Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the category-level differences of both risk perception and brand loyalty effects on consumer proneness towards buying private label brands (PLBs). Design/methodology/approach – This paper extends the work of Batra and Sinha by also examining the PLB effects of brand loyalty and price-quality by product category using a mall-intercept survey. Findings – The results indicate that quality variability, price consciousness, price-quality association and brand loyalty influence consumer proneness to buy PLBs. In addition, income, education and household size are moderators of PLB purchasing. Research limitations/implications – This research confirms the importance of price consciousness and quality variability on PLB purchasing. The importance of these determinants depends on both the product category and the PLB market share within the category. Practical implications – Retailers and manufacturers need to consider the effects of PLB in relation to the product category. For retailers, the value of a PLB is less relevant in some categories but appealing to the price conscious consumer is important. Manufacturers should note in some categories that brand loyalty is important but not as much as price consciousness. Customer income is still an important determinant of PLB purchasing. Originality/value – The paper shows that it is important to consider product category differences which make it more difficult to generalize about PLB purchasing.