2022-02-25-Merkle-2022消费者调查报告_下一代消费者行为（EN）_15页_2mb

Summary of Consumer Behavior Report

Key Overview

The report highlights a significant shift in consumer behaviors, emphasizing that consumers now hold more influence over brands, expecting them to adapt to individual preferences in areas like channels, products, and experiences. Conducted through a survey of 1,000 US consumers, this analysis explores three main areas: convenience, relatability, and responsibility.

Key Findings at a Glance

• Brands face challenges due to evolving consumer behaviors and expectations that demand continuous adaptation.
• Four main trends emerged: consumers want flexibility in engagement, they trust real people (e.g., micro-influencers) over celebrities, social responsibility is increasingly important, especially among younger generations, and personalization is underperforming.

Convenience

• Convenience is paramount, with 84% of consumers favoring products delivered to home; free shipping is highly valued over speed.
• Multi-channel usage is common, and in-store experiences are still preferred for customer service.
• Key takeaway: Simplicity and ease across all touchpoints drive satisfaction, with delivery and finding products being most critical.

Relatability

• Consumers prioritize personalization and feeling heard, with trust and transparency being more important than brand knowledge.
• Micro-influencers and direct customer interactions (e.g., email) are effective, while celebrity endorsements have less impact.
• Key takeaway: Building genuine relationships requires honesty, individualized service, and authentic engagement, tailored to age groups.

Responsibility

• Brands must address social and ethical issues, such as worker treatment and environmental protection, especially to win over younger consumers.
• Political stances are less favored, with a majority supporting ethical practices like fair labor and sustainability.
• Key takeaway: Positive responsibility strengthens loyalty, but poor experiences in this area are more likely to drive customers away among younger demographics.

Overall Conclusions

• Convenience is the strongest factor in retaining customers, followed by relatability and responsibility.
• Younger consumers (Gen Z and millennials) show higher expectations for social issues, while older consumers are more critical overall.
• Brands must simplify experiences, personalize interactions, and demonstrate ethical responsibility to meet these demands.

Research methodology involved a 2021 US survey, revealing generational and age-based differences, with brands struggling to satisfy all consumer expectations uniformly.