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More Consumers Trying Store Brand Products

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Sep 18, 2008 9:38 pm US/Eastern

More Consumers Trying Store Brand Products

  Brand names are drilled into our heads from the time we're born. They're in commercials, on billboards and t-shirts.

"Advertisers want to hook people young because they want that brand loyalty that comes with a young consumer," Lacey Rose, from Forbes.com. "They want to find someone today that's still going to love their product tomorrow."

A Consumer Reports ShopSmart Survey reveals that strategy appears to be working pretty well.

"For women who often buy the same brand of groceries, 48 percent say it's the same brand they grew up with," Lisa Lee Freeman, from Consumer Reports, said.

But is a new day dawning? Twenty-nine percent of women surveyed said they're buying more generic brands these days.

Which products are women most willing to switch to a generic or store brand? Sixty-eight percent say they would go for over-the-counter medications – 67 percent for eggs and milk.

"We test a lot of store brands and over the years we've found that they can be almost as good or even better in some cases than brand-name products. And they can save you a lot of money."

For instance, Great Value laundry detergent from Walmart did a bit better in Consumer Reports' tests than Tide with a touch of Downy. And store-brand dishwasher detergents from Walmart and Target did as well cleaning dishes as brand name detergents but they cost a lot less.

However, ShopSmart says there's one area where women are particularly reluctant to switch from well-known brands.

"Surprisingly, 71 percent said they wouldn't buy anything other than their favorite brand of pet food."

Consumer Reports ShopSmart found women are less willing to switch from well-known brands when it comes to cosmetics and personal care items. That's another area where companies spend big money on advertising, more than $6 billion a year to get you to buy their products.

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