NTUC FairPrice wins big at the FMCG Asia Awards 2021

It bagged the Home Brand of the Year, Campaign of the Year, and Product Packaging of the Year trophies.

NTUC FairPrice won three accolades—the Home Brand of the Year, Campaign of the Year, and the Product Packaging of the Year awards—at the inaugural FMCG Asia Awards 2021, a programme that recognises the region's best fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies with exemplary performance and outstanding products and initiatives.

As a social enterprise, FairPrice’s mission is to moderate the cost of living for Singaporeans by providing quality products at an affordable price. FairPrice Housebrand was established in 1985 to offer better value and savings to customers through a line of daily essentials, which are priced 10-15% lower than comparable products from leading brands.

As standards of living improves, consumers are now, more than ever, looking for quality products beyond just being affordable. Herein comes the biggest challenge—people perceive FairPrice Housebrand products to be affordable but of ‘low quality’. The task facing the team is then changing that perception that was influenced by years of cheap-looking packaging and some cases of poor product experiences that deterred people from trying other categories across the range.

In October 2019, efforts were underway to renovate the brand –from improving actual product quality to updating the product packaging to improve perception across the range of 2,000 products. The new packaging highlighted the unique product features and better nutritional values, and showcased the country of origin seals to demonstrate their reputable sources. These new products are sourced from over 55 countries and certified by internationally recognised food safety and quality standards. During the sourcing stages, the Housebrand team also conducts customer-centric product testing to ensure that products in the line equal or exceed the quality, taste, and packaging of leading counterpart products. The range also expanded to include trendy items like free range ham, cold pressed coconut oil, and ring ring roll to better meet the evolving needs of its consumers. 

To better communicate their value proposition and intent, the company in October 2020 launched a brand tagline “Enjoy More Quality for Less.”

Partnering with Try and Review, an independent 3rd party review panel, consumers were invited to provide reviews and ratings on a variety of Housebrand products. These reviews were then used as proof points on top of product claims across various channels such as point of sale marketing and digital platforms to create greater trust and credibility among the wider customer base. This was the birth of the campaign titled “Tested and Loved” that won the Campaign of the year-Singapore. 

FairPrice Housebrand received an overall rating of 4.5/5 from over 2,500 reviewers on the Try and Review platform. Through all these efforts, perceptions of the Housebrand has improved, with 92% of people surveyed rating it to be of moderate to high quality. Meanwhile, about 44% of non-FairPrice Housebrand shoppers expressed willingness to purchase the products, while 37% of the brand’s customers said they would be willing to purchase more product categories across the range.

FairPrice Housebrand won the packaging of the year-Singapore with their Kids’ UHT Milk and Cereals range. Taking inspiration from children’s love of soft toys, the company highlighted cute, well-loved animal characters, choosing softer colours to appeal to its target audience. Games were also printed at the back of the packaging to encourage interaction and interest.

The pastel-colored animal theme was also echoed on the baby wipe and diaper packaging. To invoke the idea of caregiving and assist shoppers in choosing the right size of diapers for their children, the packaging featured cartoonised illustrations of specific animals.

For the company, the new FairPrice Housebrand is not just a packaging refresh, but an expression of the long-term commitment to continue providing customers with good quality and innovatively designed products at moderate prices.