The Research Behind the Best Buy Award

The ICERTIAS Best Buy Award recognises products and services that consumers feel deliver the best value for money in their everyday lives. At its core, the program identifies the option in a given category that offers the most attractive balance between price and perceived quality in a specific country and time period. Everything in the methodology is built around this value for money focus.

The Best Buy Award is a signal of how consumers experience the relationship between price and quality. It is not a sustainability, environmental or ESG label and it is not designed to say anything about environmental or social performance.

 

Scope of Research and Categories Covered

To understand where consumers see genuine value, ICERTIAS runs nationwide surveys across a broad range of markets and categories. Research includes everyday areas such as groceries, personal care, home products, retail and telecommunications, as well as more complex service sectors like banking and insurance. In many countries the studies span hundreds of product and service categories, which allows a detailed comparison of perceived value for money within and across industries.

For mass market categories the surveys address a broad cross section of the general population. For more specialised or professional categories such as construction or agriculture the research focuses on respondents with relevant experience or expertise in that field. This flexible approach helps ensure that the people who answer questions actually know and use the products and services being evaluated.

 

The DEEPMA Approach

The Best Buy Award is based on the DEEPMA methodology, Deep Mind Awareness, which ICERTIAS developed in collaboration with expert partners. DEEPMA is designed to go beyond simple brand recall. Instead of asking which name comes to mind first, respondents are encouraged to stop and think about their real experiences.

The method asks them to reflect on what they have bought, what they use, how satisfied they were and whether the price they paid felt fair in relation to the quality they received. This helps reduce the influence of advertising pressure or habit and increases the weight of personal and shared experience when people name the brands, products or services that deliver the best value.

 

Open Ended Questioning and Unprompted Answers

To keep the results as authentic as possible, ICERTIAS uses open ended questions. The central question is formulated in simple language, for example: based on your personal experience, or the experience of people close to you, which product or service in this category offers the best value for money on the market in your country.

Respondents are free to name any brand they wish. They do not see predefined brand lists and they are not led toward specific options. The outcome is a natural, unprompted reflection of what people themselves perceive as the strongest price quality combination in each category.

 

What the Best Buy Award Does Not Measure

A key part of the design is what the Best Buy Award does not measure. In all Best Buy Award surveys, respondents are explicitly instructed to focus on price and perceived quality when answering. They are not asked to assess environmental impact, climate aspects, social responsibility, labour conditions, human rights, corporate governance or any other element related to sustainability. Those topics are outside the scope of this program by intention.

As a result, the Best Buy Award does not evaluate, verify or certify any environmental, climate or social performance of products, services, brands or companies. It is not presented or operated as a sustainability label, an eco label or an ESG label. The fact that a product, service or brand holds a Best Buy Award means that consumers in that market and category see it as offering excellent value for money, not that it is greener or more socially responsible than alternatives.

 

Research Standards and Regulatory Context

All ICERTIAS research for the Best Buy Award follows the ICC-ESOMAR International Code on Market, Opinion and Social Research and Data Analytics. This provides a framework for professional standards, respondent protection and responsible data handling. It also supports compliance with modern consumer protection rules in the European Union, including requirements around environmental and social claims.

Within that framework the Best Buy Award is positioned clearly and narrowly as a value for money and perceived quality indicator. It is not an environmental claim and not a sustainability label in itself. This clarity is important both for consumers who see the mark and for companies that use it in their communication.

 

How Companies May Use the Best Buy Award

Companies that are licensed to use the ICERTIAS Best Buy Award mark receive detailed guidelines on how it should be presented. They may use the mark to inform consumers that their product or service has been recognised in an ICERTIAS survey as offering the best value for money in a defined category, country and period.

They are expected to describe the award in that context, as a consumer based recognition of price quality performance. They are not permitted to use the Best Buy Award as proof of environmental superiority, climate neutrality, reduced environmental footprint, social responsibility or ESG compliance.

If a company wishes to make such claims, it must rely on separate evidence or certifications that specifically address those topics, in line with applicable EU and national law, and not on the Best Buy Award itself.

 

Oversight and Protection Against Misuse

ICERTIAS monitors how its mark is used in the market and reserves the right to suspend or withdraw the licence where the Best Buy Award is presented in a way that could mislead consumers. This includes any use that implies that the award by itself proves environmental or social excellence or that connects the mark to unsubstantiated green or social claims. This oversight is part of ICERTIAS’ broader commitment to transparent communication, fair competition and respect for consumer rights.

