To Buy or Not To Buy…Store Brands

All of us have a favorite brand of something we use or consume every day, but for other items not so much. But just how often do Americans reach for “name-brand” products over the store brand options available? According to a recent Harris Poll, that depends on exactly what they’re reaching for.

Americans tend to purchase name-brands for food and beverage products where flavor, arguably, differs more between brands—think breakfast cereal (62%), carbonated soft drinks (58%), bagged snacks (58%), prepared frozen foods (56%), coffee (55%), and yogurt (54%).

On the other hand, when it comes to food and beverage staples, Americans reach for the store brand option. Majorities purchase store brands for milk (60%), frozen vegetables (51%) and cooking oil (50%).

Considering other types of household products, such as household and personal care products, the majority of Americans purchase store brands for over-the-counter (OTC) drugs (60%) and paper products (51%), but rely on name-brand products for cleaning products (55%), according to Harris.

Not too surprisingly, in many instances, income differences coincide with brand choice differences, namely individuals from higher income households are more likely to purchase name-brands compared to those from lower income households. Differences exist among generations as well. In several cases, millennials are less likely to purchase name brand products compared to their older counterparts.

Interestingly, Gen Xers are more likely than any other generation to choose name brands for a number of categories including cleaning products.

The Harris Poll was conducted online, in English, within the United States between Nov. 12-17, 2014 among 2,276 adults (aged 18 and over).