CHICAGO -- Private-label products became more popular as consumers looked for new ways to save on everyday purchases during the economic downturn. But private-label growth seems to be leveling off, and the 2.1% year-over-year uptick was largely driven by price increases, reported IRI in its latest Times & Trends report, "Private Label & National Brands: Dialing In on Core Shoppers."
Consumers are continuing to base brand selections on affordability, with one-third of shoppers consciously seeking out private-label products to save money. But, value does not necessarily mean "the lowest price," and affordability means something different to each unique shopper. The task for consumer packaged goods (CPG) marketers is to maintain a clear vision of how their most promising consumers and shoppers are defining affordability at each moment of purchase.
National brands are doing a wonderful job at providing value, capturing 0.2 dollar share points in the drug channel during the past year and dropping private-label share of spending within the channel to 16.6%. National brand innovation has been strong in beauty, a key drug department, as manufacturers work to deliver products that make beauty more affordable to all. National brands also captured sizeable share in vitamins, with new forms and targeted formulations receiving heavy new product development focus and strong consumer support.
Private label is strong in the mass/super channel, with innovation and growing assortment supporting momentum. These efforts are creating momentum across departments, with private-label frozen departments reporting increases of 5.3 unit share points, refrigerated reporting increases of 1.8 unit share points and general food reporting increases of 1.2 unit share points.
One strategy for building penetration is to fracture concentration. Today, the top 50 CPG categories account for 64% of overall CPG dollar sales. The private-label sector is slightly more concentrated, with the 50 largest categories capturing 67% of total private-label sales. CPG marketers can fracture concentration and reap sizeable revenue rewards with outside-the-box product launches that allow them to compete in new categories.
Private-label manufacturers also are exploring new aisles and categories. For example, TreeHouse Foods is zeroing in on opportunities around snacking and healthy eating with the acquisition of Flagstone Foods, a top manufacturer of private-label healthy snacks, such as trail mixes and dried fruits.
It is also important to remember that consumers turn to different channels for different CPG purchases. And, the choices they make can be unexpected, particularly given the speed with which channel blurring is taking place. Given the complexity of managing private-label offerings across multiple categories, retailers must be adept at understanding what key categories will resonate with their target shoppers.
"Shoppers have endless choices today, which makes purchasing decisions much more complex," said Susan Viamari, editor of Thought Leadership, IRI. "Having both national and private-label brands on retail shelves is critical to creating a solid value proposition, so the challenge for marketers now is to figure out how to tailor their assortments with highly targeted products and marketing programs that keep value and affordability in the crosshairs."
She continued, "To ensure the right products are on the right shelves at the right time, CPG marketers must invest to understand shopping behaviors and key influencers of those behaviors at a very individual level and across CPG channels. Retailers and manufacturers must participate in joint business planning to establish an optimal mix of categories, brands, pack sizes and price points within each unique marketplace."
Chicago-based IRI is a leader in delivering market and shopper information and predictive analysis to clients in the CPG, retail and over-the-counter health care industries.
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