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U.S. Consumers Love Brands that Love Them

4/17/2013
A national survey of 1,000 consumers found that nearly half (48%) of people between the ages of 18-44 feel that any loyalty they feel toward brands in the future will have to stem from the types of experiences brands create for them. This includes interaction in the form of video/online gaming, social media and third-party expert information through blogs and articles.

The survey, conducted by Opinion Research Corporation on behalf of Analytic Partners, unveiled the shopping behaviors and expectations of American consumers that interact and purchase from brands regularly.

"Loyalty has become a two way street," said Nancy Smith, founder and CEO of Analytic Partners. "No longer are the days when brands can advocate solely for themselves. In fact, the way brands spend their marketing dollars to interact with their consumers can ultimately have a real impact on profitability."

Mass Market Retailers & Shopping Habits

Consumers feel empowered to make purchases when they have the knowledge to make proper decisions. According to the survey results, more than half (66%) of consumers shop online using mass market sites, like Amazon and Walmart.com, and despite the ease of comparison price shopping, they feel loyal to the brands they buy (63%) on these sites. Consequently the determining factor for this lies within the reviews — 75 percent feel that the reviews they read online play a major role in the purchases they make.

Both Gender & Location Factor into Loyalty

Gender and location do play a role in brand loyalty. Of those surveyed, female consumers (68%) are generally more loyal to brands than males (55%). Results also indicated that consumers living in the south are the most loyal to the brands they buy (67%), while those living on the west coast are the least loyal (56%).

Transparency is Key for Baby Boomers

While fair pricing and excellent customer service are top of mind for most consumers, the baby boomer generation (ages 49-67) care more than any other age demographic that brands should be transparent about how their products are made (80%).

"As e-commerce continues to grow in popularity, new methods for consumer interaction are becoming a must for brands that want to strengthen retention and loyalty efforts," continued Nancy Smith. "Therefore, it's become increasingly important for brands to look at their data holistically to analyze and develop new ways to meet and exceed consumers' expectations."

Savvy consumer goods marketers are already well on their way to using loyalty programs as essential tools for building brand trust and affinity with customers. For example, launched in June 2012, Kellogg's Family Rewards consumer-loyalty program has not only strengthened the relationship between families and all of the company's brands, but is producing useful data that brings new intelligence and insights to Kellogg on consumer buying behavior. 

Related Articles:
Kellogg Consumer Loyalty Program Yields Data Insights
U.S. Consumers Ditch Brand Loyalty for Personalized Service
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