Watsons Switch Test: 8 out of 10 Shoppers Prefer Watsons Quality and Save Up to 80% at the Same Time

In shopping, it's a tried and tested belief that quality is directly proportional to the price of a product. So if you are looking for a high-quality perfume, for example, you should be ready to shed some bucks from your budget. That's the way it is, the higher the quality the greater the price.

Last June 14, 2016, at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel, this economic norm about "quality" and "price" has been challenged by Watsons, the leading personal care store in the country. With the help of its two brand ambassadors--Christian Bautista and Tessa Prieto-Valdes--members of the media took an exciting "Switch Test."

So here's the sitch. Before the program began, some bloggers and members of the press who attended the event were presented with several items like a pair of body scrub, a pair of tissue, and a pair of toothbrush. They were asked to choose from products A and products B where one is the leading brand and one is Watsons.

During the program, Christian and Tessa asked for volunteers to take the "Switch Test" on stage.

The two Watsons ambassadors asked a volunteer to try a pair of body scrub by taking a sample from each anonymous brands and test its smell, how it feels when scrubbed to the skin, etc.

Some volunteers also examined a pair of toothbrush and a pair of tissue paper without knowing which one is the Watsons brand and which is the leading brand.

Tessa Prieto Valdez Challenge the Media for a Switch Test

Other items that were tested during the event are lotion and hair irons.

The objective of the brand test is simple: to convince the skeptics that Watsons products could be as good as the leading brand. And why are there customers who have doubts, you may ask? It's because Watsons products are so affordable that some of the items cost up to 80 percent lower than the leading brand. And this contradicts the marketplace belief that the quality of a product is directly proportional to its price.

After a series of tests, the results were revealed. Less than 20% from all the participants chose the leading brand over Watsons products. It's unanimous! Most of the attendees picked the items they thought have superior quality than the other based from their own examination of the two products. Needless to say, the brand they unknowingly chose is Watsons.

For several years now Watsons has been running its Switch & Save campaign with its brand ambassadors like Iya Villania, Christian Bautista, Tessa Prieto Valdez, and Patty Laurel, showing customers that if they switch from the leading brand to Watsons brand they can get excellent quality personal care products at up to 80% less.

And to convince the remaining skeptics that Watsons products could be as good as the leading brand, the "Switch Test" series is now being done in various unbranded booths in major cities around the country. Without showing or telling them what brands were involved, the Switch Test mediator had each customer try out two products--Watsons and the leader. They were asked to hold them, examine them, test and compare them, and eventually to choose the one they would buy. Which ones came out on top?

Just like at the launch, majority of the participating customers picked the Watsons brand.

“Brand A lotion smells good, and is softer on the skin, compared to Brand B,” said one shopper who was surprised to learn that Brand A was actually Watsons. She was even more surprised when she found out Watsons costs 80% less.

Holding a toothbrush in each hand, another participant observed of the Watsons product, “The bristles are softer and I feel it would clean my teeth better.” He too made the switch and was thrilled to learn of the additional savings.

When the customers who picked the leading brand were informed of the sizeable savings if they switch to the Watsons brand, they were easily swayed to switch. One in particular summed it up perfectly, “Up to 80 percent savings on body lotion, 60 percent on body scrub, and 55 percent on hair iron, what’s there to think about?”

So will you join the 8 out of 10 smart shoppers who switched to Watsons label and saved up to 80 percent on their budget? Why not try it yourself. Here are some examples on how you can get that much-needed savings by choosing more affordable Watsons products without sacrificing quality:

And take Tessa’s advice: Be practical. By switching from expensive brands to Watsons label products, you can save money which you can splurge on the things you want like an out of town trip, a new gadget or a weekend staycation.