A global survey conducted through the Butterly platform and in collaboration with A&C Inc. revealed that younger women are leading the way on social change and showing what brands need to do to garner their loyalty.

In fact, 41% of women between the ages of 18 and 40 living in Canada, the USA and the UK say that yes, a brand’s public reaction to the Black Lives Matter Movement would likely affect their future purchasing decisions. Meanwhile, Gen Xer’s and Baby Boomers are less concerned about brand reactions, with 25% and 17% respectively saying it would have the same effect.

Would a brand’s response to the Black Lives Matter Movement affect your purchasing decisions?

what are the top actions brands can take to demonstrate their social values to consumers?

According to our survey, the top two ways are to employ diverse hiring practises and release a public statement in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement with 49% and 46% of respondents voting for these options. Brands can also volunteer (which was voted for by 42% of respondents), or give donations (40%). Only 24% of respondents didn’t care if a brand took a stance on the BLM movement at all, which means that it is more important than ever for brands to respond to social movements.

Top actions brands can take to demonstrate their social values to consumers

Where are brand fans looking to see a brand’s response and stance on social issues?

For the most part, a brand needs to amplify their responses on their social media platforms because 83% of Gen Z women and 81% of Millennial women turn to social media to learn about a brand’s stance on social issues. Not too dissimilar, 69% of Gen Xer women and 54% of Boomer women also turn to social as well.

Percentage of women who turn to social media first to learn about a brand’s stance on social issues:

What does this all mean?

“Statistics show that women still drive the majority of household purchases across all three of the countries we surveyed,” said Ali de Bold, Founder and CEO of Butterly. “And our data shows that more than 48% of these women want brands to let their position on the Black Lives Matter movement be known. This data demonstrates it is critical for brands to stay abreast of and demonstrate support for important social issues in order to maintain loyalty with one of their most important customer segments.”

We hope these findings will give brands the confidence they need to express their values, beliefs and solidarity surrounding the social issues that are affecting their consumers and our world.