Switch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Switch Marketing and the Retail Pricing of Brands and Private Label Productsof Brands and Private Label Products
Ratula ChakrabortyRatula Chakrabortyl bl bPaul W. DobsonPaul W. Dobson
Jonathan S. SeatonJonathan S. Seaton
STRATEGIES IN THE RETAILING INDUSTRYSTRATEGIES IN THE RETAILING INDUSTRYINRA-IDEI SEMINAR
TOULOUSE
16 May 201116 May 2011
IntroductionSwitch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
IntroductionThe Private Label Phenomenon… Private label (“PL”) market share has grown as grocery Private label ( PL ) market share has grown as grocery
markets have become more concentrated
Private label has come to rival and even dominate brands inPrivate label has come to rival and even dominate brands in many categories
But….But…. Is this growth in private label necessarily benign?
How has this growth in private label affected retail and How has this growth in private label affected retail and producer competition?
Do retailers favour private label at the expense of brands and p pdistort consumers’ choices and the prices they face?
Private Label Share Forecast to Keep GrowingSwitch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
Private Label Share Forecast to Keep GrowingPrivate Label Share of Market by Value, 2008-20012 (%)
Steering Consumers to Buy Private LabelSwitch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
Steering Consumers to Buy Private LabelConcerns about retailers’ use of “switch marketing”:
The Practice: Using marketing to encourage consumers to switch from
buying one product to a different onebuying one product to a different one
The Context: Retailers encouraging consumers to switch from brands to Retailers encouraging consumers to switch from brands to
private labels Retailers exploiting “double agent” role as brand producers’
customer and competitor
The Implications: Distorted competition? Consumer detriment?
Why Favour Private Label?
Switch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
Why Favour Private Label?Possible business advantages for the retailer: Generate higher margins
saving on brand marketing costs; free-riding on brand investments
Facilitate consumer segmentation multiple price-quality tiers in category price architectures
P t & b ild l lt Promote own name & build consumer loyalty label bearing retailer’s name; draw quality inferences from the
leading brands; consumers’ champion image g ; p g
Enhance retailer differentiation & reduce price comparability differentiation as own brands are unique to the retailer
Weaken brand producer’s bargaining position extract more favourable terms through increased discounts and
incentive payments from brand producersincentive payments from brand producers
PL Favouritism and the Marketing MixSwitch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
PL Favouritism and the Marketing Mix Product – influencing consumers’ product choices
controlling range; advanced brand design knowledge; PL copycat formulation/packaging; PL multiple quality tiers; brand delisting
P i i fl i ’ l ti Price – influencing consumers’ value perceptions label bearing retailer’s name; draw quality inferences from the
leading brands; framing effects
Place – influencing consumers’ accessibility gatekeeper power controlling distribution; in-store product g p p g ; p
placement; shelf allocation; shelf positioning; stock replenishment
Promotion – influencing consumers’ knowledge controlling in-store advertising; media advertising campaigns
(“switch and save”); targeted advertising (“cheaper alternatives!”); personalised marketing (loyalty card data)p g ( y y )
Examples of Blatant PL Favouritism #1Switch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
Examples of Blatant PL Favouritism #1 Brand Lookalikes
Examples of Blatant PL Favouritism #2Switch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
Examples of Blatant PL Favouritism #2 Tactics focused on consumer trial Blind taste tests – Wegmans in US (“Great Taste Wins”
campaign), Sainsbury’s in UK (“Taste Test Challenge”)
Coupons Buying a brand triggers coupon for PL Spartan Coupons – Buying a brand triggers coupon for PL – Spartan in US
Giveaways – “Buy the brand, get the PL equivalent free” – Giveaways Buy the brand, get the PL equivalent free Publix in US (“Brands Challenge” BOGO campaign)
Brand delisting trials – temporarily delist brand and see if consumers complain or shop elsewhere Asda in UKconsumers complain or shop elsewhere – Asda in UK
Shelf-space allocation and shelf positioning Giving PL a greater number of facings and mid-shelf, eye-
level placement as well as special product displays – see Fernandez Nogales and Gomez Suarez (2005) for a Spanish g ( ) pcase study
Examples of Blatant PL Favouritism #3Switch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
Examples of Blatant PL Favouritism #3 ”Compare and Save” PromotionsEstablished in-store signage tactic used by grocery,
general merchandising, drug store and stationery retailers in the US (e g Wal Mart CVS and Staples)retailers in the US (e.g. Wal-Mart, CVS, and Staples)
Similar tactic seen in other countries including Australia (W l th ) d th h d ti i l fl t i(Woolworths) and through advertising leaflets in Germany (Rewe and Müller)
Large scale “switch marketing” campaigns in the UK:Large-scale switch marketing campaigns in the UK: Sainsbury’s “Switch and Save” promoting “Switch to
Sainsbury’s own brand and save at least 20%”Sainsbury s own brand and save at least 20% Tesco “See Cheaper Alternatives!” web tool on tesco.com
and backed up by TV advertising campaign
Sainsbury’s “Switch and Save” #1
Switch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
Sainsbury s Switch and Save #1
Sainsbury’s “Switch and Save” #2
Switch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
Sainsbury s Switch and Save #2
Tesco “See Cheaper Alternatives!” #1
Switch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
Tesco See Cheaper Alternatives! #1
Tesco “See Cheaper Alternatives!” #2
Switch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
Tesco See Cheaper Alternatives! #2
Tesco “See Cheaper Alternatives!” #2
Switch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
Tesco See Cheaper Alternatives! #2
More Subtle PL FavouritismSwitch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
More Subtle PL FavouritismStrategic pricing for driving PL growth or extracting
more category revenue:
Do retailers using pricing either to steer consumersDo retailers using pricing either to steer consumers towards PL or to better price target them through their different price sensitivity on brands and PL?
