or the same (58%) on private label items.
Something that has changed very little in the past 10 years has been the shopping priorities of consumers. Shoppers still rank finding the best quality items as their top priority, followed by spending as little money as possible, having an enjoyable shopping experience and spending as little time shopping as possible.
For the most part, these priorities remain consistent across gender lines. However, women are more likely than men to prioritize having an enjoyable shopping experience ahead of spending as little time shopping as possible.
The full report can be found here.
About the Data: Results are based on surveys of 1,230 adults in 2019, 1,310 in 2015 and 1,202 in 2020.
