About 69% of Americans "tend to purchase the same brand-name products on a regular basis

Supermarket shoppers are creatures of habit, but one of those habits is a predilection for trying new things. That mixed message emerges from a recent report by Better Homes and Gardens and BrandSpark International.

Sixty-nine percent of respondents to the report's survey agreed (including 17 percent agreeing "completely") that they "tend to purchase the same brand-name products on a regular basis."

On the other hand, 46 percent agreed (including 16 percent "completely") with the statement: "When shopping, I actively look through stores for products that are new and different." Sometimes, what's new and different is a lower-than-usual price on an item the consumer doesn't typically buy; 54 percent agreed (16 percent "completely") that "If a brand is on sale, I will purchase it over the name-brand I regularly use."

The same survey asked people whether they find various media sources useful in introducing them to new products. When it comes to advertising, TV commercials had the biggest constituency rating them as at least "somewhat useful" in this respect (73 percent did so), followed by "direct-mail coupons delivered to my home" (66 percent).

Somewhat fewer said the same about advertising in magazines (57 percent), on the radio (54 percent), on the Internet (45 percent), in daily paid newspapers (45 percent) or on billboards/outdoor (42 percent).