An investment into private label is partly a bid to expand the unique brand that a store is, in essence, already providing to its community. Exclusive product offerings give customers a chance to take home with them the quality, the values and the healthy lifestyle that the store embodies for them to begin with.
“Private labels really appeal to the natural product customers who are looking to further support their local health food or vitamin store, but want to know that they are getting a quality product,” says Darcie Brault, marketing coordinator for FoodScience of Vermont, Essex Junction, VT. In other words, it’s a chance for shoppers to show you their love at the checkout counter, while at the same time going home with a trusted equivalent to their favorite national brands, or perhaps even something unique to your store. As we explore the whens, whats and whys of private label, Sunil Kohli, COO of Health Plus Inc., Chino, CA, has an important message to keep in mind: “Remember: it is NOT generic, it’s YOUR brand!”
The Private Label Boom
Consumers today all but expect to see private label brand offerings at their favorite stores. President of Vancouver, WA-based Matrix Health Products Steve Kravitz goes so far as to call private labeling ubiquitous. One reason is that where store brands may have once signaled “scrimp and save” to consumers, they now are associated with quality as well as value. “I think today there is less stigma associated with private label being an inferior brand. It has to certainly be a less expensive choice, but it does give people that other choice,” Kravitz says. READ FULL ARTICLE