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Chris Crum writes for Small Business Resources about what's new for small business. Chris was a featured writer with the iEntry Network of B2B Publications where hundreds of publications linked to his articles including the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, LA Times and the New York Times.

Avionos Survey: Sixty-two Percent of Consumers Trust Small Businesses over Big Stores

Avionos Survey: Sixty-two Percent of Consumers Trust Small Businesses over Big Stores

Avionos, a digital services firm, recently released the results from a consumer survey, finding that most expect brands to deliver "more than just a great digital experience." Trust, it seems, is what consumers are really after.

The company polled 750 U.S. consumers who had shopped at both a major retailer and a small, local business, other than a grocery store or restaurant, since March 2020. One notable finding is that 62 percent of consumers said they trust small businesses over the larger stores.

"Only a little more than a third (36%) chose large, national retailers," the report says. "Those results align with the results of our October 2020 survey. Of the 83% of respondents who said they would pay more for a product or service from a small, local business, nearly half (42%) said they would do so because small, local businesses share their values — usually an important indicator of trust."

The poll also found that reliability is a major component in building consumer trust. Forty-five percent consider reliability to be the top characteristic of a trustworthy business, while 21 percent said fairness is the top one. Eleven percent said the top one is a great online reputation.

characteristic consumer

Image via Avionos

Of course, when a consumer trusts a business, it leads to meaningful actions. Forty-seven percent are more likely to sign up for a trustworthy business’s loyalty program. Forty-seven percent are also more likely to recommend the business to friends and family members. Forty-four percent are more likely to visit a store in person, and 37 percent are more likely to make an online or mobile purchase.

Top Action Consumer

Image via Avionos

Offering fair prices is the top thing businesses can do to earn trust, according to 48 percent of consumers who took the survey.

"But that can mean much more than just undercutting a competitor’s prices," says Avionos. "If a store employee assembling a BOPIS ["Buy Online Pickup In-Store"] order picks a replacement item off the clearance shelf, but the store still charges the customer full price, it’s a major violation of trust — and an even bigger problem than just asking a few cents more in price."

It’s worth noting that while most poll respondents said they trust small businesses over big stores, they were also more likely to trust large, national retailers to take six out of 11 actions businesses might take to earn trust. These include things like fair prices and delivering orders on time. This means it is all the more critical for small businesses to deliver high-quality experiences that rival their bigger counterparts.

A significant conclusion drawn by the survey is that, while consumers say they like to support small businesses (especially those hit hard by the pandemic), these small businesses shouldn’t assume customers will stay loyal. Shoppers are getting great service and prices from big, national retailers, and smaller stores must earn and keep consumer trust to ensure they keep coming back.


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