Variety purchase and habitual purchase fall under the category of products that are not really that important to you. With variety products you often see big differences between one product and the next, so you’ll browse, look at the alternatives, maybe try out something different for a change.

Unlike with habitual purchases (eg commodities such as butter, milk, salt), gaining loyalty is a nightmare!

Trying to stick in your mind

Enter branding. A desperate attempt by manufacturers to make that Granny Smiths more meaningful to you. To lodge it in your memory. To get you coming back to their juicy green apple, and not wander off to the neighbouring Braeburn on the shelf.

According to one of my sources, apple sellers have done focus groups on this issue and they know that consumers HATE those damn stickers! Not only do they worry about the glue residue and yeuky chemicals, it’s an extra effort peeling the thing off in the first place. And then you have to find a bin. On top of this, it costs the apple sellers dear (believe me, applying individual stickers to apples is expensive and time-consuming).

So why do they do it? Good question. Simple answer: to keep your purchasing habits, and keep you picking their apple.