Discount supermarkets Aldi and Lidl have been named the world’s top brands for giving customers a simple, clear and hassle-free shopping experience.
Aldi topped the annual Global Brand Simplicity Index from US-based brand consultancy Siegel & Gale for the sixth year in a row, reports The Telegraph.
The index polled 12,000 people and ranked 87 brands worldwide in order of the clarity and simplicity of their products and the way they communicate with shoppers.
Aldi and its counterpart Lidl, which took third place, were praised for expanding their range of products their and strongly-communicated ‘money-saving’ messages. Google took second place in the list.
Siegel & Gale said 63pc of consumers are willing to pay more for a simple retail experience, making it ironic that the list is constistently topped by the budget supermarket chains. More than half of adults in the UK now visit an Aldi or Lidl each year.
“Brands that offer simpler customer experiences are rewarded with passionate customer loyalty, more innovative employees and greater revenue. In short, embracing simplicity improves the bottom line for brands and organisations,” said Howard Belk of Siegel & Gale.
Aldi has topped a number of brand surveys in recent years. Earlier this year, its brand value surpassed that of Tesco for the first time, reflecting consumers’ growing preference for smaller, discount stores, according to WPP and Millward Brown’s annual BrandZ report.
BrandZ calculated Aldi’s brand value as $11.7m compared to Tesco’s $9.4m.
Netflix, which is now focusing on original feature films and TV series, took fourth place in Siegel & Gale’s list.
Fast food chains McDonald’s, Burger King and KFC also made the top 10, appealing to a wide range of consumers.
Banks and insurance companies dominated the bottom 10. Ryanair was ranked third from last, despite its recent attempts to be more “cuddly”.
