Consumers Enjoy Being in Brand ‘Fandoms’: Survey

Shoppers who are a part of “fandoms” are more likely to support brands, according to a recent survey by Kearney Consumer Institute (KSI).

The report makes a clear distinction between a “habit buyer” and a “superfan” – the distinction being a superfan is a part of a fandom, which is connected to a larger community of fans.

• 80 percent of shoppers say they feel they belong to a fandom (this includes pop culture, political groups, religious beliefs).
• 52 percent say they enjoy sharing their fandom.
• 62 percent said they are a part of a brand community or fandom.
• 23 percent said they have a “complete obsession” with a brand and 63 percent said they are unlikely to ever stop supporting it.

“Brands need to be more honest about what loyalty really means. A lot of people just buy things out of habit, but I don’t know if they were ever truly loyal,” Katie Thomas of KCI said in an interview with Retail TouchPoints. “Say I’m buying detergent and I look for the orange Tide bottle. I may buy it because that’s what I always buy, not because I’m so fiercely loyal to it. This purchase behavior could arguably be disrupted at any time versus when you start to make those steps up the pyramid to be more committed and start to advocate for the brand.”