The private label pushback – a 3-step promotional framework to win shoppers in the aisles

Private labels are no longer the quiet alternative.

According to recent insights from NIQ, 50% of consumers are buying more private label products than ever before. Even more telling, 40% say they would switch to a private label product they enjoy – even if it costs more. Meanwhile, 67% of global consumers report that they’re likely to try a new brand because of lower pricing.

For CPG brands, competing on price alone therefore isn’t a long-term defense strategy. Retailers are investing heavily in their own brands, shoppers are increasingly intentional with spend, and promotional mechanics that erode margin are becoming harder to justify.

The battleground has shifted from price to perceived value.

So, how do you push back against private label growth without entering a race to the bottom?

A more sustainable approach lies in a three-step promotional framework. Disrupt the decision, reinforce brand meaning, and secure the visibility that retailers value.

Private labels often win in moments of autopilot. The product feels familiar, the price seems reasonable, and the decision appears safe.

Disruption helps to add a new frame of reference at the shelf.

Laundry soap and detergent brand Rinso introduced an on-pack promotion rewarding families with access to attractions and shared experiences. Rather than competing through heavier discounting in a price-sensitive category, the brand connected purchase to meaningful family moments. The activation delivered a 15% sales uplift and a 30% repeat participation rate.

Instead of comparing detergent prices, shoppers were considering the value of shared time. Suddenly, attention shifted – and so did the competitive landscape.

As private label quality improves, functional differentiation becomes harder to sustain. Packaging, claims, and even formulation gaps are narrowing.  

But this is when brand authenticity ensures promotional value feels coherent, rather than compensatory.  

Dollar Shave Club launched a retail activation offering guaranteed experiential rewards: gaming memberships and dining credits. The mechanic aligned naturally with the brand’s personality – modern, irreverent, and experience-led.

The campaign drove a 48% increase in average weekly sales in participating stores, with 61% of shoppers new to the brand.

When promotional mechanics reinforce existing brand meaning, they bolster memory structures rather than dilute them – and that consistency is difficult for private labels to replicate.

Retailers are rational operators, and private labels deliver margin control and differentiation. So, to compete for space, branded suppliers must demonstrate incremental growth.

And experience-led promotions can help build this case.

In global duty-free, Ferrero introduced a campaign rewarding travelers who spent €20 on products with €20 in travel credit. The program aligned with the airport environment and delivered double-digit sell-out increases across multiple locations. By offering genuine added value in context, the activation drove higher spend and reinforced the brand’s contribution to basket expansion.

For retail partners, that represents tangible upside. Campaigns that grow basket size, drive incremental purchase, and attract new shoppers make brands harder to replace with private labels.

Private label growth is unlikely to reverse. Consumers remain cost-conscious, intentional, and increasingly comfortable switching. The response, however, does not have to be reactive.

A sustainable pushback rests on three principles:

1. Interrupt habitual trade-down behavior.
2. Reinforce what only your brand can authentically deliver.
3. Strengthen your commercial case for premium visibility.

Disruption, authenticity, and visibility – applied through a value-led campaign – create distance between branded products and private label alternatives. And in a retail environment where price comparison is instant and shelf space is competitive, emotional value becomes one of the few levers that private labels can't easily replicate.