Where Trust Lives and Where It Doesn’t: Lessons from Canada’s Most Trusted Brands
In Canada’s competitive marketplace, trust continues to be the single most important factor influencing whether consumers choose one brand over another.
More than 70% of Canadians say they’ve made a purchase in the past year because they trusted a brand. That’s not a niche behavior - it’s a market-defining force.
Across IMI’s longitudinal database of over one million Canadian interviews, trust has consistently ranked as the number one purchase driver since 2019. In a world where price wars and promotional noise dominate headlines, trust remains the quiet differentiator that drives loyalty, resiliency, and profitability.
Where trust shows up most
When consumers name their most trusted brands unaided, the list reveals more than popularity - it exposes the structural dynamics of trust.
Nike leads the pack at 19.9%, followed by Apple (12.8%) and Amazon (12.5%).
These aren’t just big brands; they’re brands that have embedded themselves into daily life and reduced consumer risk at every touchpoint.
Trust clusters where brands deliver tangible value, consistent performance, and cultural relevance.
Everyday utility wins: Retail, food and beverage, and apparel dominate the trust landscape. Walmart, Canadian Tire, and President’s Choice anchor stability in daily routines, while Nike and Lululemon tie trust to identity and lifestyle. These categories share a common thread: frequent interaction and functional reliability.
Tech punches above its weight: Apple and Amazon alone account for more than a quarter of total trust share. Their strength lies in ecosystem reliability - removing complexity, delivering convenience, and embedding themselves in the infrastructure of life.
Institutional trust is present but not dominant: Banks like RBC, TD, and BMO appear, but financial services represent only a fraction of the top 50. Trust here is steady, not passionate.
Now, if you’re a small or medium sized brand and want to ensure that you drive forward – trust is critical to build. Learning from those around you and before you can help guide the way.
You, too, can build trust. One step at a time, with smaller consumer groups that help build a ground swell around you.
And where is trust absent?
Where trust doesn’t live and why
The absence of trust in certain sectors is as telling as its presence. Social media platforms, despite daily use and cultural visibility, are virtually absent from the trust conversation.
Streaming services fare no better - Netflix barely registers at 1.5%, while Disney+, Prime Video, and Spotify don’t appear at all. Insurance, airlines, and healthcare brands are similarly underrepresented.
The reason? These categories are either invisible until something goes wrong (insurance) or episodic rather than habitual (airlines).
What this DOESN’T mean is that trust isn’t important in these sectors or that it doesn’t show up with key brands – this is a different conversation. It doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter, they just aren’t top of mind.
What this means for brands
Trust grows where risk declines. It thrives in categories that are tangible, transactional, and tied to daily life. Brands that want to earn trust need to move beyond visibility and engagement toward reliability, value, and emotional security.
That means showing up consistently, reducing friction, and signaling that you protect - not just entertain your customers.
The takeaway
Trust isn’t a soft metric; it’s a hard driver of purchase. For marketers, the mandate is clear: if you’re in a category or have a brand where trust is scarce, the opportunity is enormous. If you’re already trusted, protect that equity relentlessly - because once it’s gone, it’s hard to win back.
Turning Trust Into Action
If trust is the most powerful driver of purchase, the next step is understanding how to build and protect it.
Our Trusted Brand Playbook outlines the practical strategies brands can use to strengthen credibility, deepen consumer relationships, and turn trust into real purchase behavior.