 

Internal Process Behind Each Award

Behind each published Best Buy Award result stands a structured internal process. Categories and markets are defined, samples and questionnaires are designed using DEEPMA principles, fieldwork is conducted and data are cleaned and checked for quality.

Results are then analysed to identify the leaders in perceived value for money. Before any award is communicated publicly or any licence is granted for use of the mark, ICERTIAS carries out an internal validation and compliance review. Only after this process is completed do brands receive the right to use the Best Buy Award logo in their communication.

 

A Clear Promise To Consumers And Brands

In summary, the ICERTIAS Best Buy Award offers a clear and simple message to the market. It tells consumers which brands, according to people like them, deliver the best balance of price and quality in a specific category. It does not claim to rate environmental or social impact. In a landscape where sustainability messages are increasingly regulated, this narrow and transparent focus allows the Best Buy Award to provide useful guidance to consumers and a credible, responsible recognition for brands that truly stand out on value for money.


 

 

Technical And Statistical Foundations

The Best Buy Award is rooted in established quantitative research principles. The objective is to measure, with a high level of statistical reliability, which brands consumers in a given country perceive as offering the best balance of price and quality in clearly defined categories.
 

Target Populations And Sampling Frames

For mass-market consumer categories (such as food, personal care, household products, retail and telecommunications), the target population is the adult general population of the country.

For specialised or professional categories (for example construction materials, agricultural inputs or B2B financial services), the target population consists of people who actually use, purchase or influence the purchase of those products and services in a professional capacity.
 

Sampling frames and recruitment are designed to reach:

• general consumers for everyday categories

• screened professionals and decision-makers for expert categories.

Respondents in professional categories must pass screening questions that confirm their role, experience and decision-making influence in the category being evaluated.
 

CAWI Data Collection

All Best Buy Award studies use Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI). This mode is chosen because it:

• allows respondents to answer in privacy and at their own pace, which reduces social desirability bias and interviewer influence

• supports the DEEPMA open-ended, unaided approach described above

• reflects the way consumers increasingly research and buy products and services in the digital environment.

Fieldwork is conducted either directly by ICERTIAS or by carefully selected online panel providers that adhere to recognised industry standards for sample management, respondent consent and data security.
 

 

Statistical Validity of the Sampling Architecture

 

For general population categories, the minimum sample size is 1,200 completed interviews per country and study wave.

This choice is based on standard statistical theory for proportions. For a simple random sample, the approximate margin of error (MoE) for an estimated proportion p at a given confidence level is:

MoE = Z × √( p(1 − p) / n )

where:

• Z is the z-value for the chosen confidence level

• p is the proportion observed in the sample

• n is the sample size.
   

For the most conservative case (p = 0.5, where sampling variability is highest) and a 95% confidence level (Z ≈ 1.96), with n = 1,200:

MoE = 1.96 × √( 0.5 × 0.5 / 1,200 )
MoE ≈ 1.96 × √( 0.25 / 1,200 )
MoE ≈ 1.96 × √( 0.0002083… )
MoE ≈ 1.96 × 0.0144… ≈ 0.0283

This corresponds to a margin of error of approximately ±2.8 percentage points for proportions around 50% at the total sample level.

 

In practical terms:

• this level of precision is in line with, and slightly more stringent than, typical national opinion polls

• it provides enough statistical power to distinguish clearly leading brands from their competitors, even in relatively crowded markets

• it still remains efficient in terms of cost and respondent burden.
   

In some cases, the sample may be increased above 1,200, for example:

• when more detailed subgroup analysis is required (e.g. regional breakdowns or demographic segments), or

• when the size and diversity of the target population justify a larger sample for higher precision.
   

For specialised professional populations, the required sample size is determined with reference to:

• the estimated size of the eligible universe

• the expected dispersion of opinions in the category

• the minimum precision needed for a robust conclusion.
   

Sampling And Quotas

General population samples are recruited using quota sampling. Quotas are set primarily on:

• age

• gender

• region

and, where appropriate, other structural variables based on national statistics (for example urban/rural residence). Panel providers are instructed to fill these quotas so that the achieved sample closely mirrors the structure of the adult population.

