More than half of shoppers (53%) say package label claims—All Natural, Maximum Strength, Real Fruit Juice—are either extremely or very important to their product purchases.
But which product claims, specifically, have most sway over shoppers and their spending?
On Monday evening, within three hours, mobile solutions firm Field Agent surveyed more than 2,000 members of its all-mobile panel to identify the most influential label claims across four product categories: packaged foods, non-alcoholic beverages, hair care products, and OTC medications—categories with, well, a penchant for making bold assertions on their packaging. Field Agent had previously explored the most effective label claims in both the cosmetic and pet supply categories.
So, what on-package verbiage really moves shoppers?
The infographic below details the top five label claims in six important categories.
Thus, depending on the product, the "magic words" may well be whole grain/natural (packaged foods), real fruit juice (packaged, non-alcoholic beverages), maximum strength (OTC medication), moisturizing (hair care), real meat (pet supplies), and dermatologist tested/sunscreen (cosmetics), or some variation of these words.
For many shoppers, such claims do have power over pocketbooks. In the words of one 46-year-old man, “Due to my current diet, I look for zero or low calories. My wife likes me to look for ‘whole grain’ and ‘organic.’”
Due to my current diet, I look for zero or low calories. My wife likes me to look for ‘whole grain’ and ‘organic.’ (46-year-old, male shopper)
The product category itself may, however, influence the ability of a package claim to "seal the deal" with shoppers. By way of illustration, one 56-year-old woman said, “I'm very skeptical of label claims. OTC meds (‘Extra Strength’) are much more believable to me because they have to be legit...”
Asked to rank the product categories above by the relative power of their label claims, shoppers rated the claims of packaged foods, followed by OTC medications, as comparatively more influential over their spending than those found on beverages, hair care products, cosmetics, and pet supplies.
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