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MADE IN BRITAINBUYING BRITISH REPORT
Consumers and businesses prefer British-made goods – so why don’t they buy them more often? We spoke to everyday shoppers and decision-makers to find out the barriers to buying British.
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CONTENTS3 Introduction.
4 HowBritishnessaffectsconsumer decision-making.
6 Whatbusinessescanlearnfrom thesefindings.
8 WhyitmattersforB2Bfirms.
10 WhyBritishfirmsdon’talwaysbuyBritish.
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INTRODUCTION Wespoketo2,000UKadults,1,000seniorbusiness decision-makersandourownmembersforthisreportand themessageisclear–everyonewantstobuymore British-madeproducts.Notonlythis,butbecauseofthequalityandsustainabilityofBritish-madegoods,andthepositiveeconomiccontributionmadebyBritishmanufacturing,manypeoplearewillingtopayapremiumtodoso.
Climatechange,Brexit,supply-chainethics–thesearejustsomeofthemanyfactorsthathavemadetheoriginofwhatwebuymattermorethanever.Buteventhoughit’sclearhowconsciouspeopleareofprovenance,it’snotalwaysstraightforwardtoknowwherethethingswebuycomefrom.
ThisiswhyMade in Britainwasfounded.WeprovidetheonlyofficiallyrecognisedaccreditationofBritish-madeproductsandourmarkiscarriedoneverythingfromVauxhallVivarovanstohigh-endFracinocoffeemachinesandluxurybathroomsbyRomanShowers.
Ifyou’reoneoftheeightin10UKadultsthatwantstobuyBritish-madegoods,thenlookoutfortheofficialMade in Britain logo.Ifyou’reamanufacturerthatwantstocapitaliseonthishugeappetiteforBritish-producedgoods,thenpleaseget intouch.
Ourthreestudies,revealedhereinthislandmarkreport,comprisethemostcomprehensiveexplorationyetofprovenanceinconsumerandbusinesspurchasing.Wewantthisreporttobethelaunchofareneweddialoguearoundwhyweshouldbuyproductsmadeclosertohome,andhowbesttomakethatbuyingdecisionwithconfidence.
Ihopeyouenjoyreadingitsfindings.
John Pearce
Chief executive, Made in Britain
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Tosayourconsumersurveyservedupencouragingresultsmightbeanunderstatement.
Itoverwhelminglyproveswhatwesuspected–peopleinBritainwanttobuyBritish-madeproducts,witheightin10of2,000consumerssayingtheywouldhappilypaymoreforproductsmadeinthiscountry.
Buttheydothisforavarietyofreasons.Motivationsdiffer,providingafascinatinginsightintothemindsetofconsumers.
First,taketheenvironment.HalfsaidadesiretobegreenermotivatestheirchoicetobuyBritishwhereverpossible,with63percentsayingtheythoughtitwouldhelptocombatclimatechange.Inotherwords,millionsofconsumersareconsciousaboutthemilestheproductstheybuyhavetravelled.
Sevenin10saidtheyboughtBritishtoboosttheeconomy,whiletwo-thirdsdosotocreateorsupportjobs.
Andthelistofproductstheywouldhappilypaymorefortoensurethey’reBritish-madeislongandincludesessentialslikefood,clothesandfurniture.
Butitisn’t‘jobdone’.Theevidenceisthatconsumersneed– andwouldwelcome–moreinformationtohelptheir buyingdecisions.
Athirdadmittedtheydon’tknowifwhattheybuyismadeinBritain,with37percentsayingtheydon’tknowwheretheircarismanufactured.That’sdespitesomeofthenation’sfavouritecars–suchasMINIandVauxhallAstra–beingmaderighthereinBritainandexportedacrosstheglobe.
HOW DOES BRITISHNESS AFFECT CONSUMER DECISION-MAKING?
