Top Consumer Trends Revealed in Third Annual BrandSpark and Better Homes and Gardens American Shopper Study

NEW YORK, Feb. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- BrandSpark International, along with Better Homes and Gardens, released the top shopper trends from the third annual Best New Product Award (BNPA) American Shopper Study, which surveyed more than 63,000 Americans from coast to coast, and touched on diverse topics including food, health and beauty, and mobile shopping. Highlights from this year's survey include:

FOOD & HEALTH:

• 8 in 10 consumers are looking for products that are healthy.
• 5 in 10 Americans consider themselves to be overweight.
• 7 in 10 consumers are trying to reduce their consumption of processed foods.
• 6 in 10 consumers are looking for food products that can reduce the risk of major health issues.
• 7 in 10 consumers are concerned about the amount of fat in their diet.

"We have seen much innovation over the past few years and can expect this trend to continue.  From a nutritional point of view, consumers are looking for food products that can help them stay healthy and prevent illness.  We can also expect to see continued focus on natural ingredients for food and continued attempts to help consumers eat healthier snacks and control their portion sizes," said Robert Levy, President of BrandSpark International.

LOCAL FOOD:

• Nearly 6 in 10 Americans are consciously trying to buy foods that are local, an increase from 5 in 10 a year ago.
• Many consumers consider food grown in their state as local. Local foods benefit from perceptions of both reduced environmental impact and improved freshness as well as consumers desire to help the local economies and support local farmers.  

BEAUTY:

• 87% of Americans are not under the care of a dermatologist, so consumers are looking to trusted sources and recommendations of others.
• When purchasing beauty products consumers are looking for products that are well priced, simple to use and that are proven effective (the top 3 drivers).
• Trust in the product is crucial and can be established by brand trust, by dermatologists' recommendations, and consumer research that backs up claims.  

PRIVATE LABEL/STORE BRANDS VS. BRAND NAMES and RETAIL BEHAVIORS:

• 6 in 10 consumers consider private label over-the-counter health products as good as brand name, but only 4 in 10 believe the same for beauty products.
• 5 in 10 shoppers believe the best new innovations come from brand name products and 4 in 10 also still consider themselves loyal to brand names.
• 66% of shoppers believe private label products are usually extremely good value, while 66% also prefer purchasing brand name products when they are on sale rather than private label products.  

Retailers should be mindful that the top 3 factors for consumers when shopping are: the products shoppers always need are in stock, the retailer has the freshest products and the shelves are clean and well organized.

WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND INFLUENCE OF WORD OF MOUTH:

• The likelihood to try new products differs by category: over 8 in 10 consumers will try new food products without having received a recommendation, but only 5 in 10 tend to be first to purchase new beauty products.  
• 8 in 10 American shoppers will tell friends and family when they get a deal on something, while 6 in 10 shoppers are likely to buy a product that is recommended by others.  
• The importance of a trusted brand is high for all categories including Food, Health and Beauty and Household products.  The influence of the consumer's mother or grandmother is paramount in establishing that connection with brands.  

MOBILE SHOPPING HABITS

• 1 in 3 American shoppers currently own smart phones. Making or storing shopping lists and downloading coupons are the most common shopping tasks performed on these devices.
• 1 in 4 shoppers are likely to use coupons sent to their mobile device, including 40% of those 18 to 34 years.  

The Top 2011 Better Homes and Gardens Best New Product Awards category winners are:

• Best in Food & Beverage Category and Best in Show: Morey's Fish Creations Prepared Seafood
• Best in Health & Beauty Category: Olay Professional Pro X Intensive Firming Treatment
• Best in Household Products Category: Febreze Destination Collection Air Freshener

The winning products were announced on January 18, 2011 and are featured online at BHG.com.  The winning products will appear in the June issue of Better Homes and Gardens. For a complete list of all 42 winning products, representing a field of 139 products from over 55 manufacturers, visit www.BestNewProductAwards.com.

About the Better Homes and Gardens Best New Product Awards: Known as "The Peoples' Choice Awards" for consumer products, the Best New Product Award is America's preeminent gauge of habits, trends and key insights into the minds of shoppers. 63,664 voted on the best new product innovations in grocery, health, beauty and household categories. The program was developed and is managed by independent market research company BrandSpark International in association with Better Homes and Gardens.

"Now in its third year in America and eighth year in Canada, the Best New Product Award has become the most influential consumer award endorsement for American consumers – and with good reason – it's harder to win a Best New Product Award and the Best New Product Award ranks highest of all awards program when it comes to purchase influence.  Winners have also seen an 18% lift in sales by using the Best New Product Awards logo and research has shown that the logo can influence 4 in 10 consumers towards purchase," adds Levy.  

For the 2011 edition, 139 products made it to the finalist selection, having been nominated by marketers and consumers and representing a meaningful innovation.  All categories were required to have a minimum of 3 products representing at least two different manufacturers.  It only costs $1,000 to enter, there are no compulsory winner's fees making this program accessible to all manufacturers big or small and the selection of winners is made 100% by American Shoppers without any juries.  This year, 55 manufacturers were represented. The result -- the most robust and credible consumer voted awards program in America.

About the 2011 BrandSpark/ Better Homes and Gardens American Shopper Study: BrandSpark announced that this year, the American Shopper Study insights will be mined by BrandSpark International in collaboration with academic partners the University of Cincinnati College of Business and Wilfrid Laurier University School of Business & Economics, as well as Better Homes and Gardens.  The 2011 BrandSpark/Better Homes and Gardens American Shopper Study presents the results of the third annual American shopper trends and behavior survey.  63,664 respondents from across the United States contributed with data weighted to the profile of the MRI principal grocery shopper by gender, age and region. Data was collected November 7th to December 20th, 2010. The BrandSpark Shopper Study was also conducted in Canada, now in its' 8th year as well as in France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Brazil.  In the Canadian Best New Product Awards 36,554 Canadians responded for a total North American sample of 100,218 shoppers.

About Better Homes and Gardens: Better Homes and Gardens serves and connects women who are passionate about their homes and the lives they create there. BHG inspires women to dream and gives them the confidence to move from dreaming to doing. For more information, please visit www.bhg.com.

About BrandSpark International: BrandSpark International, www.BrandSpark.com, is an independent market research and branding strategy firm with a strong grasp on consumer segmentation, innovation, new product research and consumer trends. BrandSpark represents leading North American and Global brands and conducts research all over the world.

SOURCE Better Homes and Gardens