Winners of BrandSpark International's 2018 Best New Product Awards announced from a survey of over 15,000 Canadians

TORONTO, March 27, 2018 /CNW/ - Today BrandSpark International announced the results of their fifteenth annual Best New Product Awards (BNPA) where more than 15,000 Canadians voted on the latest and greatest new beauty and personal care, food, household, and pet products in 48 different categories. BrandSpark also surveyed Canadians about their shopping habits for everyday consumer packaged goods (CPG) products. A complete list of BNPA winners follows. More information about the Best New Product Awards can be found at www.BestNewProductAwards.biz.

"With thousands of new products launched into the marketplace every year and new ways to buy products, including e-commerce, consumers are looking for ways to identify which products are truly the best and deserving of their dollars," said Robert Levy, president of BrandSpark International and founder of the BNPAs. "Over the past fifteen years, the Best New Product Awards has become the most credible and influential awards program for CPG products."

Canadians embrace innovation

"Canadians embrace innovation with 7 in 10 Canadians stating that they like trying new products," said Levy. "This number has remained steady since we started the Best New Product Awards 15 years ago. There are still so many new products being launched to market that shoppers have a hard time keeping track," he continued.  "While shoppers are interested in new products, 1 in 2 say there are too many new products for them to determine what is best on their own. This is where knowing which products won a Best New Product Award helps guide consumers."

Shoppers try new products from the brands they trust, but are less brand loyal

The BrandSpark Canadian Shopper Study reveals that 7 in 10 Canadians say that when they try new products they are generally from brands they count among their most trusted. At the same time, 1 in 2 say they are less brand loyal than they were a few years ago.

What Canadians seek in new products

With so many of us pressed for time, 2 in 3 Canadian shoppers say they look for new products that will "make my life easier."  Other areas of innovation that resonate with Canadians include natural food products. 4 in 5 shoppers place value on 'natural' food claims, including 'free of hormones', 'free of antibiotics', and 'no artificial flavours'. However, 3 in 4 surveyed agree that taste is still the most important factor in their food purchases. "When manufacturers successfully combine incrementally-improved nutrition with great taste, they may have a BNPA winner on their hands.  Canadians can check out some of the winners from this year's list that did just that!" said Levy.

In beauty and personal care, Canadians continue to seek products that will be 'gentle on skin,' yet proven effective, important to 9 in 10 shoppers in the BrandSpark Canadian Shopper Study. "Beauty shoppers won't compromise on great results, and the key to victory for beauty winners in the BNPAs continues to be superior effectiveness," said Levy. In the study, almost 2 in 3 shoppers say that products from the best 'drug store' beauty brands are as effective as those from more expensive prestige brands. Beauty shoppers also look to consumer-voted awards and reviews, with 8 in 10 saying consumer endorsements are influential toward the purchase of a new beauty product.

Peer reviews are the new word of mouth helping Canadians make better purchase decisions

"Shoppers are increasingly looking to the endorsement of consumers to determine which products are best," said Levy. "70 per cent of Canadians generally trust consumer reviews to help guide them, and 75 per cent trust consumer voted awards like the BNPAs to help them identify the best products to try."

E-commerce is joining the supermarket and drug store as a major channel for CPG shoppers

"The market for new products is more competitive than ever, with e-commerce shopping and a world of new brands competing online with the established leaders that have long been bringing innovation to our supermarkets and drug stores," added Levy. According to the BrandSpark Canadian Shopper Study, 4 in 10 Canadian household shoppers are regularly buying products on Amazon. "E-commerce is a growing channel for CPG and leading brands need to establish themselves on e-commerce now. They need to understand what is important to online shoppers, and how purchases are determined by a combination of brand, benefits, price, and consumer recommendation."

