The TrustTracker® business model - brand trust and loyalty

Based on a large body of research on the determinants and effects of human trust, the TrustTracker® instrument tracks the trust of European consumers in farmers, food manufacturers, retailers, and authorities.

With brands playing a fundamental role in consumers' food choices and, therefore, trusted brands leading to more favourable brand attitudes, more brand loyalty and, ultimately, more sales, TrustTracker® has developed a scientific model that can quantitatively predict the impact of trust on brand loyalty.

The tool is based on an econometric model that explains which parameters drive an increase in consumer trust and how much influence trust has on attitudes towards a specific company or brand and loyalty to a company or brand.

Starting in 2022, the TrustTracker® model measures consumer trust in 50 top food brands in Denmark based on three parameters: openness, care, and competence. In the forthcoming years, several other countries will be included.

The scientific model allows to BENCHMARK, UNDERSTAND, and IMPROVE trust in food brands:

Benchmark trust within your category and within the food industry.

• How is your brand benchmarked compared to food brands?
• How is your brand benchmarked compared to your category competitors?
• How is your brand performance against the industry?
• What is your development?

Understand trust impact and trust elements.

• How much do consumers trust your brand and how is your brand performing?
• What is the effect of trust on loyalty?
• What are the key elements of trust?
• How is your brand trust affected by the food actors in general?
• Which food related lifestyle segments trust us and which do not? (foodies, moderate, adventurous, conservative and uninvolved)

Improve trust and increase your brand loyalty.

• How to improve trust to improve loyalty?
• Which food-related lifestyle segments should be targeted to increase brand loyalty?
• Which trust elements should be improved?

"Trusted brands create stronger brand loyalty and ultimately more sales. In other words, it is a fundamental prerequisite for marketing food as healthy and sustainable." Professor Klaus G. Grunert, Aarhus University.

The TrustTracker® brochure “Trust in Top 50 Food Brands in Denmark” can be viewed and downloaded here

TrustTracker® is based on a study that, since 2018, has examined consumer trust among 20,326 European consumers in 18 EU markets. It has been developed by researchers from Aarhus University's MAPP Center, University of Reading, KU Leuven and University of Warsaw in collaboration with the European Food Information Council (EUFIC) and EIT Food.

For more information on the TrustTracker® business model, please also visit: https://www.hecoetal.com/

Queries can be directed towards Dr Anna Macready, Project Lead: a.l.macready@reading.ac.uk