Apple is the top brand consumers can't live without, according to the second brand loyalty survey conducted by customer experience analytics firm ClickFox.
Rounding out the top five brands customers are most loyal to are: Starbucks, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon. Amazon slipped to fifth place from second in customer loyalty. Meanwhile, Starbucks and Microsoft grew in customer loyalty in 2013, climbing to second and fourth place, respectively.
Consumers identified food and beverage, airlines, cell phone manufacturers, retail stores, hotel chains, and automakers as the brand categories to which they are most loyal, according to the survey. Respondents cited poor customer service (48%) and brand quality (35%) as the main deterrents to brand loyalty
What’s more, most respondents indicated they can only remain loyal to three brands they engage with on a daily basis.
"Our research shows that consumers have a negative disposition to service agents," ClickFox CEO Marco Pacelli said in a release. “This lingering sentiment often centers on service teams having inaccurate or incomplete data regarding a consumer's experience with a brand, leading to customer frustration as they repeat their inquiry to multiple agents. While the first brand experience may be the tipping point for customer loyalty, businesses need to better analyze trends in negative service inquiries to fully capture the hearts, minds, and wallets of consumers."
Survey respondents cited in-store representatives (29%) and phone agents (36%) as their lowest preference options for learning more about products. What’s more, 66% of consumers don’t want to be contacted by phone for special offers, information, and upgrades; but nearly 75% revealed that they’d prefer to be contacted via email and text messages from companies.
ClickFox's research found that benefits drive loyalty – identifying brand quality (60%), ease of use (46%) and features (40%) as critical for customers when choosing their favorite brands. First impressions matter: Brands have one chance to win customers over, according to 56% of respondents who said that the first purchase or beginning of service is the deciding factor in establishing brand loyalty.
Some other survey highlights include:
Loyalty to cell phone manufacturers peaks among younger consumers 21 and under.
Despite being a relatively new market, brand loyalty to PC/tablet manufacturers is correlated with consumers between ages 22-34.
Loyalty to banking/credit card companies dominates consumers ages 35-64.
According to the survey, 57% of consumers are focused on price while 43% are less focused on price when switching and selecting brands.
The ClickFox 2013 Brand Loyalty Survey audited 304 consumers in March 2013 about their preferences when selecting brands. Respondents were 58% male and 42% female. The research evaluated a broad range of generational attitudes with 27% aged 22-34, 31% aged 35-44, 28% aged 45-54, and 11% aged 55-64.