Data from ActiveCampaign Reveals Trustworthiness and Transparency Drive Over Half of First-Time Brand Purchases

Heading into back-to-school and holiday shopping seasons, a great customer experience means transparency across channels

According to new data released from ActiveCampaign, the leader in Customer Experience Automation (CXA), consumers will engage with new brands across all channels, including online, in-store and on social media platforms, as long as the content is relevant and trustworthy. In fact, nearly half of the 1,000 US consumers polled said trustworthiness and transparency are among their top motivators when engaging with a new brand via social media. This is opposed to price and location, which are historically the top drivers of purchases. When looking at just the millennial population, that percentage increases to 58%. For a generation that has grown up online, the bar is high for them when it comes to trusting new brands. To create great experiences for customers of all ages, businesses need an omnichannel approach with consistent and authentic messaging.

It’s not enough for brands to open a shop and wait for the sales to come in. This survey revealed that the content before, during and after purchases matters and different age groups have different preferences—making it crucial to send tailored product content to customers across all channels. In fact, one-third said they would engage after seeing relevant or 1:1 ads. Seventy percent of consumers have purchased from a social ad within the past 30 days, and 76% plan to purchase gifts in-person this upcoming holiday season, revealing that a multichannel strategy is key to providing the best overall experience and bringing in repeat customers all year.

Additional findings from ActiveCampaign’s Q3 consumer purchase behavior report

Brands that run “shops” on social platforms like Instagram are attracting more customers: 59% of consumers (and 76% of Gen Z) say they’ve discovered new brands this way. For small businesses that are just starting and apprehensive about selling on social media, it’s a good way to begin a strong and holistic social media strategy.

Influencer-backed brands hold more weight with Gen Z and millennials: 44% of consumers (53% of Gen Z and 65% of millennials) would purchase from a small business on social media based on influencer recommendations. Because of this, retail experts predict we will see a focus on small business shopping during the 2022 holiday season.

Look to apparel and the food/beverage industries when seeking inspiration: 42% of consumers made purchases from clothing/apparel-centered social ads (50% of Gen Z and 62% of millennials), and 46% of consumers made purchases from food/beverage centered social ads in the past 30 days. If smaller brands are looking for social ad inspiration, these industries are good places to start.

Successful brands that are using social media as a means to engage with customers have other solutions and strategies in place to complete their omnichannel approach. For example, 89% of B2C businesses using CXA also leverage social media to share information with existing and potential customers to ensure those customers receive the right message at the right time. And 44% of ecommerce businesses using CXA also leverage an online community to engage with customers, encourage review of products and promote brand advocacy.

Premium eyewear company L.G.R World improved its user experience by integrating ActiveCampaign with Facebook to synchronize their audiences by setting up automated processes capable of segmentation based on needs. By automating this step, users can be reached with consistent messages at various points in their omnichannel experience while improving the perception of L.G.R. This resulted in a 143% increase in ecommerce revenue.

Expert supporting quotes about consumer purchase behavior

“Seeing how important trust and transparency are to customers really resonates with us at ActiveCampaign,” said Sameer Kazi, president of ActiveCampaign. “We just crossed 10,000 positive customer reviews on G2, a distinction that only 17 products have on the review site. We attribute our success and growth to our highly satisfied and engaged customers. Every customer values trust and transparency, and the data from our survey highlights that very clearly.”

“Through the help of our digital agency, Secret Key, and ActiveCampaign, we’ve been able to define our one-to-one approach, making it possible to send personalized messages, tailored to each individual buyer,” said Luca Gnecchi Ruscone, founder and CEO of L.G.R. “This will ensure that current and potential customers are reached by communications that align with their interests and are based on the actions they take on our site and/or in stores.”