Because quotas are defined and monitored during fieldwork, there is generally no need for heavy post-stratification weighting. Where small deviations occur, modest statistical weights may be applied to align the sample with population benchmarks. Weights are kept within narrow ranges to avoid distorting the underlying data.

For professional samples, quotas and screening are tailored to the category and may include:

• job role (e.g. architect, civil engineer, procurement manager, farmer)

• decision-making authority (e.g. final decision-maker or recommender)

• company size and sector

• minimum level of experience with the category.

Only qualified respondents are allowed to proceed to the Best Buy Award questions.

 

Data Quality Controls And Fraud Prevention

To ensure that results truly reflect human consumer or expert opinions, and not noise or fraud, several layers of data quality control are applied:

• Unique survey links and device checks to reduce the risk of duplicate participation.

• Speed checks to flag and remove interviews completed in unrealistically short times that do not allow thoughtful answers.

• Straight-line and pattern checks for any closed questions to identify mechanical or non-engaged answering.

• Logic and consistency checks for routed questions and basic demographics.

• Technical checks (IP ranges, device fingerprints, browser information) to reduce the impact of bots or automated scripts.

Only interviews that pass these checks are included in the final dataset.
 

Coding And Normalisation Of Open-Ended Responses

The core Best Buy Award question is open ended and unprompted. Respondents type the brand, product, service or provider they consider to offer the best value for money in the category.

Because consumers do not always use formal brand names, ICERTIAS applies a structured coding process:

• building and maintaining a coding frame that includes known brands and their common variants

• grouping obvious spelling mistakes and short forms under the correct brand (for example “Merc”, “Mercedes”, “MB” under “Mercedes-Benz”)

• distinguishing between umbrella corporate names and specific consumer brands where this matters for the consumer decision process

• identifying generic answers that cannot be linked to a specific market actor (e.g. “the cheapest one”, “the local shop”) and excluding them from winner determination.

Coding is performed by trained coders, supported where relevant by automated text tools. All coding decisions are documented and replicable.
 

Handling Of Unclear Or Invalid Answers

To maintain clarity and fairness:

• joke answers, nonsense strings and offensive words are removed

• answers that are too generic or vague to map to a specific brand or provider are treated as invalid for the purposes of counting mentions

• if, in a particular category, a very high proportion of responses (for example more than half) cannot be reliably linked to specific brands, the category may be declared invalid for that wave and no award will be issued.

These safeguards prevent unstable or poorly understood categories from producing misleading Best Buy Award results.
 

Determination Of Winners And Ties

Within each country and category, the winner is the brand, product, service or provider with the highest number of valid mentions after coding and data cleaning.

This rule is:

• simple and transparent

• applied consistently across all countries and categories

• aligned with the unprompted, consumer-driven nature of the DEEPMA approach.

Where the leading brand’s advantage is narrow, the sample size and margin of error described above are taken into account, and coding is double-checked. All rankings are reviewed by experienced researchers before an award is confirmed.

In the rare scenario of an exact tie in valid mentions after all quality controls:

• ICERTIAS may recognise joint winners, or

• if the pattern suggests instability or insufficient consumer knowledge, decide not to issue an award in that category for that wave.

Such decisions are documented in internal methodological notes.

 

Governance And Conflicts Of Interest

The Best Buy Award methodology is overseen by an internal methodological and ethics function. This function is responsible for:

• maintaining and updating the DEEPMA and CAWI research design

• approving any changes in sampling, questionnaire or coding rules

• reviewing categories where unusual patterns appear

• advising on the treatment of brands with serious regulatory issues.

The research function is organisationally separated from commercial and licensing activities. Brands and companies:

• do not commission Best Buy Award surveys

• do not finance Best Buy Award research

• do not influence the questionnaire, sampling or analysis.

The sequence is always:

1. ICERTIAS defines countries, categories and target populations.

2. ICERTIAS or its research partners conduct the survey under the methodology described here.

3. Winners are identified based solely on the survey data.

4. Only then are winners approached with the option to license the use of the Best Buy Award mark.

 

Independence and funding of Best Buy Award research

Best Buy Award research is fully financed by ICERTIAS. Brands and companies do not commission, fund, or sponsor the execution of Best Buy Award studies. Winners are determined solely on the basis of respondents’ answers collected in an independent, representative survey conducted by ICERTIAS or authorised research partners.

