The Grocer and the World Trademark Review have published articles about the research report that we commissioned into the evidence on 'the psychology of lookalikes’.

We at Stobbs believe it’s time to eradicate the practice of lookalikes / copycats and parasitic packaging.

That's why we commissioned a report by INFLUENCE AT WORK to provide brand owners with a bank of research to support claims that even without risk of confusion, consumers are still influenced by lookalike products. We wanted to challenge the legal notion that having a different brand name is sufficient to avoid customer confusion or deception.

The key findings of the report were that...

1. Consumers’ decision-making when purchasing lookalikes is affected by a host of subconscious biases.

2. Features such as colour, shape, and brand image need to be given their due weight when assessing lookalike products and the reasons why a consumer is influenced to purchase them.

3. Lookalike packaging positively impacts consumers’ views of the underlying product, enabling supermarkets to charge higher prices versus non-lookalike own-branded products.

You can read the article in The Grocer here, the article in the World Trademark Review here or download a free copy of the report here.