63%THOUGHTit would help
T O C O M B A TCLIMATE CHANGE
Happily pay more for products
made in Britain
FROM 2000
HALFsaid being greenermotivates theirchoice to buy British
IN TEN SAID THEY BOUGHT BRITISH TO BOOSTECONOMY
DO SOTO CREATEORSUPPORTJOBS
Don’t know ifwhat they buy ismade in Britain
DON’T KNOW WHERETHEIR CAR IS MADE
37%
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Consumersalsoadmitthereareproducts–beautyproductsandsportsequipmentamongthem–theydon’tknowtheoriginof.
Yettheprizeonofferifconsumersknowmoreishuge.Sixin10saidtheyaremoreloyaltoaproducttheyknowismadeinBritainandeightin10wanttobuymorethingsmadedomestically.AndaquarterwouldswitchallegianceifamanufacturermovedtomakingaBritishproductoverseas.
Perhapsmostencouragingofall,fourin10thinkBritishproductsareofbetterqualityandwillpayfortheprivilegeofowningthem–byanaverageofsevenpercenttobeprecise.
Allfascinatingstatistics,butwhatarethetake-outsfromthesurvey?They’rethree-fold.
First,theBritishpublicunambiguouslywantBritishproductswhereverpossible.
Second,thisdesireismotivatedbyprincipledfactors.Theycareabouttheenvironmentalimpactofbuyingproductsfromoverseas,theywanttoboosttheUKeconomyandsupportBritishjobs.
Finally,though,moreinformationandeducationareneeded.Inthemajorityofcases,it’snotclearwhetheraproductismadeinBritainorabroadandyetthisisakeypartofthebuyingdecision-makingprocess.
It’swhyhavinganofficial,recognisablemark–onethatletsconsumersknowwhatthey’rebuyingismadewithintheseshores–issocrucial.
OursurveytellsusthepublicwantBritishproducts.Andtheywanttoknowthey’rebuyingBritish.
SIX IN 10 ARE LOYAL TO BRITISH MADE PRODUCTS
Want to buymore things
made in Britainmore
40%THINK BRITISHPRODUCTS
ARE OFBETTER
QUALITY
of businesses buy British
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Themessagefromconsumerscontainedinoursurveywasloudandclear–theywanttobuyBritishmoreoften.
Nevertheless,somemanufacturerscontinuetomaketheirthingsabroad,perhapsinestablishedmanufacturingeconomieslikeChinaandTaiwan.Whyisthis?
Inpart,itreflectsbasiceconomics.TheUKisarelativelyexpensiveplaceinwhichtomanufacturegoods,witha highly-skilledworkforce.Addtothattheworld-classreputationenjoyedbyBritishdesignandyouhavea‘premium’manufacturingmarket.
Andyetthiscouldbeoffsetbythepotentialpay-offsfor Britishmanufacturers.
Asoursurveyshows,consumersexpectBritish-madeproductstobeofbetterqualityandtheyarewillingtopaymoreforthem–byanaverageofsevenpercent.OncetheybuyBritish,consumersarelikelytostayloyal,oursurveysuggests.
Allofwhichsuggeststhatchoosingamanufacturingbaseonthebasisofcostalonecouldbeamistake.
Andthereareotherreasonsforbusinessestoswitchtobeing‘Made in Britain’,too.
Taketheenvironment.Climatechangehasfastbecomethebiggestissueofourtimes,withbrandsacrosstheworldbeingchallengedontheirenvironmentalimpact.ConsumersareattunedtothisandmanywanttobuyBritishbecause productsmadeclosertohomeinevitablyhaveasmallerenvironmentalfootprint.
Next,thesocialside.Asconsumerscontinuetobecomemorediscerning,soattentionfocusesonthepositivecontributionofcompanies.Betweenthem,theUK’smanufacturersemploymillionsofpeople,investmillionsofpoundseachyearintotheirlocaleconomiesandcontributehugeamountsintaxrevenue.
Manyaremodelcorporatecitizensandthismatterstotoday’sconsumers.Often,theywanttobeguidedbytheirconsciencewhenbuying.
