New research reveals what motivates UK consumers to refer brands to friends and family, which sectors and brands are most referable, and which qualities a brand should possess to be referred.
According to the survey results from Mention Me, UK consumers value the opinion of a friend or family member most with 41% of those questioned put off referring a brand if they’d been told not to shop there, compared to only 36% put off by negative press or social media coverage. Of those questioned people would trust a friend (50%) slightly more than a partner or spouse (46%), and only marginally fewer people (21%) would trust an online review from the public than their parents at (23%).
Key findings that highlight increasing disillusionment with influencer marketing and social media:
- Only 3% of those questioned would trust a celebrity recommendation
- Only 5% a blogger, youtube influencer or other and 2% a politician
- Only 18% of those questioned are put off referring by lack of support channels such as live chat or social media
- Only 15% of those questioned said they would not refer if the shopping experience wasn’t mobile friendly
- Only 22% if they weren’t offered a customer feedback mechanism
Getting the right deal is still very important for UK shoppers with 53% of those questioned selecting a percentage or money off future orders as the most attractive offer. This compares to only 11% choosing free delivery, 10% choosing a free gift and a sobering 1.9% a charitable donation. We are also a selfish nation when it comes to referral with 59% of those questioned choosing money off for themselves for making a referral compared to only 16% choosing money off for their friend or family on purchase.
Key findings for which qualities people would like a brand to have in order to refer them:
- 76% of those questioned value a brand being trustworthy or credible to refer them
- For 68% of those questioned a brand offering good value products is very important and 43% big discounts
- Only 23% of those questioned rated a brand’s charitable status as very important for referral, 29% it’s environmental credentials and 35% having shared values
- Good quality products: 73%
- Good customer service: 59%
- A brand being innovative or creative: only 21%
Overall with both sexes the most referable sectors for referral relate to experiences: Food & drink (65%), holiday & travel (57%), leisure / entertainment (42%). Technology (48%) and Financial services (43%) also rate highly There are some marked differences with 40% of women very likely to refer fashion and beauty, compared to only 9% of men likely to refer a men’s fashion brand, and one fifth of the men interviewed were very likely to refer a tech brand compared to only one tenth of women.
The top five brands that those questioned have or would consider referring are:
- Lidl (58%), Co-op (50%), Nationwide (49%), BA (48%) and Pizza Express (47%)
“This research reveals that brands need to really focus on understanding what drives and inspires their customers to want to share and refer experiences – and that it’s not all just about offering the biggest discount”, comments Andy Cockburn, CEO of Mention Me.
Other key findings:
- 29% of those questioned hold off making major purchases or Christmas shopping until the Black Friday sales
- Trusting a celebrity, blogger or Youtube influencer decreases with age with 37% of those under 34 trusting a referral and only 5% of those over 45
- Cost cutting more important with the younger generation with 36% of those under 34 valuing a free gift compared to only 12% of those over 45
- We get less charitable as we get older with only 16% of those questioned over 55 rating a brand being charitable as very important compared to 34% of the 18-24 age range
- Green credentials for a brand less important for the older consumer with 23% of the over 55’s rating this as important or compared to 39% of the 18-24 year olds
- A brand being innovative or creative is almost twice as important for the young with 41% of the 18-24 year olds rating this as very important and only 24% of the 55+ age range
- Percentage discounts are perceived as more desirable (34% of those questioned) than money off future orders (19% of those questioned)
Mention Me partnered with One Poll for this survey, who questioned 2,000 UK consumers. The survey was completed 15th September 2017.
About Mention Me: Mention-Me.com provides retailers with a referral platform which enables them to turn word-of-mouth into a marketing channel. They work in partnership with retailers to ensure best practice and testing result in world class referral programmes.
Press Contact : Christina Aylmer-Pearse
Phone Number: 0787 980 7787
Email: christina@mention-me.com