lost in the supermarket
There's an old adage that goes along the lines of 'there are no low interest categories only low interest brands'.
I'm not sure I subscribe to this point of view.
Most everyday categories are pretty low interest and most brands in those categories are too.
Simple brand recognition and habit are probably the biggest influence.
A tale of terror I am oft to recount is about the time when we had just arrived in Australia and ventured to the supermarket to purchase some sundries.
Washing powder being one of said items.
The terror of being confronted with what seemed like a hundred options and not having the first clue who any of these brands were is one that I still makes me shudder.
All of a sudden I had to actually think about a decision that should have been more or less automatic.
And sadly no amount of critical thinking was going to help me.
I had to take a punt.
Yes, big purchase decisions are perhaps somewhat determined by how we feel about brands, but so too are everyday choices to a certain extent.
Without simple 'recognition', then making a selection is hard. I had never 'heard of' any of these brands.
In case you are wondering, I went with FAB using another shortcut. They had the largest shelf presence (a proxy for popularity) and were neither the cheapest or the most expensive.
On the subject of soap powder, it was nice to see that the oldies are still the goodies, as Jarrah have sort of revived the Daz Doorstep Challenge for their tea/coffeee alternatives, with Dame Edna doing the Danny Baker part.
