The idea that store brands are a fallback for budget-conscious shoppers is quickly becoming outdated. Neighbors on Nextdoor are telling a different story: one where private label products aren't just a compromise, but often a deliberate, quality-driven choice.
Nextdoor's latest research surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults on how they discover, evaluate, and purchase private label products — and the findings are worth paying attention to.
Discovery happens on Nextdoor, and it leads to purchases
Seven in ten neighbors use Nextdoor to discover and learn about new products, and 60% follow through to an actual purchase after first encountering something on the platform. That conversion holds across categories, from big home and lawn projects to everyday household essentials. For retail brands, this means Nextdoor isn't only a place to build awareness; it's a place where purchase decisions get made.
Lawn care and home improvement lead in product discovery, but groceries, pet products, and household essentials show strong and consistent conversion down the funnel.
Price gets people in the door. Quality keeps them there.
Four in ten neighbors are buying more private label products than they were a year ago, at a rate 18% higher than the general population. The primary driver is straightforward: 57% cite rising name brand costs as the reason for the switch.
But here's what's more interesting. Once neighbors try private label, most don't go back — not because of price, but because of quality. Sixty-one percent say private label products perform just as well or better than name brands. And 54% say they would keep buying them even if prices were identical to national equivalents. That's a loyalty signal that goes well beyond frugality.
The perception shift is real
When neighbors describe private label brands, the most common associations aren't "cheap" or "generic." Nearly half use terms tied to smart savings and value, while 42% connect store brands to the retailer's overall reputation; an extension of a store they already trust. Only 12% default to the old-school "plain packaging" framing.
That shift in perception has real implications for how retailers should message. The opportunity isn't to convince people that store brands are almost as good as name brands. It's to meet consumers where they already are: viewing private label as a legitimate, often preferable, choice.
Neighbors over-index on private label across key categories
Groceries (84%), OTC medications (65%), and household essentials (65%) are the categories where neighbors have purchased private label most recently — and neighbors are 41% more likely than the general population to buy store-brand lawn care products. For retailers with broad private label portfolios, the neighbor audience represents a particularly high-intent customer base.
There's also a meaningful openness to expanding into new categories. Among neighbors who haven't yet bought private label in a given area, 71% say they're open to trying store-brand lawn care products, and 68% are open to OTC medications — with year-over-year growth in both.
Private label drives people to physical stores
One of the more actionable findings: 60% of neighbors say a retailer's private label offering factors into where they choose to shop. And when they do buy store brands, they're doing it in person — 45% purchase private label in-store, compared to just 13% online.
That means private label isn't just a product strategy — it's a foot traffic driver. For retailers advertising on Nextdoor, the opportunity is to connect digital discovery to in-store behavior with hyper-local, neighborhood-specific messaging that puts a store brand on the shopping list before someone leaves the house.
Want to explore the complete findings? This summary highlights key insights from our research, but there's much more to discover. For the full report with detailed data, additional audience segments, and strategic recommendations for your campaigns, reach out to Jacob Chavis, Customer Analytics & Insights Manager, at jchavis@nextdoor.com. Our team can help you apply these insights to reach high-intent neighbors at the moments that matter most.