What pricing tactics might be used to favour PL and/or better segment consumers and how common are these?g
To what extent do pricing tactics favouring PL depend on the retailer’s identity producer’s identity brand statusthe retailer s identity, producer s identity, brand status, private-label status, and/or product category?
Pricing Tactics to Favour Private LabelSwitch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
Pricing Tactics to Favour Private Label “Rip-off Brand” Tactic
Brand price raised to choke demand in favour of switch to PL
“Value Champion PL” Tactic Private label price reduced to enhance perceived value for money
and make brands look poor value by comparison
“E l Q lit B t B tt V l PL” T ti “Equal-Quality-But-Better Value PL” Tactic Private label price tracks brand price closely but at a slight discount
(e.g. umbrella pricing) ( g p g)
“Dubious Brand Value” Tactic Brand prices raised and lowered in yo-yo fashion or in Edgeworth a d p ces a sed a d o e ed yo yo as o o dge o t
Cycles (small steps down then big jump up) to confuse consumers on real value and encourage trial of more consistently priced PL
but are these tactics used in practice?Switch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
…but are these tactics used in practice?Empirical study of brand and equivalent PL prices p y q p
in UK grocery retailing:
Matched pairs of branded goods and private label Matched pairs of branded goods and private label equivalents across different grocery product categories
Weekl pdated p ices f om top 4 UK g oce etaile s o e Weekly updated prices from top 4 UK grocery retailers over a five-year period on these matched pairs
Study provides insights on retail price competition, whether different retailers apply the same or different pricing tactics as well as the treatment of brand and private labeltactics, as well as the treatment of brand and private label prices
Background on UK Grocery MarketSwitch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
Background on UK Grocery Market UK grocery sector worth £140bn in 2008 (IGD)
The “Big 4” (Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury, and Morrison) dominate the national market (with 75% of supermarket sales and 65% of all grocery sales)
Sector subject to several investigations over the past decade (e.g. Competition Commission 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008)
Continued concerns about the power of the major chains as p jboth sellers and buyers and the impact on consumers
Concern that with continuing consolidation retailers will gincreasingly be able to dictate product choices and prices to consumers
Comparison of the “Big 4” UK RetailersSwitch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
Comparison of the Big 4 UK RetailersTable 1: Sales Performance of Top 4 UK Grocery Retailers, 2008
Measure Tesco Asda Sainsbury’s Morrisons
Share of trade (%) 28.1 15.5 14.3 10.4
Penetration – all shoppers (%) 84.9 67.9 63.7 60.2
Average visits per shopper p.a. 39.9 25.7 27.5 24.6
Average spend per shopper (£) 1265.74 871.83 862.18 606.05
Average spend per visit (£m) 31.75 33.95 31.34 26.85
Penetration – main shoppers (%) 34 18 16 13
Retailer loyalty main shoppers (%) 65 64 66 60Retailer loyalty – main shoppers (%) 65 64 66 60
% Spend on promotional offer 28 28 30 30
Own label share (%) 47 47 48 47
Source: Adapted from Nielsen (2009)
Market Share Trends of the Big 4
Switch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
Market Share Trends of the Big 4
Matched-Pairs Analysis – Preliminary Results
Switch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
Matched Pairs Analysis Preliminary Results
Analysis of pricing patterns across matched pairs ofAnalysis of pricing patterns across matched pairs of branded goods and private label equivalents
Ti P i d 5 (10/11/03 t 24/11/08) Time Period – 5 years (10/11/03 to 24/11/08)
Data – Weekly prices on single items
Sample – 60 matched pairs in Big 4 retailers (127K obs)
P d k d d f f i Products – packaged goods for range of categories
