A new survey conducted by FMI – The Food Industry Association, revealed why shoppers are increasingly attracted to private-label products and how much influence they have when choosing which store to shop.
Consumers provide details about their private label shopping habits in the second installment of the 2023 Power of Private Brands series.
According to the survey, most shoppers not only buy private brands more frequently. However, they are attracted to them by factors beyond the affordable price and overall value typically associated with private brands.
“Although inflationary pressures may have been the catalyst that prompted consumers to try more private brand products over the last few years, shoppers have come to appreciate the quality and value that store brands offer,” said FMI Vice President of Industry Relations Doug Baker.
Baker noted, “The overwhelming majority of shoppers tell us they plan to continue purchasing private brands in the future, even as grocery prices normalize.”
According to the survey, shoppers are motivated to buy store brands because they like the quality and taste of the products, not just for the affordability and value that private brands offer.
Related Article: Which Supermarket Tops the List with Fastest-Growing Private Label Brands?
“This growing trust and loyalty consumers have developed for private brands highlights how these products have really evolved to become an extension of a retailer’s brand and value proposition, which is reflected in the way that private brands are also playing a bigger role in how consumers decide where to shop for food,” Baker added.
Consumers are buying more private-label
This year’s analysis reveals an acceleration in private brand buying habits:
- 96% of food consumers reported to FMI that they buy private brands at least occasionally, while 46% buy private brands almost always or always.
- Nearly 60% of consumers report buying private brands a lot or more in the past year, compared to only 26% who purchase national brands.
- Overall, 90% of shoppers say they are likely to continue to buy private brands, even if inflation or food prices decline. This indicates the growing loyalty of shoppers to retail brands.
Price, value, quality, and taste draw consumers to private-label brands
Price (68%) and value for money (67%) remain the main reasons cited by consumers for buying more private-label products.
However, 65% of shoppers cited a reason other than price and value to motivate their private label purchases. Among them, shoppers cited quality (30%), taste (26%), and meeting meal solution needs (16%) as some of the factors driving their private label purchasing decisions.