Brand Trust Makes 87% of Shoppers Pay More for Products — Here’s Why

The numbers are in: Customers will pay more for products from brands they trust. That is, 87% of them, according to Salsify’s upcoming “2025 Consumer Research” report.

Trust comes in multiple forms, as 69% of shoppers say product quality and value are the defining factors, while the same number points to brand reputation, and 61% highlight customer experience.

But all types of brand trust come with the same caveat: It’s not something brands are given. It’s something they have to earn.

Explore why trust matters to shoppers, unpack the trust trifecta, and offer four ways brands can build — and keep — consumer trust.

Why Brand Trust Matters to Shoppers

Buying a product once is a transaction. Buying it again — and again, and again — is a relationship.

This is the core of why trust matters to shoppers. They’re not just purchasing products; they’re building relationships with brands.

Social media marketing offers a great example. As noted by HubSpot, social media is now the preferred product discovery platform for consumers 18 to 44, and 80% of marketers believe customers are more likely to purchase products through social platforms than on brand websites or third-party ecommerce platforms.

By their nature, these social platforms are relational. They’re about connecting with friends, family, acquaintances, and now — brands. In practice, this means customers have the same expectations of brands as any other connections: They should be responsive, interesting, and socially aware.

This means they’re looking for brands that don’t just advertise to customers, but are willing to interact. They want retailers that post engaging and humorous content that keeps them coming back, and they want connections with companies that consider the impact of their actions on the larger environment.

Unpacking the Brand Trust Trifecta

Three components are critical to create trust: Consistency, transparency, and loyalty. Here’s a look at each in more detail.

Consistency

Customers trust brands that follow through. For example, if your brand commits to using more sustainable packaging, customers want proof that you’ve done the work. While they understand the switch can’t happen immediately, they won’t wait forever.

Consider a brand that promises to reduce its use of non-recyclable packaging materials. For consumers, consistency starts with the promise, and is followed by a plan: What steps will your brand take to achieve the goal?

Next is measurable progress. This means communicating with buyers about what you’ve done, how it’s reduced your environmental footprint, and what comes next. Think proof, not promises — you need to show your work. The most trusted brands do.

Transparency

Building brand trust requires truth.

Customers want brands to be transparent about what they’re doing, why they’re doing it, and how it may impact them. For example, eMarketer reports that 65.8% of customers would gain trust in a company if the business was transparent about how consumer data was collected and used.

Despite the potential benefits, however, many brands worry that sharing data could do more harm than good. While they meet their legal responsibilities for disclosing how data is used, they shy away from telling the whole truth for fear that customers might leave and their competition might capture some market share.

Simply put? The truth will set you free.

Loyalty

Last but never least in the trust trifecta is loyalty. Long-term relationships rely on loyalty. People expect their friends and family to support them when they need it, and return that loyalty in kind.

When it comes to brand/buyer relationships, this means reciprocating the loyalty that customers show by consistently choosing your products. In practice, it could look like personalized offers, early access to products, and genuine interest in customer feedback.

4 Tips to Build and Keep Brand Trust

As noted above, trust is earned, not given. Here are four tips to help your brand build — and keep — customer trust.

1. Connect With Customers’ Ethical Values

Customers are more inclined to trust brands that align with their ethical values.

These values may include commitments to environmental sustainability, fair labor practices, or health-conscious operating standards. If brands can demonstrate they care about and are willing to take action on these values they can build trust and boost their bottom line.

Consider data from PWC’s 2024 Voice of the Consumer Survey, which found that 85% of customers have experienced the disruptive effects of climate change in their lives, and are willing to spend 9.7% more on sustainably sourced goods.

2. Create Brand Value

Brand value includes product quality and performance — products that are well-made and live up to consumer expectations help build trust over time.

But it doesn’t stop there. Value can also be created by showing customers what they’re paying for from end to end. This includes transparency in sourcing, production, and logistics, along with details about efforts to reduce environmental impact.

3. Cultivate Consistency

The friend that never calls is eventually forgotten. The same is true of brand relationships — if companies don’t consistently connect with customers, churn happens. To keep customers engaged, brands need to build narratives around what they’re doing, why, and what it means for buyers.

This could include information about how brands demonstrate purpose beyond profit by ensuring workers are paid fairly and materials are ethically sourced. It also means being transparent about changes to the company including leadership structure, corporate mission, and financial condition.

4. Communicate With Customers

There’s a disconnect between businesses and customer perceptions of trust. According to a recent PWC survey, while 90% of executives think that customers “highly trust” their companies, just 30% of customers say they trust brands.

Communication is crucial to dismantling this disconnect. Instead of assuming that customers trust your brand — or worse, assuming you know why they don’t — ask them. Reach out via emails, social media posts, texts, or even phone calls to discover where customers trust you, where they’re not sure, and where you need to make changes.

Staying the Course

Customers who trust brands are willing to pay more for the products they want.

But earning trust is just the start. Maintaining trust is what separates also-rans (that is, brands that also ran in the race to win customers) from market leaders. Companies that can’t keep customer trust lose business to the competition. Brands that put in the time and effort to cultivate reciprocal relationships keep buyers coming back.