BrandSpark Announces 2019 Most Trusted Awards for E-commerce and Services

6,900 Canadian consumers surveyed about what e-commerce and services brands they trust most ? and what builds brand trust

TORONTO, Aug. 15, 2019 /CNW/ - Today, leading market research firm BrandSpark International announces the 2019 winners of its BrandSpark Most Trusted Awards ("BMTA") program across major e-commerce and services brands. Amazon leads the way in the e-commerce categories, and businesses prioritizing trust ? through unfiltered customer reviews, responsive customer service, and personalized offers ? lead the way in the major services categories.

Based on a survey of 6,900 Canadians, BrandSpark determined the most trusted brands in 61 diverse e-commerce and service categories. While Amazon won a majority of the e-commerce categories, specialized retailers, including Best Buy, Sephora and Sport Chek, were strongest in their categories. In services, heritage brands are strong in established categories, while new and emerging categories are being won by brands that offer the best service and that acquire subscribers quickly.

"In an increasingly online world, trust has never been more important," says Robert Levy, President of BrandSpark International. "Shoppers are seeking new and different signifiers of trust, such as online reviews and consumer-based awards on brand websites. Being a winning brand in the 2019 BrandSpark Most Trusted Awards is a major accomplishment. The program tells shoppers which companies are trusted by other Canadians. This allows consumers to make better purchasing decisions, as trust is the greatest indicator of delivering value and a good customer experience."

Through the study, Canadian shoppers revealed key factors that help grow brand trust:

• 71 per cent of Canadian shoppers feel that trust is established through unfiltered customer reviews on brand websites. In fact, a majority of shoppers now rely on product and service reviews to support their purchase decisions, and without these reviews, many refuse to transact.
• 75 per cent of Canadian shoppers say that companies that listen to online reviews and feedback show more accountability and care for their customers.
• 66 per cent of Canadian shoppers appreciate receiving discounts or special offers that are tailored to their interests based on the websites they visit.

E-commerce Winners

According to the BrandSpark Canadian Shopper Study, two in three Canadian shoppers say that Amazon has changed the way they shop, whether in-store or online: they research products more, buy a greater variety of products, compare prices across channels, and make fewer trips to stores. Only 16 per cent of shoppers have lost trust in an online retailer they formerly relied on, but key issues that have eroded trust for e-commerce shoppers include receiving lower quality products than advertised, not receiving purchases, and difficulties getting a refund.

"It's important for e-commerce retailers to make shoppers confident that they won't face these issues when ordering from their site," says Adam Bellisario, Director of the BrandSpark Most Trusted Awards program. "Since shoppers can easily move to another retailer online, it's crucial for e-commerce retailers to build trust and loyalty with their shoppers. The BMTA claim and logo is a proven way to communicate that the site has already earned the trust of the Canadian shopper."

Amazon's win in a majority of the e-commerce categories reflects its success as a fulfillment site, since consumers say they choose to purchase products on Amazon because they trust the site's reliability and consistency. More shoppers are convinced they can trust Amazon for major purchases as well as lower priced items.  Still, retailers like The Home Depot and Hudson's Bay have won or kept up with Amazon as being most trusted in their specific categories in the 2019 study.

The 2019 e-commerce winners are listed below. * = New category

Services Winners
The BrandSpark study finds that one in two Canadian shoppers have lost trust in a service provider they previously trusted, due mainly to hidden fees and rising prices, as well as difficulty finding resolution for their complaints. Canadians expect fair prices and transparency from service providers. Consumer recommendation, company values, and innovations can help providers increase trust in their service. 62 per cent of consumers say that reliable customer support improves their trust in a service greatly; 59 per cent value consistency of high quality goods or services.

In the loyalty program category, Loblaw's successful expansion of the Optimum program has grown it into Canada's most trusted loyalty program. SkipTheDishes beat UberEats with 26 per cent more citations as Canadians' most trusted Food Delivery Site, and companies like GoodFood have also had major success, surpassing HelloFresh in the Meal Kit Delivery category. Kijiji is the most trusted Online Buy and Sell Classifieds site and Manulife now ties with Sun Life Financial as the most trusted life insurance provider nationally, while Industrielle Alliance is the leader in Quebec.

"With the similarity of many service offerings, companies must race to acquire a strong consumer base, and then continually meet those consumers' needs to prevent them from switching to a competitor," says Levy. "Trust is an important deciding factor for consumers, and the strength of the BrandSpark Most Trusted logo reinforces that trust."

The 2019 services winners are listed below. * = New category

About BrandSpark Most Trusted Service & E-Commerce Awards
More than 6,900 Canadians determined the 2019 BrandSpark Most Trusted Awards services and e-commerce winners through their unaided citations of service providers and e-commerce retailers they trust most within categories in which they are active consumers. BrandSpark researchers analyzed the responses and the reasons cited for trusting each service provider and e-commerce retailer. Results were ranked based on volume of mentions and if the difference between competing brands nationally was less than three percent ties were declared.

About BrandSpark International
www.BrandSpark.com
Founded in 2001, BrandSpark International uniquely combines real world consumer insights with marketing credentials and services. BrandSpark Insights gets at the heart of WHAT consumers think, WHY they act the way they do, and HOW marketers need to respond in order to successfully grow their business. BrandSpark Marketing Services runs major awards programs Best New Product Awards and BrandSpark Most Trusted Awards. As well, BrandSpark has created Shopper Army, a new consumer site which helps Canadian shoppers find great products and save money with cash back on purchases made on Amazon.ca and 60+ other retail partners, as well as a shopper community of product testers providing honest ratings and reviews. Visit www.ShopperArmy.ca

Further insights will be shared in early fall, when BrandSpark hosts an awards event for marketers from the brands that are Most Trusted.

SOURCE BrandSpark International