2018 Best New Product Award Winners

BEAUTY & PERSONAL CARE CATEGORIES	PRODUCT
Body Wash	Dial Coconut Milk Body Wash
Brow Cosmetic	Revlon ColorStay Brow Pencil
Cold Support	NeoCitran Total Cold Night Tea Infusions
Concealer	Revlon Youth FX Fill + Blur Concealer
Conditioner	Gliss Ultimate Repair Express Repair Conditioner
Dry Shampoo	Batiste Heavenly Volume Dry Shampoo
Eye Liner	L'Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Last Waterproof Pencil Eyeliner
Facial Cleanser	L'Oréal Paris Pure Clay Cleansers
Facial Moisturizer	Olay Regenerist Whip
Facial Treatment	AVEENO Positively Radiant 60 Second In-Shower Facial
Hair Colour	L'Oréal Paris Colorista Sprays
Joint Health	Jamieson Glucosamine Turmeric Complex
Kids Probiotic	BioGaia Protectis Probiotic Drops with Vitamin D
Liner/Pads	U by Kotex Fitness Liners
Lip Balm	eos Crystal
Lip Colour	Revlon Ultra HD Metallic Matte Lipcolor
Makeup Tool	L'Oréal Paris Blend Artist Infallible Foundation Blender
Mascara	L'Oréal Paris Voluminous Lash Paradise
Men's Grooming	L'Oréal Paris Men Expert Hydra Energetic Boosting Moisturizer with Creatine
Omega-3 Supplement	Jamieson Omega-3 + Turmeric with No Fishy Aftertaste
Over-the-Counter Symptom Relief	Flonase Allergy Relief
Prenatal Supplement	Jamieson Prenatal 100% Complete Multivitamin – Chewable
Shampoo	Gliss Ultimate Repair Shampoo
Tampon	U by Kotex Fitness Tampons with FITPAK
Toothpaste	Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief SmartWhite Toothpaste
FOOD CATEGORIES	PRODUCT
Baking Mix	Betty Crocker Salted Caramel Brownies
Bread	Dempster's 100% Whole Grains Seed Lover's Bread with CHIA
Breakfast Food	Nature Valley Crunchy Bar Granola
Cheese	Black Diamond Monterey Jack with Jalapeño Natural Cheese Bar
Cheese Snack	Oka L'Artisan  Portions
Fish	Can't Mess It Up! Wild Pink Salmon
Frozen Pizza	Dr. Oetker Giuseppe Panini
Meat Alternative	oh naturel! Black Bean Bites, Quinoa Mushroom Burger & Garden Vegetable Bites
Mexican Food	Tia Rosa Taco and Fajita Kits
Packaged Meat	Maple Leaf Natural Selections Shredded Meats
Pasta Dish	Olivieri Skillet Gnocchi
Ready-to-Eat Popcorn	Smartfood Gouda & Chive
Seasonal Chocolate	Kit Kat Rubies
Side Dish	Minute Rice Ready To Serve Cups - White & Red Quinoa or Brown Rice with Wheat, Rye, Quinoa, Oats and Barley
Specialty Pasta	Catelli Protein Pasta
Spreads	Jif Peanut Butter
Tortilla Chips	Que Pasa Jalapeño & Lime Organic Tortilla Chips
Yogurt & Cottage Cheese	Astro Original Parfait
HOUSEHOLD, PET CATEGORIES	PRODUCT
Cat Litter	Arm & Hammer Slide
Dog Treat	Milk-Bone Farmer's Medley Dog Treats
In-Wash Scent Booster	Downy Infusions Lavender Serenity In-Wash Scent Booster
Liquid Laundry Detergent	Gain Botanique
Single Dose Laundry Detergent	Tide PODS Plus Downy

About BrandSpark International

BrandSpark International is a leading marketing research company that also services brands looking to launch new products and stand out in the competitive marketplace. With deep expertise in consumer packaged goods (CPG), BrandSpark understands the insights and content that brands need to launch and support new products. BrandSpark has developed leading consumer‐voted awards programs that help Canadian shoppers make smarter choices every day, the Best New Product Awards (BestNewProductAwards.biz) and BrandSpark Most Trusted Awards (BrandSparkMostTrusted.com) and conducts the largest annual study of shopper needs and wants via the BrandSpark Canadian Shopper Study. CPG brands are also leveraging BrandSpark's new product engagement platform, Shopper Army (ShopperArmy.com), to generate new product reviews, certified claims and the key insights needed to support products in market. For more information, visit www.BrandSpark.com.

SOURCE BrandSpark International

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