Condé Nast and Goldman Sachs release the 2018 Love List Brand Affinity Index

This year’s study indicates that the top performing brands among next gen consumers all demonstrate similar qualities, including unique brand experience – both in-store and online – as well as inclusivity, authenticity and personalisation at every touchpoint. These results reinforce a study Condé Nast conducted earlier this year, which identified that brands consumers trust, believe in and relate to have a significant amount of influence in purchase motivation. Among the brands observed, Nordstrom and Sephora came out on top, exemplifying what next gen consumers are looking for when making their purchasing decisions.

“This study clearly demonstrates brands that have unique identities and create personalised experiences have more influence and win among next gen consumers,” said Pamela Drucker Mann, chief revenue and marketing officer of Condé Nast. “Millennial and Gen Z consumers are looking for quality, authenticity and innovation, not mass appeal, and we can see that in the brands that popped.” 

The study surveyed a national sample of 1,489 US consumers ages 13-34 and an additional sample of 1,174 Condé Nast “It Girls,” defined as those who engage frequently with one or more Condé Nast brands, are influentials among their peer group, love to discover brands before others, and are first among friends to use new products and brands.

Though the study remains ongoing, several key themes have emerged:

• Nordstrom tops the list of favorite retailers, ranking within top 10 across all categories that the study observed

• Sephora tops list of favorite retailers in the color cosmetics, skincare and fragrance categories

• It Girls prefer a mix of online and in-store shopping, and desire smart apps

• It Girls value online convenience and in-store experiences

• Consumers are more in control of their shopping experiences than ever before

• Amazon has replaced Snapchat as the app used more today than it was a year ago

• In terms of brand loyalty, It Girls are more brand agnostic than the average consumer

Click here to see the rankings in The Love List: 2018 Brand Affinity Index from Condé Nast in Partnership with Goldman Sachs

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