Price range – min £0.12, max £7.69, mean £1.12g , ,
“Rip-off Brand” TacticSwitch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
Price
Rip-off Brand TacticBrand premium widens as brand price increases
dBrand
Private labelPrivate label
Time
“Rip-off Brand” Tactic?Switch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
1 6
1.8
KELLOGGS CORN FLAKES 500G
£'s
1.4
1.6
1
1.2
0.6
0.8
0.2
0.4
0
Tesco B Sainsbury B Morrison B ASDA B Tesco PL Sainsbury PL Morrison PL ASDA PL
“Value Champion PL” Tactic
Switch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
Price
Value Champion PL TacticBrand premium widens as PL price falls
Price
Brand
Private label
Time
“Value Champion PL” Tactic?Switch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
4
4.5
NESCAFE INSTANT COFFEE 200G
£'s
3
3.5
2
2.5
3
1.5
2
0.5
1
0
Tesco B Sainsbury B Morrison B ASDA B Tesco PL Sainsbury PL Morrison PL ASDA PL
“Same Quality Better Value PL” Tactic
Switch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
Price
Same-Quality-Better-Value PL TacticBrand premium small and consistent over time
Price
Brand
Private label
Time
“Same-Quality-Better-Value PL” Tactic?Switch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
1.8
2
FLORA PURE SUNFLOWER OIL 1LT BOTTLE
£'s
1.4
1.6
1
1.2
0.6
0.8
0.2
0.4
0
Tesco B Sainsbury B Morrison B ASDA B Tesco PL Sainsbury PL Morrison PL ASDA PL
“Dubious Brand Value” Tactic
Switch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
Price
Dubious Brand Value TacticBrand premium inconsistent with volatile brand price
Price
Brand
i l b lPrivate label
Time
“Dubious Brand Value” Tactic?Switch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
1.4
ST IVEL UTTERLY BUTTERLY 500G
£'s
1
1.2
0.8
0.4
0.6
0.2
0
Tesco B Sainsbury B Morrison B ASDA B Tesco PL Sainsbury PL Morrison PL ASDA PL
Example of Unstable Price RelationshipSwitch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
3 5
4
FILIPPO BERIO MILD & LIGHT OLIVE OIL 500ML
£'s
3
3.5
2
2.5
1
1.5
0.5
0
Tesco B Sainsbury B Morrison B ASDA B Tesco PL Sainsbury PL Morrison PL ASDA PL
Example of Suddenly Changing Price RelationshipSwitch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
1.2
HEINZ TOMATO KETCHUP BOTTLE 340G/342G
£'s
0 8
1
0.6
0.8
0.4
0.2
0
Tesco B Sainsbury B Morrison B ASDA B Tesco PL Sainsbury PL Morrison PL ASDA PL
General Empirical FindingsSwitch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
General Empirical FindingsMatched pairs analysis suggests the following:
Brand premium – Increased over 5 yrs by 45% on average
Price dispersion across retailers – greater on PL, until 2008p g ,
Price matching across retailers – greater on brands, until 2008
P i l tilit i h h t f b d d h Price volatility – price churn much greater for brands and much greater for Tesco and Asda than Sainsbury and Morrisons
P i h Price changes– almost twice as many price cuts as price rises over 5 yrs
six times more price changes ≥ 50p on brands than PL– six times more price changes ≥ 50p on brands than PL– 33% of brand price cuts by 1p; 18% of PL price cuts by 1p– 32% of Tesco price cuts by 1p; 29% of Asda price cuts by 1p– 32% of Tesco price cuts by 1p; 29% of Asda price cuts by 1p
Rising Brand-PL Price GapSwitch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
90
100
Brand Premium (%) By Retailer
70
80
90
50
60
30
40
10
20
0
Tesco Sainsbury Morrison ASDA
Price dispersion greater on PL, until recentlySwitch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
0.16
Mean Coefficient of Variation for Brands and PL
0.12
0.14
0.08
0.1
0 04
0.06
0
0.02
0.04
0
10 November
2003
10 May 2004
10 November
2004
10 May 2005
10 November
2005
10 May 2006
10 November
2006
10 May 2007
10 November
2007
10 May 2008
10 November
2008
Brand PL
Retailer price matching – rises then falls on brandsSwitch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
100%
Retailer Price Matching on Brands
70%
80%
90%
50%
60%
20%
30%
40%
0%
10%
20%
4 kind 3kind 2pair onepair nonPsame
