15/08/2007
New European statistics show Irish to be most brand loyal in terms of consumer and clothing goods
Irish people becoming ‘the most image conscious Europeans’
New figures released today by leading international consumer think-tank, The Future Foundation (Ireland), an Experian® company, reveal that when it comes to consumer goods, Irish consumers are the most brand loyal in Europe, with 70% of 55 year olds, 60% of 40 – 54 year olds, and half of those aged 25 - 39 consistently buying the same brand of product rather than shopping around.
According to the Future Foundation’s pan-European statistics, Irish people over the age of 25 are the most likely to stick to tried and tested brands, while the Norwegians were found to be the least brand loyal, with less than one in ten (8%) of those aged over 25 consistently buying the same brand of product.
Young Irish adults (aged 15 -24) are more likely to seek alternative consumer brands than older Irish people, with just one in three consistently buying the same brand of product. However, this group also lagged far behind the Norwegians, where just 15% of young adults continued to buy the same branded products.
Nicola Austin, Director of The Future Foundation, said “Our research suggests that Irish people are not willing to seek alternatives outside of their tried and trusted brand of product. This loyalty may help to explain why Irish people pay higher grocery bills than their European neighbours, as branded products are not being replaced with cheaper alternatives.”
The survey also found that Irish people in all age categories were far more likely to be brand conscious when it came to the clothes they wear. While older Irish adults were more brand loyal in terms of, consumer goods, the roles were reversed when it came to clothing brands. Young adults were twice as likely to place importance in having branded clothing as those aged over 55 (67% vs. 33%).
The survey revealed the following:
- 15-24 age group: 67% view the brand of clothing they wear as important. (European average: 35%)
- 25-39 age group: 48% view the brand of clothing they wear as important. (European average: 29%)
- 40-54 age group: 34% view the brand of clothing they wear as important. (European average: 19%)
- 55+ age group: 33% view the brand of clothing they wear as important. (European average: 20%)
The survey found that 42% of Irish people, reported difficulty finding clothes they ‘really loved’. Almost half of those aged 25-39 (49%) were found to have the difficulty when shopping for clothes, while just one in three aged 55+ (32%) reported such difficulties. The Europeans who expressed the most difficulty finding clothes they liked were the Finns (50% of those surveyed). On average 39% of Europeans reported such difficulties.
Nicola Austin said “Our research suggests that Irish people are a lot more label conscious than other Europeans. The brand loyalty Irish people display in terms of consumer goods may be as a result of habit or an unwillingness to try new brands. However, the placing of importance in clothing brands is more likely to be a conscious, image based, decision. The Irish economy, over the last two decades, has allowed designer clothing to become more attainable to a greater number of people. As a result, we may now see Irish people becoming the most image conscious Europeans.”
Note to Editor – The Europe-wide survey had a sample of 16,000 people with 2,286 Irish participants in the Consumer Products survey and 500 Irish participants in the Clothing/ Shopping Experience survey. Field work took place throughout 2006 and was analysed in July 2007.
For further press information please contact:
Stephen McNamara
MRPA KINMAN
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Laurie Mannix
MRPA KINMAN
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