J.Crew Has One Of The Best Brand Names Around

There is an article over at BrandWeek (click here for the article in its entirety) about a survey of brands and their influence... and J.Crew was mentioned!

Study: Value Trumps Price Among Shoppers
New Brand Keys ‘Customer Engagement Loyalty Index’ finds that shoppers will still pay more for top brands provided they feel they are getting good value for their money.
By Brand Week
March 2009

Consumers are not buying based on price alone. Instead, they are relying more on their perception of value when deciding which brands to stay loyal to during the recession.

In fact, consumer expectations regarding brand value went up 20 percent, according to the 2009 Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index. Those brands that aren’t perceived as being worth it will fall to the wayside, said Brand Keys president Robert Passikoff.

Brand Keys polled 26,000 consumers of 441 brands in 63 categories earlier this year. Among the brands that received the highest marks for meeting or exceeding consumer expectations, “there is a price-value formula consumers use to calculate brand differences and to decide which brands to buy,” said Passikoff. “Shopper consciousness has shifted from just trying to ferret out deals to looking for brands that provide value.” ...

...While, J.Crew also isn’t the cheapest apparel brand, it was ranked No. 1 in both the catalog and retail categories thanks to its style, value, shopping experience and buzz. The latter was generated during the elections. “Thank you Mrs. President,” said Passikoff. “After [Sarah] Palin spent a billion dollars on her appearance, Mrs. Obama tells the world her entire outfit cost $140 at J.Crew . . . They’ve scored on quality, value for the price and customer service.”...

I am thrilled to see J.Crew made the list and scored well among consumers! I am also thrilled to see it ranked #1 in both catalog and retail- that's fantastic!!! :)

Are you surprised by J.Crew's rating in catalog and retail? Do you agree with the reasons ("style, value, shopping experience, and buzz") as the reasons for its success?