Consumer trust is grounded in people, not institutions or brands. This is according to a study by leading global management consultancy firm Kearney’s Consumer Institute in which 8 in 10 consumers based in the UAE revealed that they check at least three sources before making a purchase.
The Kearney Consumer Education study revealed that 72% of consumers spend a minimum of 15 minutes researching before making a purchasing decision, with consumer-led information being deemed the most useful. Consumers cited greater reliance on fellow customer reviews (69%), online research (65%), word-of-mouth (36%) and social media (32%) as compared to information found on the brand website (32%), product labels (25%), in-store advertising (12%), television or online advertisements (12%) and traditional media (6%).
Additionally, consumers revealed that their most trusted sources of product information are customer reviews (45%), feedback from family (40%) or friends (38%), and product experts (31%).
Commenting on the question prompted by the results of the study, ‘should brands abandon consumer education?’, Mohammed Dhedhi, Partner at Consumer and Retail practice at Kearney Middle East said: “During the pandemic, consumers became used to purchasing online, and relying on the research and reviews that came with it. Looking forward, brands can aim to tap into this behavior, rather than trying to educate on their terms. Product or service education is most effective when it solves consumer-identified problems, and brands today have the opportunity to develop deep loyalty and trust by investing in understanding the needs of their audiences.”
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