“If a customer is willing to turn it’s back on you for a few pennies, then there is no customer loyalty”
Are you loyal to companies you buy products from?
If so, why?
I like your question about loyalty.
I’m not generally all that loyal to a company, unless they do something above and beyond.
There is a camping gear company that offers huge discounts to registered youth outdoor groups to support our mission.
I buy as much gear as possible from them and pass on my knowledge about their products to friend who purchase at retail
Our troop has about ten of their tents and I have one personally, plus a half dozen sleeping bags.
I like a local Firestone Auto care just because the counter guys are great. Another place that I go to infrequently knew my name the second time I came in, months after the first time. I think he has a camera tagged to read license plates and pop up on his computer screen. I don’t care, that’s kind of cool.
As for cars, My 2006 Vibe is so good, with virtually no repairs over 250,000 miles, that I’ve had both of my daughters buy Vibes too.
Loyalty shouldn’t be an automatic response. I’ve been “loyal” to a few brands throughout my life. In terms of cars I started with Toyota (Everytime I looked for a new car, the Toyota drivetrain seemed superior), then Hondas (everytime I was looking for a smart car to own, Honda floated to the top of the list) and then Subaru (the poor weather abilities were what I was looking for.. again, whenever I looked at all of the cars I went to Subaru.)
Now I’m onto BMW. because I’m more about build quality than anything these days. So here is what Loyalty looks like to me:
I am shopping for an SUV for my wife next. She doesn’t drive manual (Which knocks out just about any foreign competition.. Other countries still can’t make an automatic transmission if their life depended on it) so I start fresh, no prejudice.
I investigate Jeep, GM, Ford, MB, Toyota, etc. Everytime I consider the options I always return to the 2005-2008 BMW X5. Not because “I’m a BMW guy” but because once again this marque has floated to the top.
My loyalty to the brand isn’t my predisposition. It’s just that whenever I’m looking for what I am looking for, one brand seems to rise above the rest. That’s loyalty through quality.
For most people it’s just a ... “thing”. “My grandfather owned a Ford, my dad owned a Ford. I own Fords.” That’s loyalty to a fault, right there. Ford wouldn’t have to keep up it’s performance for that loyalty. It’s just what that particular consumer considered “This is what I must do”
Most people shop for tattoos that same way, but that’s a conversation for another day.
(Also related: My opinion of Sportbikes over cruisers, Harleys in particular)