After presenting, in February 2023, the overall results of the second wave of its Empathy Value Index (EVI), the European communications agency The Oval Office deepens its analysis of the French's perception of brand empathy and zooms in on the mass distribution sector.
Partners in daily life, mass retail brands are, in this period of economic tension, particularly scrutinized by those who see tangible signals of inflation on the shelves. Born in 2012 in Belgium, The Oval Office is a European communications group that brings together Belgium, the Netherlands and France. Sensitive to concerns about declining purchasing power, the agency has integrated, in the second wave of his study on empathy, 17 leading brands in the mass distribution sector, to better understand the relationship they have with their consumers. Created in collaboration with the Insites Consulting institute in 2021, the EVI index measures brand empathy based on 18 criteria. The new wave of the study was administered online between September 26 and October 6, 2022 among a panel representative of the French population of 2,400 people., surveyed on a selection of 120 brands.
SO, emphatic mass distribution ?
Rather yes. Despite a complex economic situation, the sector ranks third on the podium in terms of empathy, among seven sectors studied and 120 brands. A good overall performance which should not, however, mask significant disparities, in terms of performance on the different criteria of the study, between 54 points for E.Leclerc and 26 points for Cora. A portrait with variable geometry, SO, of the sector and its brands, that The Oval Office has deepened and synthesized into several lessons dedicated to mass distribution.
The most authentic and honest sector
This is the revelation of the sectoral focus of The Oval Office : while the probity of mass retail brands is sometimes questioned in the media, on the contrary, the results show that the French maintain a real relationship of trust with the latter, welcoming the relevance of their speech and the coherence of their actions.
The defense of purchasing power
The Oval Office a constaté, through the prism of the Empathy Value Index, that brands that take up the theme of purchasing power in communication, like the fight they lead on a daily basis, perform the best in terms of empathy. E.Leclerc emerges as the big winner from this study, globally as well as in its sector, thanks to the coherence between its actions and its communication since its genesis.
Listening, strong point of the sector
This may seem obvious, but it is clear that this is not the case for all brands. On these two essential elements of empathy, the sector is doing well with performances much better than average (44,7 against 41,9 points). A result which demonstrates the ability of brands to respond to the real concerns of their customers with offers adapted to their needs. The Oval Office notes significant room for improvement (48,7 points for platforms booking) and the opportunity to take full advantage of it thanks to the daily relationship they maintain with their customers.
