Galaxus vs. Brack - who creates more emotion?

Galaxus and Brack are the largest Swiss universal online stores and are experiencing steady growth. Their selling point impresses with good prices, a large selection and fast delivery. But is that all that customers want? The agency Zutt & Partner investigated this in an independent neuromarketing study, which analyzed the subconscious wishes of customers and compared them with the Galaxus and Brack emotions. This made it possible to break down what drives consumers on an emotional level and motivates them to buy. One thing is certain: Galaxus clearly wins the emotional duel. However, Brack is steadily gaining ground and both stores still have potential for optimization - especially in the shopping experience.

Galaxus has the clearer emotion profile

The brain remembers emotionally clear experiences better. That's why every strong brand needs a clear emotional profile. In concrete terms, this means not arousing emotions arbitrarily, but conveying a targeted experience. According to the Zutt study, Galaxus is the winner in this neuromarketing discipline. The online store focuses on emotions such as inspiration, speed and reliability. The result is a clear brand profiling that is remembered as a differentiating experience.

Brack, on the other hand, arouses emotions across the entire spectrum. Although the dimensions of inspiration and reliability stand out slightly, they are clearly too weak. The customer's brain can therefore categorize the brand less clearly - it is therefore less strongly anchored in the consumer's brain.

Strong emotions are needed for synapses to fire in the customer's brain. This is the only way for the brain to become aware of a brand in the first place. Anything that does not trigger emotions is neither noticed nor bought. In this study, the emotion volume of the two brands was measured. This is independent of the content of the emotions aroused. It is therefore not a question of which emotions were aroused, but only how strongly.

It turned out that Galaxus arouses more emotions than Brack. (For comparison: car brands or chocolate products manage an emotional volume of 40 or even 50). The brand therefore has a stronger influence on the customer's brain and thus shapes purchasing decisions.

In the advertising battle: Galaxus' TV ad hits the mark - Brack's billboard ad hits the mark

Not only the emotional impact of the brands themselves was analyzed, but also that of individual touchpoints. The focus of this study was on posters and TV commercials. The emotional fit with the Gold Standard was examined for both touchpoints.

Gold Standard: Consumers want an inspiring experience from an online store that is fast and reliable.

Both online stores land a hit. Galaxus triggers exactly the right emotions with its TV commercials. The humorously staged everyday situations provide plenty of inspiration, speed and reliability. Brack impresses with its current poster campaign. Here, too, the secret lies in creatively staged everyday situations. The everyday appeals to the customer's brain because it recognizes these situations. The eccentric and self-confident characters provide additional inspiration and power.

Galaxus' poster advertising and Brack's TV commercials are less successful. They fall short of the gold standard and are therefore clearly less likely to stimulate customers' brains to buy.

Both still have room for improvement in terms of UX

Both stores fall short of the gold standard with their user experience. Galaxus and Brack rely on minimalist designs with numerous product filters. However, this does not fully cover the emotional customer requirements. Both web stores hardly arouse any emotions in the dimensions of inspiration and speed. The user experience is too mundane, organized and technical. One reason for this could be the product filters, which are exclusively rational. They are based on the characteristics of the products, not on the needs of the customers.

But customers rarely think in terms of technical criteria. Instead, they have emotional and real-life requirements. They are not looking for a smartphone with a 16-inch display, but one that fits in their pocket. Occasion-based filters would be a valuable addition that would trigger inspiration.

An interactive product search could provide more power. Instead of just searching, customers can lend a hand themselves. For example, customers could define their dream product in a configurator. They then receive suggestions that come closest to what they want. This arouses strong emotions and creates differentiation from other online stores. Initial efforts in this direction can be seen through the use of AI.

Conclusion: Neither Galaxus nor Brack succeeds in optimally covering the emotional customer desire. In addition, both are struggling to create a common thread running through all their touchpoints.