Stuff readers reveal SONY as Europe’s most reliable and trustworthy consumer electronics brand

As part of Stuff’s first ever pan-European Annual Index Survey, nearly 3,000 consumers were asked to name the qualities they believe to be most important when purchasing electronic goods from the brands they trust the most.

The survey, conducted in France, Spain, Germany and the UK, reveals the majority of respondents believe that reliability and quality are the most important factors to look for when buying products -  with readers naming SONY as the most reliable and trustworthy consumer electronics brand in Europe. Over 80% of those surveyed owned at least one SONY product, more than any other consumer electronics brand included in the survey.

“It’s no surprise that quality and reliability have come out so strongly”, says Tom Morrod, Senior Analyst, TV Technology at Screen Digest. “We have seen that consumers are maintaining their spending levels but are being much more discerning about how they spend their money by purchasing products such as TVs that are packed with the latest features and technology. Clearly they want these to be of the highest quality and last.”

Brand reputation was also chosen by readers as an important feature with 37% of respondents admitting that they are influenced by the image and heritage of manufacturers.

The survey provides some further interesting insight into the needs of Stuff readers, with 34% of them keen to see portable TVs make a comeback, whilst a significant majority of respondents (65%) are buying the majority of their consumer tech products online. 25% of people make their purchases in high street stores, whilst only 3% go to their supermarket for gadgets or consumer tech. These habits reflect the amount of research people carry out when they making a purchase. The fact that SONY came out on top is testament to its core values being reflected in all its products, and this is being picked up on by customers.