Experiencing the Watsons challenge to take the Switch Test

Question: If you could save up to 80% on body lotion, 60% on body scrub, and 55% on a hair iron, would you switch brand? 

I would likely consider it strongly. After all, as a mother with a large family and a limited budget, little savings here and there mean I can use the savings for other things or just keep it for a rainy day.

Watsons also aimed to answer this question as they conducted switch tests in major cities around the country with unbranded booths and making customers try out two products per category -- a Watsons brand and a leading competitor. So we could experience the Switch Test ourselves, they also made us go through several brand tests at a recent event.

I went through 3 brand tests: for a toothpaste, a body scrub, and tissue.

I chose A - the bristles were softer and shorter (easy to reach teeth at the back)

I chose B - the grains were finer and smelled better

I chose A - it was stronger and harder to tear

It was so amusing that my friend Noemi and I chose exactly the same product samples. This isn't the first time we have chosen the same things (or even worn the same color of clothes), haha.

Christian Bautista and Tessa Prieto-Valdes, two of Watsons' ambassadors, chose some bloggers onstage also to try the tests, including some additional products like a hair iron.

Christian Bautista, a Watsons ambassador, talks about the Switch Test

Trying to tear tissue apart. He chose B because it was softer. It tore apart more easily vs A though.

Trying the body scrub. She chose A because of its scent.

Trying out the hair lotion. She chose A as it ironed her hair better.

Testing lotion. She chose A because a small amount went a long way.

It turns out that all the A's were Watsons products while the B's were leading brands. The bloggers, including us, chose a mix of A's and B's but it really did not matter. Because this was the point.

If you chose A, lucky you! Your first choice was also the more affordable Watsons brand!

If you chose B (the leading brand), that was okay too because it meant you had personal reasons to prefer it. However, you also had the choice to select Watsons products which were up to 80% cheaper on some items! This switch can happen if the difference between both brands is not so wide, making it easier to switch to the more affordable one.

The Watsons team and ambassadors

In the end, there are times when quality trumps savings. But really, does it have to be one or the other? Can't one have the best of both world and have both quality AND savings? Watsons products say they can give you both.

Check out some of these Watsons brands that we tried during the Switch Test.

Watsons Milk & Salt Scrub

Watsons Slim Soft Charcoal Toothbrush

Watsons Velvety Tissue

Watsons Whitening Mulberry Lotion

About the Watsons Brand

Watsons is Asia's leading health and beauty retailer, currently operating over 4,800 stores and more than 1,400 pharmacies in 11 Asian and European markets, including China (Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau), Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Turkey, and Ukraine.