Many consumers feel their area is unrepresented in advertising
More than one in three people (35%) feel their local area is not represented in advertising at all, according to research from GroupM. Meanwhile, just 6% of people feel their area is well represented.
Only a fifth (20%) feel that advertisers successfully incorporate local references in their advertising. This feeling of poor representation is particularly acute among regions likely to feel under depicted in media anyway.
Less than a third of people in Scotland (32%) and under a quarter in Wales (24%) say brands use appropriate local dialect, terminology and humour for their area.
Brands that do showcase regional diversity could be better positioned to win, with nearly four in 10 (39%) consumers saying they are more likely to buy from brands that accurately showcase different areas of the UK. More than half (52%) of respondents agree that advertisers should be reflecting the values of communities in their content.
Source: GroupM
Nearly half of British consumers struggling to afford some essentials
Nearly half (46%) of Brits are struggling to afford some essentials like food, utilities, and rent or mortgage payments, and four in five (80%) perceive the economy to be in poor shape.
In line with many people struggling to afford the necessities and these poor perceptions of the economy, consumers are shifting their shopping habits accordingly. Most consumers are postponing larger, discretionary purchases such as technology (66%) and luxury goods (70%).
However, they are still indulging in affordable treats with increased spending on dining out (33%) and fast food (32%). Therefore, brands ought to lean into what the research dubs as “affordable indulgence” to reach consumers during this period.
Source: Dentsu
Poor delivery options driving online shopping abandonment
Around £38bn worth of online purchases were abandoned at checkout last year, up 11% from 2023, according to research from Retail Economics and GFS.
Indeed, almost a quarter (24%) of purchases overall were abandoned, meaning brands are missing out on significant incremental revenue.
One of the most significant drivers of online shoppers abandoning their purchases is unsatisfactory delivery options. Almost two-thirds (66%) of frequent online shoppers abandon their purchases at least once a month because of poor delivery choices.
Almost half (47%) of consumers overall say they have abandoned purchases due to high delivery costs or limited choice. Around a quarter (23%) say they have abandoned shops due to lengthy checkout processes or complex websites, and a similar proportion (22%) cite slow delivery times as a driver of purchase abandonment.
Limited delivery and returns options are particularly likely to drive purchase abandonment among Gen Z consumers (those aged 18 to 27), with 65% of those surveyed saying they abandon a purchase online at least once a month for this reason.
Source: Retail Economics and GFS
Less than half of marketers believe in their own personalisation strategies
Just 44% of UK consumer product marketers believe their campaigns and content are effectively personalised.
This low marker of confidence comes despite the vast majority (86%) of marketers agreeing that personalisation will be a key differentiator this year. UK consumers also see personalisation as a point of difference, with 61% saying they highly value personalised content when deciding what to buy. However, only 44% feel they receive personalised experiences when browsing or buying consumer products.
The research also looks at the most significant channels for consumer engagement. Email remains the dominant channel (44%) for consumer product engagement, but live chat (16%), social media (13%) and SMS (13%) are also growing in importance.
Source: SAP Emarsys
Cadbury Creme Egg sees biggest uptick in ad awareness last month
The three brands with the most improved ad awareness score, as tracked by YouGov BrandIndex, last month were Cadbury Creme Egg, streaming service Disney+ and home appliance brand Shark.
As the Easter season approaches, Cadbury Creme Egg saw the biggest uptick in ad awareness, moving from 14.4% of consumers having seen one of its ads on 26 February to 20.9% on 25 March, an increase of 6.5 percentage points.
Disney+ follows with an increase of five percentage points, rising from 23.7% on 28 February to 28.7% on 25 March. This uptick in ad awareness may have been down to the streaming service promoting its new content, which included Marvel series Daredevil and animated sequel Moana 2.
Household appliance brand Shark rounds out the top three with a gain of five percentage points, increasing from 10.4% on 28 February to 15.3% on 25 March. The increase is likely driven by Shark’s new advertisement for its portable fan product.
Source: YouGov BrandIndex
