Email marketers may be faced this holiday season with a high level of consumer suspicion. A poll by Red Points shows that 56% of consumers believe they have purchased a fake item during the
holidays.
Another 40% contend that brands are responsible for removing fakes from online channels.
But consumer gullibility clearly knows no bounds: 25% of the victims say,
“Yes, I knew it was a counterfeit when I purchased.” And 18% suspected it was fake, but weren’t sure. In addition, 6% don’t know and 1% prefer not to
say.
The leading channels for buying fakes were social media (35%), the marketplace (25%) and ecommerce, at 17%.
What would consumers do after receiving a fake item?
They would:
- Ask for a refund — 52%
- Leave a negative review where they bought the product —
47%
- Complain to the original brand — 44%
- No longer buy from the brand — 39%
- Use
it anyway — 21%
- Post on social media about it — 20%
Who is responsible for removing fake items online? Consumers say:
- The
brand — 40%
- Platforms — 32%
- The law — 22%
One antidote — for brands selling by email — would be to
employ BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification). Authenticated emails can include the brand logo with the subject line, showing they are genuine.
In general, 72% of consumers
plan to shop on marketplaces like Amazon and eBay. And 60% say reviews and ratings are the most important factor in reaching a decision — more so than price. In addition, 40% plan to start
shopping online for holiday before September ends.
Red Points surveyed 2,000 U.S. shoppers between July 28 and August 3, 2021.