AndnexttoBrexit.Itremainsdifficulttopredicthowthiswillaffectconsumerandbusinessbehaviourinthelong-run.Butitseemslikelyoneeffectwillbeasharpeningofthefocusonprovenance.Againstthisbackground,aspectsliketransparencyandvisibilityofsupplychainbecomekey.
Importantly,though,‘Made in Britain’isn’tjustadomesticplay,crucialasitisinamarketof65millionpeople.AreportbyBarclayslastyearsuggestedoverseasdemandforBritishproductswasontheriseand–liketheirUKcounterparts–foreignconsumersarehappytopaymoreforourproducts.
Whyisthat?Insimpleterms,it’sbecauseBritishproductsareperceivedtobehighquality,or‘premium’.ThisattitudewasparticularlypronouncedamongAsianandAfricanconsumers.
Andtoendwherewecamein,itdoescomedowntowhatconsumerswant.Inoursurvey,anoverwhelmingmajority–eightin10people–saidtheywantedtobuyBritishmoreoftenthantheydonow.
Thecallfromconsumersisclear.Whywouldbusinesses notanswerit?
WHY DO BUSINESSES NEED TO LEARN FROM THESE FINDINGS?
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Oursecondstudypolled1,000seniorbusinessdecision-makersbasedintheUK.
Perhapssurprisingly,theyweremorepre-disposedtobuyingBritishthanUKconsumers.
Whereas40percentofconsumerssaidtheybuyBritishnomatterwhatthecost,thisroseto66percentforbusinesses.
WealsospoketoaproportionofMade in Britainmembers,ofwhichtherearecurrentlymorethan1,000basedaroundtheUK.Ofthe10percentwespoketo,two-thirdssaidtheybuyBritishnomatterwhatthecost.
YoumightexpectourmembershiptobeamongthemostpassionateadvocatesofBritishmadegoods–andthenumberssuggestthistobethecase–butwewereheartenedtoseethisreflectedinthewiderUKbusinesspopulation,too.
But what are their motivations?
Morethanathird(37percent)saiditmadethemfeelproudtobuyBritish.Butotherreasonsstoodoutmore.Bothbusinessesatlargeandourmembersfeelit’sgoodfortheeconomy,pollingat56percentand61percentrespectively.
Justunderhalf(47percent)thinkBritish-madeproductsarebetterqualitythanimportedalternatives.Perhapsunsurprisingly,ourmembersareevenmoreenthusiasticabouttheirownproducts.Almosttwo-thirds(65percent)believeBritish-mademeansbetterquality.
Concernsaboutsustainabilityalsofeaturehighlyinbusinesses’concerns.Some67percentofbusinessesbelievebuyingmoreproductsmadeinBritaincouldhelptotackleclimatechange,risingtothree-quartersofourmembers.
BUT IT’S NOT JUST A CONSUMER ISSUE. B2B FIRMS NEED TO PAY ATTENTION, TOO
47 %
66%of businesses buy British
T H IN K BR I T I S H PROD U C T S A R EBETTER QUALITY THAN IMPORTS
67%of businesses believe buying Britishcould help tackle climate change
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Forthesereasonsandmore,businessbuyersaremoreswitchedontoissuesofprovenancethanconsumers,with42percentsayingtheywouldalwaysconsiderwheresomethingismadebeforemakingapurchase.OurMade in Britainmembersweremarginallyhigherat47percent.Bothcomparetojust15percentofconsumers.
Thisconcernextendsintobrandloyalty.Two-thirdsofbusinesspurchasedecision-makerswouldbemoreloyaltoaBritish-madebrand–amassive87percentofourmembership.
And what of Brexit’s potential impact?
Forbusinesses,asignificantproportion(46percent)saytheywillbuymoreBritish-madeproductsaftertheUKleavestheEuropeanUnion.Thiswashigher–at55percent–forourmanufacturingbusinessmembers,perhapsunsurprisinglygiventheirfuturesupplychainconcerns.
