A new study has found that young and affluent Australian consumers are the likeliest to boycott brands – more so than any other demographic. Ultimately, the typical boycotter was a full time worker, aged 30-44 who has been married and bought property over the past 12 months.
The research conducted by YouGov showed that coverups, faulty products and corruption are the top reasons why Australian consumers will boycott a brand; while a third of Aussies were also encouraged to boycott a brand following revelations of poor treatment of staff.
44 per cent of survey respondents said they “only buy products from companies that have ethics and values that I agree with”; and while some boycotting consumers may come back, only 17 per cent use the brand as often as they had previously.
In a statement, YouGov Australia head Sej Patel mentioned that brands should be more wary of bad publicity, saying: “There have been a number of cases of brands getting in hot water with consumers over the past couple of years over issues such as tax avoidance or not treating staff well enough.
“While it is not as straightforward as saying that every time a brand is seen to misbehave it will lose customers, there is a distinct proportion of consumers who will vote with their wallets.”
Further, Patel notes what to do in the instance of a boycott: “People who stopped using a brand or used a brand less are avid multiscreeners, mostly using social media. If you can get your message out on a variety of platforms, you might be able to counteract some of the negative attention gained.
“People who have stopped using a brand or use a brand less following a scandal have their opinions influenced by their peers. Use this to your advantage and promote a positive image of your brand following a scandal and give people something to talk about.”