Once the research results are established and the winners identified, ICERTIAS subsequently approaches the winners with an offer to use the protected Best Buy Award mark (IP licence, advisory, and training services). A brand/company that chooses not to use the mark still retains the right to inform the public, free of charge, that according to the Best Buy Award research results, it has provided consumers with the best price-quality ratio in a given category, but without using the protected Best Buy Award mark.

 

Treatment Of Brands With Serious Regulatory Issues

While the Best Buy Award reflects consumer perception, ICERTIAS also recognises that serious and repeated regulatory breaches may undermine trust.

For that reason:

• brands or companies that have been subject to repeated serious regulatory measures in the last three years in areas such as product or service safety, consumer protection or misleading advertising may be excluded from receiving or using the Best Buy Award

• in particularly serious cases (for example a major regulator-ordered product recall due to safety risks), exclusion may be considered even on the basis of a single case.

Decisions on exclusion are taken by the internal methodology and ethics function, based on official decisions of competent authorities and other credible information. Affected brands are informed in writing and may submit a written appeal within a defined period. Appeals are reviewed and decided within a fixed timeframe, and decisions are documented.
 

Public Verification

For each awarded brand, a public verification page is created and linked to the physical or digital mark via a unique certification code. This page provides, in concise form:

• country

• category

• fieldwork period (year and, where applicable, month)

• sample size and type

• description of the DEEPMA/CAWI approach

• the core value-for-money question.

This system allows consumers, companies and regulators to verify that any visible use of the mark corresponds to a real and properly documented survey result.

 

Data Protection And Respondent Rights

All Best Buy Award research is conducted in line with recognised international codes for market and social research, including provisions on:

• voluntary participation

• informed consent

• confidentiality and data minimisation

• clear separation between research and direct marketing.

In jurisdictions where the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or equivalent privacy laws apply, personal data are handled accordingly. In particular:

• panel providers maintain the link between identity and survey participation where necessary; ICERTIAS receives pseudonymised or aggregated data only

• ICERTIAS cannot identify individual respondents from the survey data it processes

• survey data are used solely for research and statistical purposes, and are not used to directly market to or profile individual participants.

Reports shared with client companies contain only aggregated information at the level of groups (for example percentages by age, gender or region). No information is shared that would allow clients to identify or contact individual respondents.

 

Alignment With European Union Law

The Best Buy Award is designed to be consistent with the key principles of European Union consumer protection and marketing law, including:

• the general requirement that commercial communications be clear, truthful and not misleading

• rules governing unfair commercial practices and comparative claims, which require that claims be based on objective and verifiable evidence

• evolving rules on environmental and sustainability-related claims, which require that “green” claims be specific, substantiated and not implied by labels that in fact measure something else.

Because the Best Buy Award is explicitly limited to perceived value for money (price and quality) and is clearly not presented as an environmental or ESG label, it helps companies avoid unsubstantiated “green” or “ethical” implications. The supporting documentation – survey design, results and methodological files – provides a basis for substantiation of value-for-money claims in the event of regulatory queries.

If regulators or other public bodies raise questions about a particular use of the Best Buy Award, ICERTIAS cooperates by providing the relevant methodological background and, where appropriate, by helping the company adjust its communication so that it remains clear, substantiated and fair.

 

Limitations And Appropriate Interpretation

Finally, it is important to understand the scope and limits of the Best Buy Award.

The award answers a specific question: in a given country, time period and category, which brand do surveyed consumers perceive as offering the best balance between price and quality?

It does not:

• certify technical superiority on all performance dimensions

• guarantee that the winning brand is the best choice for every individual consumer

• evaluate or certify environmental, social or governance performance.

Perceptions of value for money can change over time as prices, quality and competition evolve. For this reason, research is repeated periodically and awards are time-limited. The methodology is also periodically reviewed in light of new statistical techniques, technological developments and regulatory guidance.

By being precise about what it measures and transparent about how it measures it, the Best Buy Award aims to provide a robust, honest and legally sound indicator of consumer-perceived value for money – one that can withstand detailed scrutiny from research professionals, lawyers, regulators and the companies that choose to rely on it.

 

 

The Seven-Step Best Buy Award Process: