A store brand, which is usually called a generic product is the goods that are acquired or manufactured by the firm to sell exclusively for the customers. According to Kotler and Keller (2016), store brands account for almost 40 percent of traded goods in grocery stores of Europe and Canada. They are so widespread that every one in five products now estimates store brands in US supermarkets, mass merchandisers, and drug stores. Whereas national brands are goods that developed or acquired for resale to the customer market (Kokemuller, n.d.). Store brands initiate domestic packaging to improve sales of goods so that consumers are impressed by the national brand products and purchase them. This also increases the chances of promotion as it creates a low marketing environment.
There are social, marketing, situational, and psychological factors that affect consumer decision making. Consumers are usually classified according to their social class that influences purchasing behavior. The most apparent effect of social class segregation is a degree of disposable income. For example, the rich can afford more goods, while those in lower social classes cannot. Thus, if store brands do more marketing and promote discounts, they will increase sales, which is an example of a marketing factor. Situational are external factors that come from the environment. For instance, during summer, people usually buy more soft drinks. Among psychological factors are families, friends who purchase products from particular stores, making their close ones do the same. In general, package imitation is unethical because it implies stealing ideas from national brands. However, different social classes might have different attitudes towards this issue because package imitation allows for a more significant choice of products that can be noticed by the consumers.
References
Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2016). A framework for marketing management. Pearson Education.
Kokemuller, N. (n.d). Store brand vs. national brand. Web.