Survey ranks retail brand relevance

BOSTON — A study conducted by Brodeur Partners has unveiled the most relevant retailers in the United States.

The study, "Brodeur Partners' Retail Relevance Top 10," asked shoppers to look at 21 of the nation's top retailers and select the "most" and "least" personally relevant retailer in four specific areas: practicality, values, sensory appeal and social appeal. What they found was the Amazon.com was considered America's most relevant retailer and was given the highest ranking in the area of practical value, despite it not having a real-world storefront shoppers can visit.

The online shopping site was followed by Target, which came in second place largely because shoppers found it the most appealing to the senses, and big-box retailer Walmart, which had the highest "practical relevance" among those tested.

Rounding out the top 10 were Best Buy, Costco, Kohl's, J.C. Penney, Macy's, Walgreens and Apple.

Brodeur Partners' Retail Relevance Top 10 ranking builds upon research the company released last year, which found that high relevance scores often correlate with superior growth and performance, even when a company is dwarfed by industry giants, the company said.

"These are four ingredients of relevance that you look for in everything, from a Google search to a product, candidate, cause, or place to shop," Brodeur Partners CEO Andy Coville said. "Amazon.com has clearly cracked the code when it comes to being relevant to American shoppers."