Insight: one in five consumers have boycotted a brand
New research has found that over a fifth of consumers have boycotted a brand following a scandal or negative press.
The YouGov ‘Inside the Mindset of a Brand Boycotter’ report also reveals that three quarters of consumers who had stopped using a brand still do not use it now.
Tax avoidance and evasion was found to be the number one reason for boycotting a brand for 55% of consumers who had turned their backs on a brand. Some 40% said they did so due to staff being treated unfairly, for example over working hours, and just over a third were prompted by workers in the supply chain being treated badly.
When it came to returning to a brand, 28% said they did so because the company changed the practices that had initiated the boycott. Just under a quarter said they returned because the brand’s product or service improved.
However, some 29% of returning boycotters started using the brand again because it had become too inconvenient not to, and 18% felt it was necessary to use the company in their work or family life.
Nasra Aharchich of YouGov Reports said: “There have been a number of cases of brands getting in hot water with consumers over the past couple of years over issues such as tax avoidance or not treating staff well enough. While it is not as straightforward as saying that every time a brand is seen to misbehave it will lose customers, there is a distinct proportion of consumers who will vote with their wallets.
“But there is a difference between how people treat the type of brands that they feel give them something special and those who are seen as one of many. A large majority say they will stick to brands that they like and so the relationship a company has with its customers is key for surviving any bumps in the road.”
