I magine a day when you run out of toothpaste. You push your trolley up and down the aisle next to rows and rows of shelves containing an array of colorfully packaged toothpaste. The choices overwhelm you – not only do you have to decide which type and function would serve you and your family best (fluoride? Propolis? Aqua fresh?), you also have to weigh the benefits against the price to give yourself the best value for your money. Then comes the challenge, which brand do you settle for?
If you, like many people I know, usually have a preferred brand or have always been loyal to a particular one and hardly switch brands, then this comes easy for you. But if you are the type who jumps from one to another and likes to experiment with different brands each time, this is like a field trip for you. Colgate? Darlie? Or the one with the cute, grinning polar bear?
Picture courtesy of mkstudio and jamiedoom
Wait. I have another option for you. Just when you thought your options ended there (phew!), out pops another alternative that most people appear to neglect. It’s called a house brand.
House brands, or store brands, consist of products manufactured by the retail outlet you shop in. In Malaysia, it basically means that the product has the same brand name as the outlet itself. Tesco, Giant and Makro’s Aro are a few examples. On the other end is the “out-house brand”, known as name brands, known brands, or sometimes even famous brands. The examples are endless, because, essentially, as long as it is not a store brand then it is the other. Colgate and Darlie, for example, are name brands, as opposed to Tesco brand toothpaste.
If you find yourself trying to recall the last time you have ever seen a particular product with a store brand, you are not alone. There are various reasons for consumers not considering house brands or not being aware of their existence at all. For one, the main business of these outlets are exactly that – the outlet business. Hence, the range of products that are manufactured by them is less wide, and consumers sometimes find that the particular item they are looking for does not come in a store brand name. Just think of your local hypermarkets for example. There may be Aro croissants, or Giant toilet rolls, but is there a Giant brand steam iron or Makro brand screwdriver?
On top of that, these retail outlets typically advertise their products much less compared to name brands. There are a myriad of product advertisements everywhere, on television, radio, billboards, vehicles, and probably any other place marketers can think of. But few promote store brands.
And let’s face it. We have been guilty of thinking house brands can not compare to name brands because of, well, whatever reasons we have. Perhaps some of us feel that the quality would be compromised as they lower their prices in an attempt to give name brands a run for their money. Or it could be that we think they would not put in as much effort to make their products, because it is not the main focus of their business.
Whatever your reasons may be, perhaps it’s time to realize that you could give store brands a chance. It is a fact that store brands are cheaper than known brands, so if the quality of the item you are buying does not matter as much, for instance tissue paper or liquid dishwasher, you might want to consider this cheaper alternative. Hey, sometimes you may even enjoy store brands more. My brother always raves about how Tesco brand chocolate chip cookies taste better than any brand he has ever had from a hypermarket (assuming, of course, that the price is on equal grounds).
Picture courtesy of Tesco.com
Also, we could realize that, as mentioned earlier, one of the reasons we seem to perceive store brands as “inferior” is because of the lack of promotion and advertising. It may not be because the product is of lower quality¡ªit may simply be the fact that it is less seen by the public, and thus viewed as less reputable. Of course, not denying that known brands have established reputations and some may be of better quality due to the higher production costs, the next time you are out shopping, try weighing the odds in choosing between brands. You may just be delighted with your savvy shopping skills!
