In the aisles of supermarkets, something has changed. The bright colors and catchy slogans of major brands now coexist with more sober, sometimes almost austere, packaging. White, black, simple typography. No superfluous promises. Just a price, often the lowest in the department. Budget brands, long relegated to the back of shelves, now occupy a central place in consumption habits.
This development is neither anecdotal nor temporary. It recounts a profound transformation in our relationship to consumption, under the combined effect of inflation, the decline in purchasing power and an increased search for rationality in everyday spending.
Inflation and arbitrage: the consumer facing constraints
For several years, inflation has had a lasting impact on households. According to data from INSEE and Eurostat, food prices have increased by 15 to 20% cumulatively between 2022 and 2024 in many European countries. Basic products: pasta, oil, milk, eggs, etc. are among the most affected.
Result: when it comes time to fill the cart, consumers arbitrate.
- Faster.
- More often.
- Harder.
According to a NielsenIQ study, nearly 6 in 10 consumers say they have changed their food purchasing habits, favoring cheaper products, family sizes or private labels. The reflex is no longer punctual: it takes hold.
Top-price brands, big winners on the shelves
Long perceived as a default choice, or even a renunciation, budget brands are now experiencing spectacular growth. In France, private label brands represent more than 35% of food sales by value, with even greater growth for the “low price” segments.
This phenomenon goes far beyond France. In Spain, Germany and Italy, discount brands and reduced-price products are gaining market share, including among population categories that were previously little affected: middle classes, young workers, retirees.
The first prize is no longer reserved for the end of difficult months. It becomes an assumed choice.
Behind the low price, a controlled industrial strategy
Contrary to popular belief, low-cost products are not necessarily synonymous with poor quality. Their model is based on a precise industrial logic:
- minimalist packaging,
- short scales,
- optimized logistics,
- marketing reduced to the strict minimum.
By eliminating costs linked to advertising, cosmetic innovation or brand storytelling, brands manage to offer significantly lower prices, sometimes 30 to 50% cheaper than major national brands.
Some brands are even investing in stricter specifications, particularly for basic food products, in order to reassure consumers who have become more attentive to composition and origin.
A relationship with price that becomes political and emotional
Choosing a low-cost product is no longer just an economic act. It is also, for many, a way of regaining control. Faced with a diffuse feeling of loss of purchasing power, the price becomes a marker of lucidity, even resistance.
Sociologists of consumption emphasize that this development reflects a cultural change: the transition from statutory consumption to functional consumption. The object is no longer there to say who we are, but to meet a specific need, at the lowest cost.
In this context, the big brand loses its aura. It must now justify its price.
Big brands under pressure
Faced with this rise in first prices, the big brands are reacting. More frequent promotions, economical formats, new “essential” ranges. Some are even launching low-cost sub-brands, deliberately blurring the lines between premium and discount.
But this strategy has its limits. Multiplying promotions weakens margins and trivializes the product. And above all, it accustoms the consumer to expect the low price.
According to a Kantar study, more than 70% of consumers now believe that many major brand products are too expensive compared to their perceived value. A strong signal.
Mass distribution, silent arbiter
At the heart of this recomposition, mass distribution plays a key role. By developing its own low-cost brands, it strengthens its power over manufacturers. It controls the price, the display on the shelves, and sometimes even the production.
The brands thus become brands in their own right. The consumer no longer buys just a product, but an implicit promise: “the right price”.
This strategy is part of a logic of loyalty, at a time when budgetary decisions make consumers more volatile than ever.
Towards a standardization of the first price?
The question is no longer whether budget brands will prevail, but to what extent. For many experts, they are expected to become the standard for everyday products, while major brands will reposition themselves in more differentiating segments: innovation, health, sustainability, pleasure.
There remains a central issue: that of quality and remuneration in the agricultural and industrial sectors. Because behind low prices there are also complex social and economic balances at play.
What the rays really say
Supermarket shelves have become a faithful mirror of our societies. They talk about economic tensions, concerns, but also collective adaptations. The success of budget brands is not a simple effect of the crisis: it is the symptom of a lasting change in our way of consuming.
