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The Most-Loved Retail Brands Right Now

This article is more than 10 years old.

Holiday shopping season is in full swing. Stores are locked in a heated battle for consumers' dollars. Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and every other day in between are heralded as the one-and-only chance to get the biggest deals on gifts for others and even some choice goods for yourself.

But some retailers have an edge going in: consumers' love for them. Turns out shoppers are more emotionally attached to some retailers than others.

According to New Media Metrics, which tracks emotional attachment, or EA, to brands and media properties--and thus proclivity to purchase--Amazon tops its LEAP Retail Brand Index as most-loved retail brand. With an emotional attachment score of 45.7%, that's higher than any brick-and-mortar retailer.

Victoria's Secret is close behind, followed by Walmart and Target. Macy's and Kohl's rank in the middle, with Sears lagging.

Overall, there is emotional attachment to both specialty and general-merchandise retailers, indicating there is still a role for both, according to Denise Larson and Gary Reisman, principals and co-founders of New Media Metrics.

Meanwhile, there still exists a clear dichotomy between "girl" and "guy" stores--Victoria's Secret, Walmart, Target, Kohl's, JC Penney and K-mart are more attaching to women, while Gamestop, Best Buy and Dick's are faves among men.

Hollister, Target and H&M most ably bridge the “age gap," suggesting they know how to garner attachment that spans generations.

"Perhaps the more vulnerable retailers have to revisit their brand positionings and merchandising strategies, because they may not be able to be all things to all people--unless you’re the market leader," Larson said.

Here's how the retail brands rank on New Media Metrics' LEAP Index: