Good prices versus hidden charges: best and worst sectors named by consumers

Supermarkets, pubs and restaurants and fashion retailers are regarded as the sectors that offer consistently good prices, according to a new elephant communications research.

The YouGov poll of 2,000 adults asked the public to name the sectors that, in their opinion, were the best at offering consistently good prices – and also to name the sectors they rated as the worst when it came to hidden charges.

Whilst five industry sectors were named by more than one in 10 people as offering consistently good prices, more than one in four respondents said they didn’t think any sectors offered consistently good prices (28%).

When it came to the worst offenders for hidden charges, consumers were more assertive in their views, with utilities companies, airlines and banks voted as the worst offending sectors.

These are preliminary findings from a new elephant research series for 2013, which will look at consumer attitudes to industry sectors against a range of topical criteria. The full findings of the first study in the research series will be published in November 2012.

Lindsay Marino, Director at elephant communications commented: “We think brands can learn a lot from looking beyond their own sector and this new series for next year will help clients to explore how consumers rate 16 industry sectors on a range of topical issues.” 

For more information on the new series, email info@elephantcommunications.co.uk