IT decision-makers are willing to pay a 24% premium for brands they believe won’t let them down, according to new research from Brother UK, with trust now ranked above cost or specifications as the deciding factor in tech purchases.
Brother surveyed 250 UK IT leaders and 250 resellers for its Tech Trust Index 2026 report. Three-quarters (74%) of IT decision makers said emotional factors such as trust now matter more than traditional rational criteria like cost or product specifications. In addition, 72% said trust in technology vendors is more important today than it was five years ago.
On average, buyers are willing to pay a premium for technology from a vendor they trust, with 88% saying they have paid a premium in the past, with one in 10 prepared to pay 51–75% more, and a small minority even willing to pay double.
In competitive deals where specifications are closely matched, Brother’s polling suggested trust acts as the tiebreaker; 88% of resellers said it becomes the deciding factor when there’s little to separate products on paper. The research also highlighted the importance of trust in the channel partner itself, not just the vendor as 92% of channel professionals said customers rely on them to validate whether a vendor can be trusted, reinforcing the reseller’s role as a critical bridge between brand promise and buyer confidence.
