Authenticity key to UK shoppers, they prefer DTC brands to marketplaces

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Mar 28, 2023

Authenticity is a key feature UK consumers are looking for from the retailers and brands they patronise with a higher spend and more frequent spending being the payoff for brands that get it right.

Research from delivery specialist Asendia among 1,000 British shoppers (as apart of an 8,000-shopper global survey) showed 75% saying authenticity made them more loyal to brands and 70% spending more with what they see as authentic brands. Some 65% would also switch to a competitor if they felt a retailer wasn’t authentic.

Importantly too, given the current inflationary environment, as many as 43% said a brand’s authenticity would make them less sensitive to inflationary price increases. That rises to 48% for Gen Z and 51% for Millennials.

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So what exactly do consumers mean they talk about authenticity? For 57% of them it’s being straightforward on delivering promises, and for 41% it’s transparency within supply chains. Standing up for sustainability counts for 39%, as do clear brand values, while acting upon those brand values matters for 32%.

Despite a perceived assumption that younger demographics are the consumers who matter when it comes to things like sustainability, corporate social responsibility and authenticity, the UK’s so-called Silent Generation (those aged 76 or older) rate the latter very highly. The survey shows they’re very likely to see a big impact on spend with authentic brands (72%), matching that of Gen Z (also 72%).

It’s also interesting that UK shoppers feel brands that operate Direct-To-Consumer (DTC) are more authentic than those retailers who just operate via marketplaces. Some 54% of UK consumers feel retailers operating their own DTC channels are more authentic.