Control brands offer retailers control over product factors such as pricing, size, package design, production, and distribution. Retailers can develop and implement innovative ideas to gain market share over national brands. This includes the ability to make quick adjustments to products based on customer’s changing preferences.

Successful private label brands will be able to create better sales opportunities for retailers. The customization of store brand labels such as to logos and tag lines can personalize a customer’s shopping experience that leads to higher customer loyalty. As an example, Supervalu’s Wild Harvest organic food line offers its customers healthy food options at low prices with sophisticated package design that rivals that of more exclusive national brands.

Unlike national brand labels, retailers with store labels can shape the shopper’s store experience. This translates into marketing advantages gained from in store placement of private label products and signage. For example, retailers can use horizontal shelf displays techniques, such as brand blocking, and end cap display fixtures to make private labels stand out from national labels.

While value is not the only factor consumers consider when choosing private label brands, it remains an important one. The most significant advantage of private and control brand labels during economic downturns is that price gains importance as consumers increasingly turn to money saving strategies like increasing private label brands to manage budgets.