HANG TAG RESEARCH STUDY
The COTTON USA Mark is a sign of softness, strength, comfort and sustainability to consumers around the world. It identifies superior cotton products made with a majority of cotton grown in the USA. In a recent study, the COTTON USA Mark was proven to add value for consumers. But even more significantly, they indicated that they would be willing to pay more for a product with the COTTON USA Mark rather than a generic 100% cotton logo. Highlights of the research study are mentioned bellow-
Hang Tag study
For almost 30 years, the Cotton Council International (CCI) has licensed products with the COTTON USA™ trademark. The fact that it’s been used on 51,000 product lines and 3.8 billion products is a strong indication that there’s value to it, but the power of mark to drive purchase was not scientifically quantified. This past year, CCI decided to change that.
CCI conducted global consumer surveys in December 2016 and February 2017, targeting the largest developed and developing markets in the world. At least 300 respondents per country (600 total in the EU), representing the largest consumer markets in the world, were surveyed. The US, Canada, UK, and EU were included as they represent the largest developed markets in the world, while China and India represent two of the largest developing markets with enormous growth in middle class spending. The sample consisted of middle to upper income females ages 18-54 and who are the primary decision makers for clothing and home textile purchases.
They compared three different hang tags:
- A baseline “100% cotton” hang tag
- A COTTON USA branded “100% U.S. Cotton” hang tag
- A COTTON USA branded “100% U.S. Cotton” hang tag with the new slogan, “Cotton You Can Trust.”
These were attached to a generic white sweater and a generic white towel. The products were kept generic to make sure the focus was on the hang tags and the power of their message.
Higher Preference
In every market, consumers preferred the COTTON USA Mark. 80% of consumers preferred the COTTON USA hang tags over the baseline hang tag of “100% Cotton.” This remained true for both the towel hang tags and the sweater hang tags.
Worth paying more
But that value went beyond a preference. Nearly two-thirds of those sampled indicated they would actually pay more for a product with the COTTON USA hang tags. And it turns out that adding the new “Cotton You Can Trust” slogan to the COTTON USA hang tags created the most positive results. Nearly half of those surveyed preferred this hang tag, and 4 out of 10 said they would pay more for a product with it. This is strong evidence of how powerful the COTTON USA brand is and how the new slogan is taking it to a new level.
Harness the Power of Cotton USA™
Research proves that the COTTON USA brand adds a price premium to a variety of products and the “Cotton You Can Trust” slogan especially adds value for brands and retailers. To bring this premium value to your brand or retail, contact your local CCI representative for more details on becoming a COTTON USA licensee.
