Nerd Alert: Do Retailer Exclusives Actually Work?

Welcome to Nerd Alert, a series of special episodes bridging the gap between marketing academia and practitioners. We’re breaking down highly involved, complex research into plain language and takeaways any marketer can use.

In this episode, Elena and Rob explore whether "only at Target" labels actually drive sales or if they backfire. They reveal how exclusive features can sometimes make products less appealing when customers see them as trivial or disconnected from real value.

Topics covered:

• [01:00] "Do Products Labeled Retailer Exclusive Affect Consumer Behavior"
• [02:00] How scarcity influences buying decisions
• [03:00] Testing exclusivity with vacuums and Blu-Rays
• [04:00] Why adding more exclusive features can hurt sales
• [05:00] In-store experiences versus exclusive labels
• [06:00] When exclusivity feels meaningful versus trivial

To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.


Resources:
Upshaw, D., Amyx, D., Upshaw, A., & Hardy, M. (2023). Do products labeled retailer “exclusive” affect consumer behavior?Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness


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