From August 3 to 11, 2022, the Munich Avantgarde Gesellschaft für Kommunikation mbH carried out a representative study with the help of the opinion research institute YouGov on the introduction of a cross-sector Brand Experience Index, which is intended to make brand experiences comparable. The result is a ranking of well-known brands in Germany and their shopping experiences.
A total of 2,052 people aged 18 and over in Germany were surveyed online about 14 well-known retail brands based on nine experience dimensions. These dimensions then served as the basis for the ranking. These included quality and competence, which for almost two thirds (65 percent) play the most important role, followed by a basic “sympathy” for the brand (10 percent) and “good service” (6 percent).
The 14 companies examined included Amazon, Lidl, Aldi, Otto and Zalando. At the front was Amazon, followed by Dm and Edeka some distance away. Mail order retailer Otto and fashion retailer Zalando brought up the rear in 12th and 13th place, with Real in 14th place.
Amazon is ahead with its “all-round carefree” experience
“Amazon has left stationary retail behind not only in terms of product range, but also in terms of customer experience,” comments Avantgarde in his report. “That Amazon occupies the top spot here may come as a surprise, as the online retailer is repeatedly subject to public criticism.”
However, the respondents seem to be less interested in Amazon’s image problems in the areas of sustainability and working conditions, among other things, than the “all-round carefree” experience that they are offered: numerous customer reviews with discussion options, a simple user interface and for Prime Subscribers: music, films and lavishly produced series. And all of this with short (online) paths that combine different experiences.
Avantgarde founder and CEO Martin Schnaack is convinced that Amazon implements the maxims of the experience economy excellently: “Brands have to offer experiences – whether online or offline. Amazon understood this and made it consistently tangible. “
Dm scores with its shopping atmosphere
But the drugstore chain Dm is also doing well: “Dm succeeds in creating a special shopping atmosphere that makes you want to shop, including its own brands,” explains Schnaack.
The penultimate place in the ranking shows that a large online marketplace alone is not enough to convince customers. There is online fashion retailer Zalando, which cannot keep up with Amazon when it comes to topics such as user experience.
This is also a conclusion of Avantgarde’s first Brand Experience Index: “No stationary retailer can position itself today, and certainly in the future, solely through the price and the range. Experiences still offer the chance to stand out from the competition. “
Another conclusion is that in retail, people long for the experience of a classic marketplace where, in addition to a wide range, entertainment and exchange with like-minded people is possible.
What is a brand experience?
According to Avantgarde, a brand experience is “the sum of all experiences a customer has with a brand. The customers form a holistic opinion and attitude to a brand through all facets of their individual experiences. ”This attitude is also dependent on the customer’s value system.
A special feature of the first Brand Experience Index is that it does not differentiate between brick-and-mortar and online retail, because after all, customers don’t either. At the same time, the index brings together different industries. The common basis of the brand ranking is the clearly defined experience dimensions.
The entire study can be downloaded from the Avantgarde website.