Building brand trust with customers is no longer optional—it's essential for brands that aim to thrive. Our latest research has thrown a spotlight on the key role that trust plays in shaping brand love, revealing actionable insights into how businesses can foster deep, lasting relationships with their customers.
In our State of Brand Love report, we surveyed a wide range of consumers to uncover what determines whether a brand is loved or avoided. We segmented brands into an "inner circle" of trusted favorites and an "outer circle" of brands actively avoided. Comparing the two groups, we determined three main pillars that drive brand love: quality, customer experience (CX), and trust. Brands that do well in these aspects are not only trusted but also more likely to establish deep, emotional relationships with their customers. Here are some trusted brand strategies.
How Trusted Brands Create Loyalty
1. Quality of the product
When expectations are high in the world, nothing diminishes trust as fast as bad product quality. For us, 40% said that product quality has the direct influence on their satisfaction in terms of a brand. Customers feeling disappointed due to bad quality—they are those products that aren't meant to last a while or those services that didn't stand by what was expected-keep a distance from entrusting such brands once more. One single negative experience has the tendency to result in a long-term reaction from loyalty.
2. Responsive Support
Customers want responsive support in case of an issue, and the problem will be solved as fast as possible. Our data proves that service is twice more significant than cost in NPS terms (27% vs.15%). When interactions are more recurrent and more critical in cases of sectors like banking, health care, or travel, the demand for good service is twice greater. Respondents spoke of times when brands went the extra mile to help them, cementing their trust. One customer said, for example, "When I got hacked, my bank worked with me to get all my money back. I trust them." Conversely, lousy service experiences, such as being held on the phone for hours, erode trust dramatically.
3. Authenticity and Ethics
Consumers today want to support brands that share their values. Ethical practices and authenticity are no longer optional. Indeed, our results showed a strong increase in brand dissatisfaction when companies failed to live up to ethical standards. As one respondent said, "They made many mistakes with our accounts, costing us money and repairs to our credit score.". Not trusting one's bank is never good. Ethical and responsible business practices play a key role in gaining customer trust, especially in industries like banking, healthcare, and media. This is a core principle of reputation management as well.
Building Strong Customer Relationships Through Trust: Practical Actions for Brands
To build and sustain trust with customers, brands have to focus on three fundamental actions:
1. Deliver Consistently Positive Experiences: It is not just about consistency in the features of your product; it is about emotional consistency. If customers trust the emotional experience they have with your brand engagement, they will keep coming back.
2. Be Authentic in Your Community Engagement: Show up authentically in the communities that matter to your customers. Align your brand with social causes or environmental initiatives that resonate with your audience and make a genuine impact.
3. Listen and Respond to Feedback: Listen to feedback from customers through reviews, social media, or direct contact. Acting on this feedback and showing them that you actually care about what they have to say will create stronger, more trusting relationships.
The most trusted brands are those that provide high-quality products, surpass customer service expectations, and act with integrity. Focusing on the three pillars of quality, support, and ethics helps brands create deep, long-lasting connections with their customers.
Ready to build trust with your customers and increase brand loyalty? Start today by prioritizing quality, support, and ethics for stronger relationships.
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