Retailer price matching – rises and falls less on OLSwitch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
100%
Retailer Price Matching on Private Label
70%
80%
90%
50%
60%
%
30%
40%
10%
20%
0%
4 kind 3kind 2pair onepair none
Increasing Price VolatilitySwitch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
50
Number of Price Cuts & Rises Per Week (3mth MA)
35
40
45
25
30
10
15
20
0
5
10
PL Falls PL Rises Brand Falls Brand Rises
….but many price cuts are just one pennySwitch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
y p j p y
30
Number of 1p Price Cuts each Week for Brands & PL
25
15
20
5
10
0
PL Brand
Price cuts more frequent than price risesSwitch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
‐4500 ‐3500 ‐2500 ‐1500 ‐500 500 1500 2500 3500 4500
Brand & PL Price Changes:Cumulative Distribution (1p-30p)
‐4500 ‐3500 ‐2500 ‐1500 ‐500 500 1500 2500 3500 4500
1
3
55
7
9
11
13
15
17
19
21
23
25
27
29
Falls Brand Rises Brand Rises PL Falls PL
….but average prices rising over timeSwitch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
1.7
Mean Brand & PL Prices by Retailer (£'s)
1.5
1.1
1.3
0.9
0.7
0.5
Tesco B Sainsbury B Morrison B ASDA B Tesco PL Sainsbury PL Morrison PL ASDA PL
Brand price churn greater at Tesco & AsdaSwitch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
‐4500 ‐3500 ‐2500 ‐1500 ‐500 500 1500 2500 3500 4500
Brand Price Changes:Cumulative Distribution by Retailer (1p-30p)
4500 3500 2500 1500 500 500 1500 2500 3500 4500
1
3
5
7
9
11
13
15
17
19
21
23
25
27
29
Falls T Falls S Falls M Falls A Rises T Rises S Rises M Rises A
….less OL price churn and more symmetricSwitch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
4500 3500 2500 1500 500 500 1500 2500 3500 4500
PL Price Changes:Cumulative Distribution by Retailer (1p-30p)
‐4500 ‐3500 ‐2500 ‐1500 ‐500 500 1500 2500 3500 4500
1
3
55
7
9
1111
13
15
1717
19
21
2323
25
27
2929
Falls T Falls S Falls M Falls A Rises T Rises S Rises M Rises A
Alternative ExplanationsSwitch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
Alternative Explanations Outcomes down to manufacturers? Manufacturers cannot fix retail prices (as RPM is banned) Temporary price reductions co-funded but does not explain
small price changes on brands Little indication of fixed or regular interval (e.g. annual)
brand price risesbrand price rises
Innocent retail behaviour as an outcome of effective competition preventing price manipulation? But is retail price competition effective?
1 I di ti th t i l d hi b h i i t1. Indication that price leadership behaviour exists2. Indication that brand/OL price movements very weakly
aligned – suggesting consumer segmentation strategyaligned suggesting consumer segmentation strategy
Leads/Lags to Tesco Price Changes/
Switch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
60
70
80
Leader/Follower ‐ If Tesco OL price changes what do others do to OL price?
120
140
Leader/Follower ‐ If Tesco brand price changes what do others do to Brand price?
Brand rise/rise OL rise/rise
30
40
50
60
60
80
100
Brand rise/rise
0
10
20
0
20
40
‐10 ‐9 ‐8 ‐7 ‐6 ‐5 ‐4 ‐3 ‐2 ‐1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Tesco Sainsbury Morrisons ASDA
‐10.00 ‐9.00 ‐8.00 ‐7.00 ‐6.00 ‐5.00 ‐4.00 ‐3.00 ‐2.00 ‐1.00 0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 7.00 8.00 9.00 10.00
Tesco Sainsbury Morrisons ASDA
70.00
Leader/Follower ‐ If Tesco OL price changes what do others do to OL price?
250.00
Leader/Follower ‐ If Tesco brand price changes what do others do to brand price?
Brand fall/fall
40 00
50.00
60.00
150.00
200.00
Brand fall/fallOL fall/fall
20.00
30.00
40.00
50.00
100.00
0.00
10.00
‐10 ‐9 ‐8 ‐7 ‐6 ‐5 ‐4 ‐3 ‐2 ‐1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Tesco Sainsbury Morrisons ASDA
0.00
‐10 ‐9 ‐8 ‐7 ‐6 ‐5 ‐4 ‐3 ‐2 ‐1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Tesco Sainsbury Morrisons ASDA
Leads/Lags to Asda Price ChangesSwitch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
80.00
90.00
100.00
Leader/Follower ‐ If ASDA brand price changes what do others do to brand price?
