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NEW YORK, Jan. 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Better Homes and Gardens along with leading market research firm BrandSpark International, today announced the winners of the 2013 Better Homes and Gardens Best New Product Awards (BNPAs). The BNPAs are the leading consumer-voted awards program in North America, honoring consumer products in the categories of Beauty, Food & Beverage, Health & Personal Care and Household.  The 63 winning products are:

Best New Product Awards 2013: LIST OF WINNERS BY CATEGORY

"Now in its fifth year in the U.S. also operating in Canada, Mexico, Turkey and China, the Best New Product Awards and companion American Shopper Study have provided an annual forum for the voices of American consumers to be heard," said Robert Levy, President and CEO of BrandSpark International and Founder of the Best New Product Awards. "And as the program continues to gain momentum, we are able to reveal trending data about the opinions and habits of American shoppers, insights that can help marketers and manufacturers innovate and improve their products and offerings."

The winning products were chosen directly by more than 77,500 consumers who participated in an extensive nationwide survey, the American Shopper Study, conducted by independent marketing research firm BrandSpark International in partnership with Better Homes and Gardens. The 2013 survey had 209 products representing 137 brands in 63 categories. 

"Our mission at Better Homes and Gardens is to offer our audience of nearly 40 million consumers ideas and inspiration that they can use to better their home and the life they create there," said James Carr, EVP & President, Better Homes and Gardens. "These awards and companion survey are valuable tools that help us further this goal."  Better Homes and Gardens will showcase the winners and select insights within its print, broadcast and digital properties.

In addition to the winning products, the American Shopper Study uncovers what is on the minds of American shoppers.  Some highlights from this year's survey are*:

FOOD and NUTRITION:

• Obesity is the issue that most Americans are concerned about with regard to their personal health, with 39% identifying it as one of their primary health concerns.
• High blood pressure and high cholesterol are very concerning to 36% of Americans, followed by Cancer (34%).
• More than eight in 10 continue to believe that proper food and nutrition can help to prevent illness, and 78% of Americans report actively making changes in their lifestyle to be healthier.
• A majority of Americans, 81%, continue to pay attention to food labels.
• Despite a vast increase in the nutritional information available to consumers, there remains a gap in intent, knowledge and follow-through when it comes to nutrition: 64% know their recommended daily intake of calories, but just 29% follow that recommendation. Meanwhile, four in 10 know their recommended intake of fat, protein, fiber and carbohydrates, but only one in four follow these recommendations.
• Italian food is the most widely enjoyed food, eaten by 91% of Americans, followed by Mexican food enjoyed by 82% and Chinese enjoyed by 76%.   These are also the same top three ethnic food types for Hispanic shoppers. 

BEAUTY:

• When purchasing beauty products, one in two shoppers consider it extremely important to find products that are well-priced and proven effective.
• Other important considerations for shoppers include: ease of use, trust in the brand, and that the product is gentle on their skin. A desire for gentle products is also a driver behind which ingredients shoppers avoid most in skin care: ammonia, peroxides and alcohol.
• Consumers appreciate endorsements to support their decisions to try new products: 40% of women and 34% of men consider the endorsement for a consumer-voted award very influential toward purchase of a beauty or grooming product.  Overall, 72% of shoppers trust consumer-voted awards.

STORE BRANDS VS. BRAND NAMES:

• More than nine in 10 shoppers have purchased private label products in the past year.
• Private label purchase is strong in food categories: more than six in 10 shoppers have purchased private label dairy products, dry food and frozen vegetables.
• Products in the personal care categories have stronger brand loyalty: four in 10 shoppers will never purchase a private label/store brand product in categories including make-up and hair care.
• Shoppers still see value in trusted name brands and 72% prefer to find brand name products on sale than to purchase private label.

ENVIRONMENT:

• While only four in 10 shoppers are willing to pay more for environmentally -friendly products, more than eight in 10 appreciate when the manufacturer bears the burden of production and offers an environmental benefit without increased cost.
• More than ever, manufacturers need to make sure that their environmental claims will stand up under scrutiny: shoppers are increasingly skeptical with three in five believing that environmentally-friendly claims are often exaggerated or misleading.

MOBILE SHOPPING HABITS:

• While nine in 10 shoppers own a mobile phone, nearly two in three shoppers now own a smartphone, up from just over one in two a year ago.
• Android OS based phones lead the market, followed by iPhone, together accounting for 84% of smartphones in the hands of U.S. shoppers.
• Smartphones' role in retail is growing, with over five in 10 shoppers interested in using their phone to download or scan coupons.
• 30% of shoppers 18-34 indicated storing their shopping list on their phone regularly or occasionally, a proportion that is expected to increase as the functionality of related apps and their ability to interact with promotion-driven marketing media improves over time.
• Traditional media and channels are still very important sources of ideas on what to buy: 67% of shoppers reference circulars to get ideas on what to purchase on their shopping trips, making it the leading external source of ideas.  Meanwhile, almost 3 in 10 get ideas from recipe books and newspaper articles, and approximately 1 in 5 cite each of TV and magazine ads as sources of purchase ideas.

For more information about the Better Homes and Gardens Best New Product Awards winners, visit: www.bhg.com/bestnewproductawards.

About Better Homes and Gardens
Reaching nearly 40 million readers every month, the Better Homes and Gardens brand extends across print, social media, the web, tablet, mobile, broadcast, broadband and numerous licensed products, serving and connecting women who are passionate about their homes and the lives they create there.  Better Homes and Gardens inspires women to dream and gives them the confidence to move from dreaming to doing.  For more information, visit www.bhg.com

About the 2013 BrandSpark/Better Homes and Gardens American Shopper Study
The 2013 BrandSpark/Better Homes and Gardens American Shopper Study presents the results of the fifth annual American shopper trends and behavior survey.  More than 77,500 respondents contributed with data weighted to a national profile of shoppers (Oct. – Nov., 2012). The BrandSpark Shopper Study was also conducted in Canada, now in its 10^th year, and in Mexico, Turkey, China, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Columbia, Chile and Argentina.

About BrandSpark International
BrandSpark International is a leading brand, marketing and product innovation research company. Its comprehensive and innovative research approach gets at the heart of how consumers think, why they act the way they do, and what clients need to do about it.

With expertise in retail and leisure categories and an exclusive relationship with the Best New Product Awards, BrandSpark International has a deep global perspective on the drivers of innovation unlike any other research company. For more information, visit www.BrandSpark.com

*Please credit all findings to "2013 BrandSpark International/Better Homes and Gardens American Shopper Study"

SOURCE Better Homes and Gardens