• YouGov's new BrandIndex Voices tool demonstrates how marketers can move beyond conventional tracking metrics to understanding the “why” behind brand affinity and performance
• New tool captures insights impossible through traditional surveys – delivering the emotional nuances, hesitations and narratives that shape brand perception
• Marketers can now ground strategies in authentic consumer voices and investigate competitive threats in weeks, transforming brand tracking from rearview mirror to strategic compass 

 Fresh insight from the newly launched YouGov BrandIndex Voices tool reveals why Amazon is YouGov’s top ranked brand in the US.   

BrandIndex Voices, an AI-powered qualitative research tool that speaks to consumers at scale, conducted in-depth conversational interviews with Amazon customers to uncover the connections and specific experiences that propelled the online platform to the top spot. 

Amazon: what customers say 

The data reveals that Amazon's dominance stems from its ability to remove friction from daily life – but that success comes with an undercurrent of consumer ambivalence. While people love the ease and affordability, some express concerns about how it is achieved. 

Yet that conflict rarely translates into avoidance. Instead, convenience and ease consistently outweigh concerns, allowing positive day-to-day experiences to dominate overall brand sentiment. 

When asked to compare physical shopping to using Amazon, one customer explained: 

“Physical shopping can be difficult…due to my disability I don’t drive and getting to shops and getting shopping home – especially if I need bulky, heavy, or hard to carry items can be difficult. In addition, if I get to a physical store and they don’t have what I need, it’s a wasted trip. With Amazon, I can see immediately if an item is available, when it will be delivered and I don’t have to be concerned about transporting the item myself or going to the store possibly unnecessarily”. 

This response – delivered through a natural, AI-powered conversation – demonstrates what makes Amazon essential for many Americans: the platform has replaced the need to plan shopping trips around store hours and locations, creating a friction-free alternative that traditional retailers often struggle to match. 

The default shopping solution 

YouGov BrandIndex Voices analysis shows that Amazon has become the default shopping solution for millions of Americans. People appreciate not having to drive to multiple stores, being able to shop at any hour and having items arrive at their doorstep quickly. 

Perhaps most powerfully, BrandIndex Voices uncovered the respect some consumers hold for Amazon's focused execution and vision. When asked what specifically impressed them about Amazon's journey from early pioneer to dominant marketplace, one customer stated: 

“The fact that in the face of a lot of criticism and technical difficulty, having to build massive physical structures to service their vision quickly enough, having to create immensely complex algorithms – which still recommend completely random stuff to me at times – they kept pushing forward, kept expanding their offering, never seemed to pause for a breath or to regroup - and the fact that they could inspire the market to invest in a company that wasn't likely to make a profit for decades.” 

This insight reveals that for some consumers, Amazon represents more than just a shopping platform: it's a testament to bold vision and execution at scale. 

From metrics to meaning: BrandIndex Voices in action 

The Amazon data shows the power of YouGov's new approach to brand understanding. While BrandIndex measures showed Amazon sitting at the top, BrandIndex Voices explains what is driving those metrics – connecting quantitative performance to qualitative truth. 

Ray Martin, YouGov US CEO: “Amazon’s position at the top of our brand rankings told marketers the what. Now, YouGov BrandIndex Voices tells them the why. Our innovative approach enables brands to hear their customers at scale and understand the narratives, hesitations and emotional nuances that drive consumer perception. This is qualitative research reimagined – combining the breadth and rigor of quantitative tracking with the powerful insights that can only come from real human voices.” 

What it means for marketers 

For marketing teams, BrandIndex Voices transforms brand tracking from a rearview mirror into a strategic compass. The Amazon example shows how the tool enables marketers to: 

• Understand what's really driving brand performance – not just awareness scores, but the emotional connections and specific experiences that create brand preference
• Identify differentiators – discover what makes a brand special in customers' own words
• Move fast – investigate metric movements or competitive threats with consumer context in weeks, not months
• Capture the full picture – hear from customers, non-customers and competitors’ customers alike
• Make confident decisions – ground marketing strategies in real consumer voices, not assumptions 

Find out more about YouGov BrandIndex Voices.