Did you know:

• A third of Americans report their finances are worse than a year ago, yet 77% expect their income to stay the same or rise over the next 12 months.
• McDonald’s leads the US fast food market in awareness and purchase rate, yet Chick-fil-A converts a higher share of its buyers into preferred brand status than any other top-five chain.
• Walmart holds a 31% preferred brand share in supermarkets, but H-E-B, with just 21% awareness, converts 53% of its buyers into preferred brand status.
• Netflix commands 92% awareness and 39% preferred brand share in video streaming, while Prime Video quietly builds the second-strongest preferred brand position (18%), despite trailing Hulu on awareness.
• Calvin Klein leads high street fashion on every funnel metric, while Zara converts aware consumers into consideration at a comparable rate despite having lower brand awareness.
• Nike dominates the US sneaker market at every stage, while Hoka converts 71% of its buyers into preferred brand status, the highest rate in the category.

These aren’t random stats. They’re live competitive insights from surveying real consumers, tracked alongside broader economic indicators.

All of this data is available now at Brand Tracker by Conjointly for free. You can also subscribe to Brand Tracker updates to get notified when new data waves go live.

What the first wave reveals

American consumers are feeling the pinch

Nearly a third (33%) of Americans report being worse off financially than a year ago. This sits alongside 42% who feel their situation has stayed about the same, meaning three-quarters of the population are either flat or going backwards financially.

Interestingly, three-quarters (77%) expect their income to stay flat or rise over the next twelve months.

Fast food: McDonald’s leads the market, but not every measure

McDonald’s leads on every headline metric, recording 89% aided awareness, 68% consideration, and 17% preferred brand. However, the ranking shifts when you look at conversion efficiency.

Chick-fil-A converts 27% of its buyers into preferred brand status, while In-N-Out achieves 35% buyer-to-preference conversion, the highest in the entire category. KFC sits at the other extreme, where despite 78% awareness and a 26% past-six-month purchase rate, only 8% of its buyers name it as their preferred brand.

Looking at brand diagnostics, Burger King leads on service quality (89%), speed (82%) and price value (82%), while Subway tops the category on healthy options (85%) and taste (82%). McDonald’s scores below average on healthy options (64%), making it their weakest dimension relative to major competitors.

Supermarkets: High awareness doesn’t guarantee preference

Walmart holds 86% awareness and 31% preferred brand share. ALDI (70% awareness, 8% preferred brand) and Costco (67% awareness, 8% preferred brand) follow at a distance.

Notably, Target converts just 12% of its buyers into preferred brand status despite 72% awareness. Among regional chains, H-E-B leads all chains on buyer-to-preference conversion, with WinCo Foods also ranking highly, though both operate from a significantly smaller buyer base than national chains.

Looking at diagnostics, Walmart leads across all five dimensions, including price value (90%), assortment (91%), convenience (86%), availability (83%), and fresh produce (80%). Whole Foods scores slightly below average on price value (56%), the lowest among major chains and potentially explaining its low buyer-to-preference conversion (17%).

Video streaming: 92% of consumers know Netflix, and most of them prefer it

Netflix sits at the top of the category, leading on all metrics. Prime Video (18% preferred brand) quietly holds second place despite trailing Hulu on awareness.

Apple TV+ shows one of the steepest drop-offs in the category, falling from 62% awareness to just 16% subscriber rate. It scores below average on all diagnostic dimensions, suggesting its strong brand recognition has not translated into genuine consumer engagement.

High street fashion: Calvin Klein leads, Zara converts

Calvin Klein leads with 85% awareness, 64% consideration, and 25% preferred brand share. Zara trails on absolute numbers but converts aware consumers into consideration at a comparable rate (78% vs 75%).

Among international brands with modest US awareness, Uniqlo (30% awareness) shows decent efficiency with 74% awareness-to-consideration conversion and a 34% buyer-to-preference rate, suggesting a loyal customer base that punches above its awareness weight.

Sneakers: Nike dominates, while Hoka stands out in preference

Nike commands the market across every metric (89% aided awareness, 72% consideration, and 31% preferred brand share). New Balance (73%), Adidas (73%), and Reebok (71%) all sit above 70% awareness, reflecting a deeply competitive and well-established upper tier.

Hoka is the standout. Its 40% awareness drops to just a 6% past-six-month purchase rate, yet 71% of those buyers name it as their preferred brand.

Fila (3.4% past-six-month purchase, 0.3% preferred brand share) and Lululemon (3.8% past-six-month purchase, 0.6% preferred brand share) sit at the opposite end of the spectrum, suggesting that trend visibility and premium positioning do not automatically translate into genuine brand preference.

Ready to see how your brand stacks up?

A brand with 70% awareness and 8% conversion has a different set of risks and opportunities to one with 20% awareness and 80% conversion. Brand Tracker tells you which one you are.

Explore Brand Tracker across five US industries: fast food, supermarkets, video streaming, high street fashion, and sneakers. Two further categories, breakfast cereals and nutrition bars, are available under Priority Access.

To track your own brand or discuss custom solutions, get in touch to explore what works best for your category and market.

You are also encouraged to subscribe to Brand Tracker updates to get notified when new waves, new industries, or new markets launch.