Insight: Amazon named consumers’ favourite brand- DMA

Tech giant features in list of consumers’ favourite brands in multiple sectors, but nearly two-fifths report feeling less loyal than a year ago

Amazon has been named by consumers as their favourite brand, with retail stalwarts Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, Sainsbury’s and Tesco the others most mentioned. It was also the only brand to feature inside the top five across a variety of different sectors (including retail, technology and entertainment.)

Among retail brands Amazon was the most popular, within media and entertainment the second most popular (behind Netflix), and the fourth most popular among consumers choosing their favourite technology brand. These results are clearly a strong sign of Amazon’s dominance in the mindset of consumers today.

Rachel Aldighieri, MD at the DMA, said: “It is interesting to see that Amazon features across several sectors as the preferred brand. Amazon’s combination of familiarity, ease and choice is a compelling offer, providing consumers with one place to serve many of their needs. Their vast product range and integrated services entice consumers to stick with a brand they know and love.”

These latest insights come from the DMA’s ‘Customer Engagement – How to win trust and loyalty’ report, conducted in partnership with Pure360 and Foresight Factory.

Consumers report ‘genuine loyalty’ to favourite brands

When it comes to the top five favourite brands, consumers report feeling genuine loyalty to those brands, rather than this simply being based on convenience or habit. This was particularly the case for John Lewis and Marks & Spencer, with 89% and 88% of consumers agreeing respectively. Interestingly, two-thirds (67%) of people who chose Amazon as their favourite brand are loyal to them for genuine reasons – rather than convenience alone.

However, one in three (33%) people also said they did not have a favourite brand or one they are most loyal to and nearly two-fifths (39%) feel less loyal to brands and companies than they did a year ago.

Komal Helyer, marketing director at Pure360, explains: “Consumer trust in ‘faceless corporations’ is waning, and in its place is a growing preference for meaningful interactions with brands who are perceived as genuine, transparent and relevant. For marketers, the message remains the same: add value to your customer’s lives and stay relevant to their interests or risk losing their business altogether.”

Aldighieri concludes: “Brands must renew their focus on the most important part of their long-term success, their customers. Whether marketers decide to offer more personalised experiences, new loyalty schemes or flexible subscription models, successful brands will be those that can put the customer at the heart of everything they do.”