Survey: Shoppers to buy store brands after recession ends

New York City New consumer polling data shows that an overwhelming majority of U.S. supermarket shoppers will continue purchasing store brand products after the recession is over.

A recent poll by GfK Custom Research North America for the Private Label Manufacturers Association reports that 91% of shoppers said they will keep buying store brand products after the recession ends. Conversely, only 8% of the consumer polled said they will stop buying these products.

The quality of store brand products is a big factor in convincing shoppers to keep buying them. The GfK poll found that nine of every 10 shoppers agree that the store brand products they buy are just as good as, or better than, national brand products.

Nearly half of consumers polled said they wanted their supermarket to carry a greater assortment of private-label products. 

GfK found that the recession is still having a big impact on shoppers. Nearly three-fourths (74%) of them said the recession is an important factor in their decision-making.

Well into the recession, shoppers are still switching to store brands. The poll found that 35% of shoppers are trying store brand products in categories where they had previously only purchased national brand items.

In addition, more than three of every 10 shoppers say they are now buying more store brand products than they were a year ago.