Illustration
Photo: Dana Kopel
Do Israelis buy fewer brands due to protest?
Majority of shoppers say social protest has made them more price-conscious, causing them to buy more generic goods
Could the consumer boycotts that emerged from last summer's social protest movement have revolutionized Israelis' shopping habits? The consumers seem to think so, according a study conducted by the Superbrands organization.
According to the study, the majority of Israeli consumers state that they have become more price-conscious since the protest movement began; due to the fact that brands cost more, they choose to buy them less.
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When asked whether the social protest changed how the view and buy brand name products, 43.2% reported no change, while 36.3% said that they now choose to buy generic products more often than they used to. More notably, 19.4% said they have completely stopped buying brand name goods. A little over 1% said they now buy more of the fancy products than ever.
While there is often a gap between consumers' words and actions, the assertion does indicate that shoppers have cultivated – to some extent – an animosity towards brand names, a development that should serve as a warning to manufacturers.
No compromises on cigarette brands (Photo: Shutterstock)
A closer look at Israelis' shopping habits found that when it comes to fashion, Jewelry, alcohol, cigarettes, cosmetics, baby food and health products, consumers are still willing to pay more the obtain brand name products. Meanwhile, shoppers are unwilling to pay more for well known banking and internet services, coffee shops, restaurants and cars.
The study, which was conducted in May, surveyed 800 people that make up a representative sample of the Israeli public.
The Superbrands group has identified 290 product lines as Israel's strongest brands – out of 2,500 brands that are sold in the country.
The Strauss Group was found to manufacture more strong brands than any other company – 14 product lines in total, including Strauss, Elite, Max Brenner and Danone, among others.
Celebrities and politicians have also been classified as top brands by the group – including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yair Lapid.
