Consumers' brand decision: a matter of social risk

Purpose This study aims to investigate the impact of social risk and inter-tier brand competition across traditional retailers and discounters on consumers' purchase intentions in the UK. Design/methodology/approach The authors conduct a 2 (social risk) x 3 (brand type) x 2 (retailer type) between-subjects design (n = 309; UK) experiment employing a Qualtrics online panel in the UK. Findings The study shows that while premium private labels (PPLs) are on par with national brands, discounter's PPLs outperform mainstream retailer's PPLs. Furthermore, consumers appear to purchase standard private labels and PPLs for themselves when shopping at a discounter but turn to national brands when shopping for socially risky situations. Originality/value This study provides insights into the understanding of the influence of social risk on purchasing intentions of premium private labels vs standard private labels vs national brands offered by mainstream retailers or discounters in the UK.