Better Homes and Gardens Best New Product Awards Announces 2015 Winners As Voted By More Than 70,000 Consumers

NEW YORK, Feb. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Better Homes and Gardens, along with leading market research firm BrandSpark International, today announced the winners of the 2015 Better Homes and Gardens Best New Product Awards (www.BestNewProductAwards.com.)  The Best New Product Awards (BNPAs) is the leading consumer-voted CPG awards program in North America, honoring consumer products in the categories of Beauty, Food & Beverage, Health & Personal Care, Household and Kids. This year's 93 winning products are:

"With thousands of new items appearing on store shelves each year, The Best New Product Awards help consumers make informed choices by honoring the brands with new innovations consumers liked best," said Robert Levy, President and CEO of BrandSpark International and Founder of the Best New Product Awards. "For the seventh consecutive year in the U.S., the awards along with the companion BrandSpark/BHG American Shopper Study have unveiled the thoughts and opinions of American shoppers, providing manufacturers with important insights on what Americans are really thinking in store aisles."

The winning products were determined solely by more than 70,000 consumers who participated in an extensive nationwide survey, conducted by independent marketing research firm BrandSpark International in partnership with Better Homes and Gardens. The 2015 survey had 294 entries and 93 winning products across a range of categories. Better Homes and Gardens will showcase the winners and select insights within its print, broadcast and digital properties.

"Better Homes and Gardens inspires women with ways to add color to their lives," said Christine Guilfoyle, Senior Vice President & Group Publisher, Better Homes and Gardens. "The Better Homes and Gardens Best New Product Awards is just one way we encourage our readers to try fresh ideas and innovative products that are proven to make life easier and a touch more colorful." 

Consumers can enter the "Best New Product Awards Shopping Spree Sweepstakes" and win $1500 to purchase all 93 winning products. The sweepstakes is live starting January 26th through June 30th. For more information about the Better Homes and Gardens Best New Product Awards winners, visit: www.BestNewProductAwards.com. 

In addition to determining the winning products, the BrandSpark/BHG American Shopper Study uncovers what is on the minds of American shoppers. Some highlights from this year's survey are:

New Product Interest:  American shoppers are interested in trying innovative new products (78%) and many are open to the idea of paying a premium for quality innovation. 73% of Americans say that they would be willing to pay more for a new product if it is better than the current selection of similar products. In fact, 2 in 3 believe that research and development is constantly leading to better beauty, personal care and health products and 6 in 10 for household products.

Value: 85% feel proud when they get great value for their money, and American shoppers see value in established brands. 73% prefer buying brand name products on sale as opposed to purchasing a private label equivalent.

Food and Health: 83% of Americans believe that there is a lot they can do with food and nutrition to prevent illness, and 53% rely on the nutritional info shown on product packaging to help them eat healthier.

Online Shopping: 89% of Americans shop online. In CPG, beauty leads e-commerce with nearly 1 in 2 shoppers buying beauty products online at least occasionally, compared to 13% for food & beverage and 15% for household care products.

Mobile Shopping Habits: 7 in 10 American shoppers now own a smartphone and more than half use their mobile devices when shopping in-store. Among them, 51% have taken pictures of products they were considering, 49% searched for digital coupons, and 43% compared prices across different retailers.

Beauty and Personal Care: When purchasing beauty products, more than 80% of shoppers consider it extremely or very important that products are well-priced and proven effective. Other important considerations for shoppers include ease of use, trust in the brand, and that the product is gentle on their skin.

Household Care: While 42% are trying to purchase more natural household cleaning products, shoppers rate effectiveness as the most important attribute in a majority of household categories and only 33% believe that natural cleaning products are as effective as synthetic ones.

About Better Homes and Gardens
Better Homes and Gardens serves, connects and inspires readers who infuse color into each aspect of their lives. Reaching 40 million readers a month via the most trusted print magazine, the brand also extends across a robust website, multiple social platforms, tablet editions, mobile apps, broadcast programs and licensed products. Better Homes and Gardens fuels our reader's passions to live a more colorful life through stunning visuals, a balance of substance and surface and a blend of expert and reader ideas. Better Homes and Gardens is published twelve times a year by Meredith Corporation [NYSE: MDP], with a rate base of 7.6 million. For more information, visit www.bhg.com.

About the 2015 BrandSpark/Better Homes and Gardens American Shopper Study
The 2015 BrandSpark/Better Homes and Gardens American Shopper Study presents the results of America's most comprehensive shopper trends and behavior survey. More than 70,000 respondents contributed with data weighted to a national profile of shoppers. The BrandSpark Shopper Study was also conducted in Canada for the 12^th year, and in Mexico, Turkey, China, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.BrandSpark.com.

About BrandSpark International
BrandSpark International is a leading brand, marketing and product innovation research company. Its comprehensive and innovative research approach gets at the heart of how consumers think, why they act the way they do, and what clients need to do about it. With expertise in retail and leisure categories and an exclusive relationship with the Best New Product Awards, BrandSpark International has a deep global perspective on the drivers of innovation unlike any other research company. For more information, visit www.BrandSpark.com.

SOURCE Better Homes and Gardens