The factor that now weighs as much as price in buying decisions
Faced with two similar options, at a similar price and quality, what makes someone choose one brand over another? The answer is rarely found in the product's specifications.
Purchases are made by people, and people decide with reason and emotion at the same time. Understanding that balance is what separates a brand that is remembered from one that is merely seen.
Trust now weighs as much as price
The 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer special report on brands revealed an important shift. For the first time, trust appears on the same level as price and quality as a buying criterion.
The study, based on online interviews conducted between April and May 2025, also shows that consumers have changed what they expect from brands. Instead of distant causes, they want brands that make a difference in their daily lives.
For a small business, this is good news. Trust does not depend on a million-dollar budget. It depends on consistency between what the brand promises and what it delivers.
What really drives the choice
When people choose a brand, they usually weigh three layers, almost always without noticing:
The functional delivery: does the product solve the problem?
The emotional delivery: how do I feel when I choose this brand?
The symbolic delivery: what does this choice say about who I am?
Brands that work only on the first layer compete on price. Those that work on all three create preference, and preference is what allows a business to charge a fair price without losing customers to a cheaper competitor.
Consistency builds trust
The same Edelman report shows that trust is built over time, through concrete actions, and that it translates into sales and market share. Promises that are not kept erode that trust quickly.
That is why understanding your audience's behavior is not a theoretical exercise. It is the foundation for deciding what the brand should promise, how it should speak and where it should be.
How LakeLab works
In the LAKE Method©, consumer behavior is studied before any decision is made. We map how your audience decides, what they value, what their functional and emotional needs are and what experience they seek when choosing your brand.
From there, we define the promises, differentiators and tone that will make customers trust you, and come back.
Sources
Comments