There was something to be said about the days when consumers had four or five brands to choose from for each product on the market. Decisions were simple and made quickly. Today, one can observe people standing with a blank stare before rows of products, paralyzed by the overwhelming assortment of colors, labels, and text. Choices are plentiful and decisions are difficult. There is a professional series for every brand and product on the market promising something better than the competition. This promise keeps expanding and growing on a daily basis leaving the consumer completely confused and unsure of what to choose.



Make no mistake consumers do want the opportunity to choose. However, the selections have become so numerous and the distinguishing characteristics so subtle, that it is difficult to make a decision when not well informed. Is there a true distinction between the house brand and the designer brand? Is the vacuum food sealer sold at the chain store any different from the vacuum food sealer for sale at the high-end store? What about shampoos or toothpastes? Are the name brands that offer a professional series any better than the generic brands that offer a professional series? Not likely.

Competition has become so great in recent years that manufacturers cannot afford to produce products that do not compare in quality to those manufactured by the competitor. This is a benefit to the consumer who can feel at ease that the vacuum food sealer, or the hand held vacuum cleaner he or she is purchasing is most likely of equal quality to the others on the shelf. Differences might simply be an extra feature or the range of colors and shapes and not much more than that. Often times, it is the name that adds to the price of a product.

When comparing the ingredients in many products, such as the name brand professional series toothpastes or shampoos against the generic professional series ones, it is clear to see that the differences are minute. Consumers ought to read the label of contents. It is interesting and educational to see just how insignificant the differences are in the ingredients or in the amounts of each ingredient in each of these products. Typically, the major, if only, difference is in the amount of water in the product. On average, the generic brand tends to contain a slightly higher amount of water over the name brand. Sometimes, the differences in amounts or types of ingredients in name brands versus generic brands, is non-existent.

It would not be a surprise if certain products, like shampoo and toothpaste, sold under a generic label, were not the identical shampoo or toothpaste sold under the label of an exclusive name brand. The content is the same, only the label is different. Consumers tend to drift toward the name brand because they like fancy colorful labels, which a top end producer can afford to use. Generic brand producers spend less on marketing.

While pondering about the numerous brands on display, consumers need to keep in mind that the fancier label is not always the fancier product. Buyers need to compare ingredients. If they are comparable, then it is best to purchase the cheaper less attractively packaged brand. In the end, what the consumer is paying for is the cost to produce the label and not for the product itself.