What the Swiss understand by quality - and which brands they trust
Quality ensures high customer loyalty in Switzerland. For the first time, Reader's Digest examined what Swiss consumers consider to be quality in its «Trusted Brands 2018» survey. The list of the most trusted brands shows a surprisingly high degree of consistency.
The Swiss insist on high product benefits. As this year's "Trusted Brands 2018" survey by Reader's Digest shows, quality is the number one reason for purchasing decisions (89% of responses).
| Category | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non alcoholic beverages | Coca-Cola | Coca-Cola | Coca-Cola |
| Automobiles VW | VW | VW | VW |
| Banks | Raiffeisen | Raiffeisen | Raiffeisen |
| Clothing | H&M | H&M | H&M |
| Candies | Ricola | Ricola | Ricola |
The important five
When asked about brand quality aspects, the study participants focused on five factors. At the top of the list with 90 percent of responses is durability, followed by reliability (89 percent), functionality (74 percent), service (73 percent) and sustainability (71 percent). At 48%, design plays a much smaller role. The prestige of a brand is even further behind at 24%.
The importance of the five top factors increases almost continuously with the age of the survey participants. While 84% of 18- to 29-year-olds attach great importance to the service life of a product, the figure is no less than 94% for the over-60s. A similar picture emerges for reliability. 86% of the youngest age group (18 - 29 years) demand low susceptibility to faults, while the figure for the oldest (over 60 years) is a full 93%. However, the situation is reversed when it comes to design: 57% of young people (18 - 29 years), but only 46% of older people (over 60 years) judge a product on its appearance, colors and shape.
Unbroken loyalty
The leading brands have managed to keep their promise of quality over a long period of time and thus repeatedly reinforce customer trust. In fourteen of the twenty categories surveyed, the brands have defended their leading position in the trust bonus over the past three years. The fact that a new brand has prevailed in only one of the twenty categories (outdoor/sport) every year since 2016 is a particular sign of the consistency of the situation. Just how well anchored leading brand images are is demonstrated by the fact that VW continues to impress as a brand and enjoys the highest level of trust of all car brands, even after the ongoing negative reports about the manipulation of emissions values.
To the "Trusted Brands" study by Reader's Digest
"Trusted Brands" is an independent study that has been measuring consumer brand trust every year since 2001. It is one of the most established and largest consumer studies, is a pioneer for other studies of this kind and is recognized as a brand monitor. The approach of asking the brand question in an unsupported manner, i.e. without any brand specifications, remains unique. Consumers alone reveal which trusted brand is at the top of their list. The 2,300 people surveyed by Reader's Digest in Switzerland this year named a total of 2,348 different brands that they personally consider to be particularly trustworthy. The study was conducted this year on behalf of Reader's Digest by the market research institute Dialego.
