The news: Brand bias leads most shoppers to buy from companies they’re already familiar with, making it difficult to attract and convert new customers.

• 84% of purchases by consumers worldwide are driven by preexisting brand bias, per WPP Media’s How Humans Decide report.
• That influence doesn’t fall below 70% across shopping categories, with home goods (93%) and soft drinks (88%) showing the highest levels of bias.

How purchase decisions work: WPP outlines two phases in the brand decision process and purchase journey—the priming stage and the active stage.

• The priming stage takes place in day-to-day life, where consumers aren’t actively considering a purchase but are exposed to and influenced by a brand’s reputation and image.
• In the active stage, consumers start evaluating and moving toward a purchase, which can take anywhere from seconds to months, per WPP.

If the majority of consumers have already made up their minds before they start shopping, marketers’ ability to influence decisions in the final purchase stage is greatly limited. Even strong performance marketing or targeted ads will struggle to drive conversion, build trust, and overcome entrenched biases.

Next steps: To win in the priming stage, brands need to establish strong awareness and positive association in consumers’ minds early on. One of the most effective ways to do this is through earned, shared, and owned (ESO) media placements, per WPP, which may encourage brand exploration more effectively than paid placements.

• Word-of-mouth recommendations have a 48% relative influence, followed by reviews at 36% and email customer relationship management (CRM) at 17%.
• By comparison, online ads have a 17% relative influence, outdoor ads have 12%, and radio and podcasts have 6%.

Channels that feel personal and credible are the ones shaping purchase decisions—marketers can’t rely on paid impressions alone and need to invest in strategies that earn belief in brand value, not just visibility.

What’s next for marketers: Focus on building long-term, positive brand familiarity before a buying moment occurs. Because ESO placements carry more influence than paid channels in shaping bias, brands should prioritize credibility-building strategies like reviews and social content.

Marketers can:

• Set up a presence in community-based discovery channels like Reddit to encourage conversation and brand awareness.
• Invest in influencer partnerships that feel authentic and help create ongoing exposure.
• Create always-on content ecosystems—such as blogs and newsletters—that reinforce brand expertise.

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