Cosmetics shoppers are most loyal to brands - discount houses

Discount Store News, Oct 18, 1993

Discount store cosmetics shoppers take an "if it isn't broke, don't fix it" approach. Female consumers in the cosmetics category, no matter their age, are very loyal to their favorite brands and in most cases would not buy a store or private label brand or even switch brands if they couldn't find the brand they wanted in their favorite discount store.

According to DSN's Top Brands survey, only 35% of the women polled indicated that they would be willing to buy a brand other than their preferred one, and only 37% said that they would switch brands if they didn't find the brand they wanted. In both cases, these consumers were the most brand-loyal of all 23 categories surveyed.

While the cosmetics industry inundates consumers with advertising, it is possibly the most personal of the categories, since the products look different on each woman. This might, in part, contribute to a consumer's reluctance to try something new once a brand has proven itself effective.

And why should they opt for another brand when more than 50% are confident that they will find the brand they want in their cosmetics departments?

Besides being brand loyal, female consumers displayed a clear difference in brand preference by age. The top three brands--Maybelline, Cover Girl and Revlon -- each received recognition from a different age group. Consumers under age 35 mentioned. Maybelline as their No. 1 brand; Boomers, aged 35 to 49, named Cover Girl as their preferred brand; and Empty Nesters, aged 50 and over, chose Revlon as their preferred brand.

The brands were also consistent performers at the Big Three discounters. At Kmart, each of the three brands received high marks; Wal-Mart shoppers preferred Maybelline and Cover Girl and, to a lesser extent, Revlon. At Target, Cover Girl and Revlon faired slightly better than Maybelline among shoppers at that upscale discount chain.

These three brands also were designated as Power Brands, which reflects the appeal of the brand to both the consumer and retailer. Interestingly, both consumers and store managers, who were surveyed in the first part of the Top Brands survey (see DSN, Oct. 4, 1993), were in agreement on seven of the Top 10 brands in the cosmetics.

This agreement proves the strength of the top brands at the store level and that consumers are finding brands they want because store managers know what they look for and keep the shelves stocked with those products.

Life Stage Analysis: Cosmetics(*)
(Top brands by age group)
    Busters              Boomers            Empty Nesters
   (Under 35)            (35-49)            (50 and over)
Maybelline   35.0%   Cover Girl   32.5%   Revlon       31.3%
Cover Girl   23.4    Maybelline   30.9    Maybelline   20.0
Revlon       21.8    Revlon       18.9    Cover Girl   18.5
L'Oreal       6.9    L'Oreal      10.5    Avon          8.2
Almay         6.9    Almay         8.3    Almay         6.0
(*) Asked of women only
  Source: Discount Store News/Leo J. Shapiro & Associates

[TABULAR DATA OMITTED]