Walmart, Hobby Lobby tops in faith-friendly retailer list

Walmart and Hobby Lobby top the retailer list of the first ever annual Faith Equality Index.



Faith Driven Consumer, a group that represents 41 million Christian consumers, has published an index rating the faith compatibility of major brands both in the consumer and entertainment spheres, as well as serving as a voice for this community.



FDC says its Faith Equality Index is the only industry benchmark to measure compatibility with Faith Driven Consumers, and the inaugural ratings score Chick-fil-A, Hobby Lobby, Interstate Batteries, Tyson Foods, Cracker Barrel, Walmart, and Thrivent Financial as the 2016 leading companies for faith equality.



“In a marketplace that celebrates diversity, the Faith Equality Index focuses major brands on the newest color in their rainbow, Faith Driven Consumers. Like every community, Faith Driven Consumers expect to be welcomed by the companies they do business with and work for. FEI affords the marketplace a transparent tool to measure where brands stand,” said Chris Stone, Certified Brand Strategist and founder of Faith Driven Consumer. “We congratulate the inaugural leaders and look forward to working with them, and the other rated brands, in the coming months—helping them all progressively improve their scores. We recognize that many brands still have a long way to go in welcoming, embracing, and celebrating Faith Driven Consumers at parity with their other diversity communities, and are diligently working with all brands as they seek to understand and embrace this key constituency.”



The Faith Equality Index annually rates, on a 100-point scale, how well brands acknowledge Faith Driven Consumers (FDCs) by welcoming, embracing and celebrating them. The FEI is the tool FDCs use to make consumer choices, which are made through the lens of their biblical worldview.



According to American Insights, 93% of Faith Driven Consumers see value in a resource that allows them to easily identify the faith compatibility of brands, 86% are more likely to do business with a brand that welcomes them and acknowledges their values, and 70% are actively seeking faith-compatible brands.



According to the FDc group, Faith Driven Consumers — 17% of all U.S. adults or 41 million people — are a subset of the larger Christian market. This powerful, rapidly emerging community spends $2 trillion annually and is distinct in the marketplace and culture. FDCs are driven by their biblically based worldview in daily purchasing decisions, including consumer and entertainment choices.



For the full Faith Equality Index report, click here.