Online giant tops in ‘brand intimacy’

Amazon leads the way in the retail industry when it comes to creating an emotional bond with customers, but the industry as a whole lags behind two other categories.



That’s according to MBLM’s Brand Intimacy 2017 Report, in which Amazon placed first in the retail category. followed by Whole Foods Market and Target Corp. The remaining brands in the top 10 for the retail industry are: H&M, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Sephora, Ikea, The Home Depot and eBay.



The study, which defines brand Intimacy as a “new paradigm that leverages and strengthens the emotional bonds between a person and a brand,” ranked 15 different industries. The automotive industry came out on top, followed by media/entertainment and retail.



Other U.S. retail industry findings from MBLM’s 2017 report include:



• The archetype most associated with retail is fulfillment, which relates to exceeding expectations, and delivering superior service, quality and efficacy.



• The top brand for consumers both under and over 35-years of age is Amazon; both groups also rank Target and Whole Foods within their top five brands, with younger consumers preferring Target and older consumers favoring Whole Foods.



• On average, higher-income individuals are more intimate with retail brands.



• Retail is only one of five industries that has more success building bonds with women than it does with men, along with consumer goods, fast food, health & hygiene, and apps & social platforms.



The report analyzed the responses of 6,000 consumers and 54,000 brand evaluations across 15 industries.



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