Consumer attitude towards store brands

The consumption of store brands is increasing in the European Union. In Spain it represents 12.4% of the total food shopping. In order to understand this phenomenon better a consumer study was undertaken using 610 consumers from all over Catalonia. The consumers filled in a questionnaire made up of 32 questions based on a simplified model of the Theory of Reasoned Action of Fishbein and Ajzen. The components included in the model were Past Behaviour (2 questions), Attitudes (5 questions), Beliefs (9 questions) and their Evaluations, simplified Neophobia/Neophilia scale (4 questions) and the importance of the special offers. The salient beliefs were obtained from two previous focus groups: one group of professionals and one group of consumers. The results obtained showed a good internal consistency (Cronbach alpha coefficient) in all the multi-item components of the model except for the beliefs. A non-unitary structure of beliefs was detected, although it does not represent a serious problem since consumers do not necessarily have to show consistent beliefs. Most consumers believe that store brands are reliable, different from the brands of the manufacturer and are good value for money. Their quality perception depends on the store, and in general, when the price is the same, the brand of the manufacturer is chosen in accordance with its higher quality image. In several components of the model a clear consumer segmentation was observed depending on the sex of the consumer. In general, women showed a more positive attitude towards store brands than men. Beliefs were bad predictors of attitude, probably due to their non-unitary structure. The most important component in the model predicting behavioural intention was attitude, special offers also being a significant factor. Based on the results obtained, it seems that consumers have clear beliefs about store brands, but probably at the supermarket they will behave in ways that do not necessarily correspond with their beliefs.