6.00E+01
7.00E+01
Leader/Follower ‐ If ASDA OL price changes what do others do to OL price?
Brand rise/rise OL rise/rise
40.00
50.00
60.00
70.00
3.00E+01
4.00E+01
5.00E+01Brand rise/rise OL rise/rise
0.00
10.00
20.00
30.00
0 00E+00
1.00E+01
2.00E+01
0.00
‐10 ‐9 ‐8 ‐7 ‐6 ‐5 ‐4 ‐3 ‐2 ‐1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Tesco Sainsbury Morrisons ASDA
0.00E+00
‐10 ‐9 ‐8 ‐7 ‐6 ‐5 ‐4 ‐3 ‐2 ‐1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Tesco Sainsbury Morrisons ASDA
250.00
Leader/Follower ‐ ASDA brand price changes what do others do to brand price?
70.00
Leader/Follower ‐ ASDA OL price changes what do others do to OL price?
150.00
200.00
50.00
60.00Brand fall/fallOL fall/fall
50 00
100.00
20.00
30.00
40.00
0.00
50.00
‐10.00 ‐9.00 ‐8.00 ‐7.00 ‐6.00 ‐5.00 ‐4.00 ‐3.00 ‐2.00 ‐1.00 0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 7.00 8.00 9.00 10.00
Tesco Sainsbury Morrisons ASDA
0.00
10.00
‐10.00 ‐9.00 ‐8.00 ‐7.00 ‐6.00 ‐5.00 ‐4.00 ‐3.00 ‐2.00 ‐1.00 0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 7.00 8.00 9.00 10.00
Tesco Sainsbury Morrisons ASDA
Price Correlation AnalysisSwitch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
Price Correlation Analysis Average correlation coefficients across the sample:
Tesco B Sains B Morr B ASDA B Tesco OL Sains OL Morr OL ASDA OL
Tesco B 1.000 0.628 0.503 0.682 0.180 0.132 0.075 0.192Tesco B 1.000 0.628 0.503 0.682 0.180 0.132 0.075 0.192
Sains B 0.628 1.000 0.523 0.620 0.227 0.217 0.129 0.250
Morr B 0.503 0.523 1.000 0.503 0.220 0.235 0.232 0.239
ASDA B 0.682 0.620 0.503 1.000 0.183 0.154 0.083 0.212
Tesco OL 0.180 0.227 0.220 0.183 1.000 0.652 0.505 0.830
Sains OL 0 132 0 217 0 235 0 154 0 652 1 000 0 583 0 622Sains OL 0.132 0.217 0.235 0.154 0.652 1.000 0.583 0.622
Morr OL 0.075 0.129 0.232 0.083 0.505 0.583 1.000 0.493
ASDA OL 0.192 0.250 0.239 0.212 0.830 0.622 0.493 1.000
Warning: interpret with caution given non-stationarity/cointegration g p g y/ gissues, oddly behaved residuals, and very little change in the data
Implications: Effects on Competition
Switch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
Implications: Effects on CompetitionPrivate label favouritism could distort competition:Private label favouritism could distort competition:
Restricted access for brand producers d b d l d b PL d t “di t ” b d secondary brands replaced by PL and store “discounter” brands difficulty for new brands to gain entry
Undermining brand investments “me-too” PL free riding on marketing, formulation and packaging “ t” PL f idi b d i d d ill “copycat” PL free riding on brand image and goodwill
Raising rivals’ costs increased brand advertising, R&D effort, funded price promotions,
shelf-space fees and other payments/obligations to retailers
Implications: Effects on Consumers
Switch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
Implications: Effects on ConsumersPrivate label favouritism could harm consumers: Poor value
E.g. “umbrella pricing” – PL tracks brand prices rather than costs
Misleading value E.g. “goldilocks pricing” – distorted pricing architectures
Undermined value E.g. “yo-yo pricing” – damage brand image and worth
Restricted value E.g. restricted choice with brand foreclosure
Declining value E.g. moral hazard problem deters future brand investment
ConclusionSwitch Marketing and the Retail Pricing Pricing of Brands and Private Label Products Chakraborty, Dobson & Seaton
Conclusion Retailers in “double agent” position as customer and
competitor for branded goods producerscompetitor for branded goods producers
Scope for favouring private label over brands through it h k ti d t t i t il i iswitch marketing and strategic retail pricing
Concerns about distorted competition leading to consumer harm
Empirical work required to determine the extent of theEmpirical work required to determine the extent of the problem and its effects on the market
Consideration of policy measures to protect competition? Consideration of policy measures to protect competition?