OurtwosurveyssuggestthatB2Bbrandsshouldcareeverybitasmuchasconsumerbrandsabouttheoriginoftheirproductionandhowit’scommunicatedtopotentialbuyers,ifnotmoreso.
Britishmanufacturing,despitetheoftendownbeatmediacoveragethatfollowsit,isclearlystillheldinashighregardbythenation’sbusinesscommunityasbytheshopperonthe highstreet.
WOULD CONSIDERWHERE SOMETHING
WAS MADE PRIORTO PURCHASE
42%
46%will buy more British products
AFTER THE UK LEAVES THE EUROPEAN UNION
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Seveninevery10businesseswouldliketobuymoregoodsmadeinBritainthantheycurrentlydoand88percentofourmembership.Likeconsumers,thereissignificantlatentdemand.
Sowhydon’tthey?It’snotforwantoftrying.
Athirdsimplystruggletogetahandleonaproduct’sorigins–muchlikeconsumers.Ourmemberswerealittlecleareronthis,withonly12percentfacingthisissue.Thoughofcourse,theybelongtoacommunityofaccreditedBritishmanufacturers.
But22percentofourmemberssaidtheymayknowabrandwasfoundedinBritainbutareunsureifitsproductsaremadehere.Thisroseto40percentamongthewiderbusinesspopulation.
Almostthreein10businesses(29percent)saytheysimplyfinditconfusing,37percentsaytheycan’ttellwhenaproductisBritish-madeandathirdsaytheywouldn’tknowwheretogotobuythem.
Now,morethanever,thereisaneedtocoalescearoundourofficialaccreditationforqualityBritish-madeproductstohelpcutthroughtheconfusionforbusinessesaswellasshoppers.
Costis,ofcourse,anissue,too.Askedwhattheirmostimportantfactorwasindecision-making,cost(26percent)andquality(27percent)werepeggedatroughlyequallevelsofimportance.ButdespiteviewingBritish-madegoodsoverwhelminglyfavourablyinthequalitystakes,overhalfsaidonereasontheywon’tbuymoreBritishgoodsisbecausetheirbusinesseswillseeitas tooexpensive.
Qualityalwayscomesatacostandthisalmostbestows apreconceptionofapricepremiumonBritish-manufacturedproducts.
Withenvironmentalconcernsrisingeverfurtherupthecorporateagendaandqualitynevermorecriticalinanagewherereputationsaremadeandbrokenonsocialmedia,Britishgoodsshouldstillcapitalise,despitetheperceptionofcarryingaweightierpricetag.
WHY DON’T UK BUSINESSES BUY BRITISH?
IN EVERY
BUSINESSESWOULD LIKE TOBUY MOREBRITISHGOODS
STRUGGLETO GET AHANDLE ONA PRODUCT’SORIGINS
can’t tell when a productis British-made
Over half...S A I D T H E Y W O N ’ T B U Y M O R E B R I T I S H
G O O D S B E C A U S E T H E I R B U S I N E S S E SW I L L S E E I T A S T O O E X P E N S I V E
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“Sustainability, shopping locally and supporting British businesses have all climbed up the agenda for consumers in recent years. From this research it is clear that the same is true for businesses who would, in most cases, prefer to source British-made products in their supply chains. The desire is there – what is missing is the insight and knowledge to make these kinds of procurement decisions with confidence.
“The finding that a third of consumers struggle to determine where products come from should be a wake-up call to British firms who manufacture their products within the UK. By not signposting their products’ origins clearly, they risk missing out on increased loyalty from shoppers and any halo effects that surround British products being perceived as better quality.”
Professor Dominic Medway, Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the Faculty of Business and Law and specialist in place marketing at Manchester Metropolitan University
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HELPING BRITAIN’S MANUFACTURERS SELL MORE WITH ONE MARK
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