Many shoppers in the US are now displaying stronger preferences for specific brands than was the case last year, although a large number of consumers remain cautious.

RetailingToday has released the results of its annual survey of popular spending habits in America, which has been conducted every year for over two decades.Its Top Brands study revealed that in 13 of 17 categories, including snacks, confectionery, grocery, electronics and toys, participants were exhibiting greater attachment to their favourite products. The other four sectors – beverages, photo and film, cosmetics and health and beauty – saw scores on this measure either hold steady or fall very slightly.

Respondents routinely expected to find well-known goods made by firms like Coca-Cola, Nike, Sony and Kellogg's to be available when they visited big stores. As such, moves by chains like Wal-Mart to delist certain premium offerings that are deemed to be under-performing are unlikely to receive a positive response from customers. These strategies, also adopted by some marketers that have dropped niche items within their portfolios, thus often come "at the expense of shoppers".

In concluding, RetailingToday warned the rise of own-label, typified by the relaunch of Wal-Mart's Great Value line and the introduction of Up & Up at Target would continue to pose a challenge.

source: warc.com