A YouGov poll conducted exclusively for Progressive Grocer found that 70% of shoppers are buying the same or more private label grocery products this year.
According to the poll, 91% of consumers say inflation “significantly,” “moderately” or “slightly” affected their grocery shopping habits over the past year. This has led to more consumers actively working on their household budgets and the best ways to save.
Half of the respondents said they are buying “about the same” amount of private label products as they did last year, while another 20% are buying more. When shoppers were asked if they choose branded items or store brands when buying food, 39% reported they buy both equally, and 36% said they buy mostly private label products. Only 20% said they only buy name brand products.
When looking at category results from the study, shoppers buy more store brand meat and dairy products (37%) than branded meat and dairy products (24%), while 35% reported that they buy both equally. When it comes to frozen foods, 38% of consumers are buying both branded and store brand items, but 32% are purchasing store brands and 24% choosing mostly name brand offerings.
Name brands do have an advantage when it comes to alcoholic drinks according to the study. Twenty-nine percent of consumers opt for national brands while 14% are buying store brands. The shoppers who are buying both came out to 14%.
Coupons are also gaining in popularity with consumers according to YouGov. A quarter of those surveyed said they “often” use coupons or look for discounts when grocery shopping, while 23% said they “always” do so and 28% reported that they “sometimes” use them. Only 8% said they never use coupons or seek discounts, while 14% rarely used them.
The survey of 1,163 Americans found that most consumers are opting for private label products as one way to stick to their budgets.