Every time somebody says something about consumers not being brand loyal anymore, you can safely tell them otherwise. Study after study has suggested that in fact American consumers appreciate their brands and will also pay more for their favorites over non-branded goods.
The latest such study, just released, comes from the marketing technology company Marigold as part of their United States Consumer Trends Index Report. Their results found that 78% of U.S. consumers are willing to pay more to shop with the brands they’re loyal to. That’s an increase of 8% compared to last year’s report. It compares to the 63% reported among global shoppers.
Moreso, over half of the country’s consumers are more likely to belong to a brand’s loyalty program, more than last year and 25% higher than shoppers elsewhere in the world. That said, US consumers said they expect more from brands, with more than 90% saying brands need to treat them like individuals to really gain their favor. That’s higher too, by 7%, than global consumers.
Among the ways brands can gain favor from shoppers is through customer service and support, protect their data privacy, offer high quality and be in stock.
“Establishing customer loyalty is a goal brands worldwide must pursue, but the path to doing so naturally differs between regions,” said Trent Lanning, senior researcher at Marigold. “While U.S. consumers demonstrate the highest levels of loyalty, they demand the most from brands in return.