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The results are in: Shoppers have higher standards than ever. According to a new 1,000-person Harris Poll survey commissioned by Google Cloud, 82% of consumers say they want to buy from brands with values that align with their own.
What those values are can vary by category, explained Giusy Buonfantino, VP of consumer packaged goods at Google Cloud. “Apparel could have an element of sourcing of the cotton,” she told Retail Brew. “Food may have a totally different value proposition that they need to meet and know.”
Green light: A major theme is—you guessed it—sustainability. Just over half (52%) of those surveyed said they want to support sustainable brands, while 66% seek out eco-friendly businesses and 55% say they would pay more to shop from them.
- But that’s not to say consumers aren’t skeptical: 72% believe that companies and brands overstate their sustainability efforts.
“Transparency on their goals and the sustainability messages for the consumer is, of course, in demand,” Buonfantino said. “That’s why sometimes this value proposition, these marriages with consumers and brands is not there.”
The only thing that can overcome brand values is brand availability. A staggering 98% of shoppers said they’d either buy from a different brand or search another channel if the one they preferred wasn’t in stock—an issue plaguing many retailers.
The big picture: Overcoming these hurdles, Buonfantino said, will involve personalizing outreach to consumers through data collection, clearly and transparently communicating values and sustainability goals, and rewarding shoppers for their loyalty in the face of supply-chain woes.—KM