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Embracing local and community shopping trends

BrandVue’s Most Loved Retail Brands 2022

The pandemic had a profound impact on how we chose to shop with a strong shift towards shopping local and supporting smaller, independent retailers and communities.

It might seem paradoxical, but we can see how this has impacted Brand Love for more established national and even international brands too.

Our BrandVue data shows that Etsy is now seen as more relatable, friendly and trusted, strongly aligning to the community feel shoppers are looking for.

Facebook Markeplace for example is one of our biggest risers in this year’s BrandVue’s Most Loved Retail Brands report, jumping some 38 places to 78th. Etsy has also seen a sizeable increase in Brand Love, now sitting at 32 in our league table, up 17 places on last year.

Both brands, and many other smaller ones, have really capitalised on the growing interest in supporting local – and not so local – communities, seen across categories over the last couple of years, in ways that other marketplaces haven’t. EBay, for instance, has dropped 4 places this year, taking the brand out of the top 10 Most Loved Brands.

A shift towards online shopping combined with a focus on local and independent and a growing interest in hobbies and crafting throughout lockdowns has made for perfect conditions for Etsy to put its independent crafters front and centre, focusing on upper-funnel strategies such as its #standwithsmall campaign that captured the mood of the nation.

Our BrandVue data shows that Etsy is now seen as more relatable, friendly and trusted, strongly aligning to the community feel shoppers are looking for. Its image also improved in terms of quality, range, and convenience, with Brand Love translating into higher consideration levels and ultimately sales, as the service and products provided met and often surpassed its customer’s expectations too.

You could say Etsy and Facebook Marketplace were ideally placed to capitalise on these new shopping attitudes. But many, much bigger, retailers can and already do leverage this growing consumer interest in supporting local and independent suppliers. Some through their product range, by stocking and featuring some local products, and others through their CSR initiatives, by supporting local charities or groups.

However, sometimes community is not just about geography, and this is where Etsy excelled: by putting the spotlight on your community and highlighting that it’s what your brand is passionate about, you become exciting and relatable, one might even say … loved?

BrandVue’s Most Loved Retail Brands 2022

As well as revealing the 100 most loved retail brands, the report offers expert analysis on where the industry is heading and what brands can do to become more loved by consumers.

The report also touches upon the common characteristics of the most loved retailers, the consumer shift towards shopping local and supporting smaller, independent retailers and communities, the importance of fostering meaningful brand relationships across generations, and more.

Download the report here for the full Top 100 league table as well as more retail trends and insights.