Study: Amazon tops in ‘brand intimacy’ — and not just in retail

Amazon once again led the retail industry in MBLM's Brand Intimacy 2020 Study, the largest study of brands based on emotion. (Brand intimacy is defined in the report as the emotional science that measures the bonds consumers form with the brands they use and love.)

The retail industry ranked fourth out of the 15 industries studied. In addition to keeping its No. 1 position in retail, Amazon rose to be the top brand in 2020 overall, with a “brand industry quotient” of 68.3 and a narrow lead over Disney. The U.S. retail industry had an average brand quotient of 42.5. 

In the retail sector, Amazon was followed by Walmart and Costco, which placed second and third, respectively. The remaining top 10 brands in the retail industry were Target, Whole Foods Market, Sephora, Macy's, Ikea, eBay and Nordstrom.

The study noted that the top-ranking brands in intimacy have significantly outperformed the top brands in the Fortune 500 and S&P indices in both revenue and profit during the past 10 years.

"Amazon dominated MBLM's Brand Intimacy 2020 Study, ranking No. 1 not only in the retail industry but our overall study," stated Mario Natarelli, managing partner, MBLM. "Its use of technology to create personalized customer experiences has contributed to its success and the brand has become an important part of its users' lives. Consumers also increased their reliance on Amazon during the pandemic. We see other brands in this industry following Amazon's lead and trying to also evolve their services, focusing on meeting the needs of consumers, especially during today's challenging times."

Amazon continues to find new ways of attracting customers, the report said. For example, it recently became Toys “R” Us' fulfillment partner.

The study noted that the top-ranking brands in intimacy have significantly outperformed the top brands in the Fortune 500 and S&P indices in both revenue and profit during the past 10 years.

Additional retail industry findings in the U.S. are below.

• Amazon had broad appeal: both men and women ranked Amazon as their favorite intimate brand.
• Similarly, Amazon led among multiple consumer age groups, with both millennials and those over 35 years old choosing it as their most intimate retail brand. 
• Amazon also ranked No. 1 in the industry among consumers with incomes both over and under $100,000.
• Fulfillment, which is related to performance, was the archetype most associated with the retail category (last year it was enhancement), and here too, Amazon was the top-performing retail brand for fulfillment.

To view the retail industry findings in the MBLM study, click here.