Greetings sellers snaffle 10 out of top 100 slots as Card Factory climbs nine places
Further proof that Brits really do love cards has come from the latest Most Loved Retail Brands league table with greeting card retailers taking 10 out of the top 100 slots.
Card Factory has come out brilliantly, climbing nine places from last year’s list to 19th in the 2023 Savanta BrandVue poll which recognises the most emotively-connected retail brands, based on insights from over 90,000 consumers covering 200+ retailers to arrive at the top 100 brands according to how loved they are by the public.
John Lewis & Partners – which won the specific Department Stores category – moved up one place to 13th overall, with Waterstones rising to 17th from 19th, followed by Card Factory at 19th (28th in 2022), The Works at 41 (43rd), Flying Tiger 43 (51st), Hobbycraft 45 (48th), WHSmith 68 (70th), with specialist retailer Cardsdirect entering the list for the first time in the 100th position.
With the fieldwork dates running for the full year to 28 February, 2023, the only card retailers which dropped slightly from their 2022 ratings were online greetings specialists Moonpig, down to 53rd from 40th, and Thortful, which slipped one place to 73rd – Paperchase was 74th last year but didn’t feature this time round following the company’s collapse in January.
“We are officially one of the Most Loved Retail Brands in the UK,” Card Factory crowed, having been placed second in the specific Books & Cards category, behind Waterstones and in front of Hobbycraft.
“This is a tremendous achievement and reflects the hard work and dedication we consistently see from all our colleagues to ensure we do the right thing for our customers. We would like to say a massive thank you to all our colleagues for helping us on our way to these achievements; we couldn’t have done it without you.”
Brand Love is calculated as the percentage of people stating that they “love” a brand, based on the question: “What is your opinion of the following brand: 1. Love, 2. Like a lot, 3. Like a little, 4. Indifferent, 5. Dislike a little, 6. Dislike a lot, 7. Hate.” Respondents can also opt out by saying they don’t know much about the brand.
The Top 100 Retail Brands league table is then created by ranking the organisations by their Brand Love score, having met suitable brand awareness criteria – Amazon held on to overall top spot for the second year, while Apple stayed in second place.
BrandVue monitors the feelings and behaviours of one million consumers towards 2,500-plus brands each year, and says: “The significance of Brand Love lies in its ability to form a deep emotional bond between a brand and its customers. Our data shows that when customers have a strong affinity for a brand, Brand Love, they are more likely to remain loyal – making the percentage of those that do love you more valuable.
“Additionally, when a customer has affection for a brand, their preference for it remains, even if alternative options are more affordable or accessible.
“Customers that love a certain brand may be more forgiving if that brand makes mistakes or falls short of expectations. This is because they have a strong connection with the brand, which can trump rational considerations.”
Top: Card Factory climbed nine places in the 2023 Most Loved Retail Brands list
