By December 14, 2015 Read More →

Brand trust among Texas retail electric providers varies greatly – survey

First time retailers have been benchmarked on brand trust in Texas market, largest deregulated electric market United States

Not all Texas retail electricity providers are equal in the eyes of consumers, according to a new study by Cogent Reports, though state retailers overall received a good score.

electricity generation

Source: ERCOT.

Cogent Reports says Texas Retail Electric Providers (REPs) have a Brand Trust level of 748 (on a 1,000 point scale), a good initial score for these retailers.

The top four providers have an even higher combined average Brand Trust score of 752.

The top four providers, Ambit Energy, Bounce Energy, Champions Energy Services and StarTex Power are also named Texas Retail Electric Provider Most Trusted Brands, according to the survey.

But not all REPs in the state have high trust levels among their customers. The survey shows a very large 200-point spread between the highest- and lowest-scoring providers.

Brand trust

Chris Oberle, Market Strategies International

“We know that brand trust is the basis for market share growth as customers are not likely to do business with retailers they do not trust,” said Chris Oberle, senior VP at Market Strategies International.

“Customers also tend to be loyal to companies they trust and are also more likely to recommend those companies to others. And customer loyalty increases financial returns for these electric providers.”

This is the first time retailers have been benchmarked on brand trust in the Texas market, the largest deregulated electric market in the country.

Another finding shows that REPs that have been able to position themselves as trusted providers also have higher customer engagement ratings. This means that REPs will be more effective at offering other value-added products and services to their customers.

“It is clear that after over a decade of deregulation and electric choice in Texas, retail electric providers have built brand images in the market. And some of these brands are more trusted by consumers than others are,” Oberle said.

“Consumers should only select an REP with high brand trust, as that provider will be more financially viable and they can count on it to be good to its word on the promises it makes.”

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