Homegrown retailers Canadian Tire, Shoppers Drug Mart and Real Canadian Superstore made the list of Canada’s most trusted retailers.
BrandSpark International logo (CNW Group/BrandSpark International)
In the Canadian Shopper Study by market research firm BrandSpark International, 7,500 respondents were asked to name the retailers they considered their most trusted in 16 household and personal shopping categories.
Canadian Tire is the most trusted in auto parts and accessories, Shoppers Drug Mart is the most trusted in health/pharmacy and beauty/personal care, and Real Canadian Superstore is the most trusted supermarket.
American giant Walmart came out on top in several categories including department store, housewares/kitchenware and mass merchant, and tied with Carter’s for baby and children’s clothes.
Also on the list are Hudson’s Bay for clothing/fashion, Best Buy for electronics, Payless for footwear and HomeSense for home décor.
“Canadians are on the hunt for value, and it’s interesting that some value brands, including Payless and HomeSense, have now become the most trusted retailers in the country,” said Robert Levy, president and CEO of BrandSpark International.
Overall, the highest-scoring retailer in terms of percentage was Canadian Tire, followed by Best Buy. When looking at the top retailer by margin of victory (how much further ahead a retailer is than its closest competitor), Best Buy is number-one, followed by Canadian Tire.
While some retailers, including Canadian Tire, Best Buy and Toys R Us, lead their categories from coast to coast, there are some key regional differences. In Quebec, Jean Coutu is the most trusted retailer in health/pharmacy and beauty/personal care.
Rona is the most trusted home improvement retailer in Quebec, while Home Depot takes the top spot in B.C., the Prairies and Ontario. In Atlantic Canada, Home Hardware is the most trusted home improvement retailer.
The grocery landscape also varies widely by region, with Loblaw-owned No Frills earning the top spot in Ontario and IGA taking the top spot in Quebec. Loblaw’s Superstore banner came out on top in B.C. and the Prairies, and tied with Sobey’s in Atlantic Canada.
Only in Quebec and Atlantic Canada were non-priced focused brands on top, said Levy. With Canadians looking for value for money, “it’s not a surprise that the supermarket brands offering consistent high value fare so well.”
In fact, value is the number-one factor driving trust in most categories, said Philip Scrutton, BrandSpark’s director of consumer insights. “Consumers look to get value in different ways. [For example] Walmart shoppers want low prices, while Shoppers Drug Mart shoppers, most of them are using the Optimum rewards program and they’ll see value collecting points.”
Other key factors are a strong selection of quality products, and a consistent and convenient shopping experience.
The full list of most trusted retailers can be found here.
