什么是品牌忠诚度？客户忠诚度完整指南

品牌忠诚度是客户反复选择同一品牌并向他人推荐的倾向，无论价格或竞争替代品的可用性如何。

Sales and CRM

Brand loyalty works on both rational and emotional levels to create competitive advantages that support sustainable long-term business growth.

Here's the catch: creating true brand loyalty is harder and more important than ever. SAP Emarsys's Customer Loyalty Index found that the share of consumers who call themselves loyal fell to 69% in 2024 from a peak of 77% in 2022 (the figures often quoted as 66% in 2024 compared to 79% in 2022 do not match the report), so companies are struggling more to hold customers' attention in an overextended market.

Two Types of Brand Loyalty Decoded

Behavioral loyalty is strictly action-oriented, customers who purchase again and again, but are price-sensitive and willing to switch if they find something better. Imagine a person who's a frequent shopper at Target but would just as quickly switch to Walmart in return for substantial savings.

Attitudinal loyalty runs much deeper. These are the customers who connect with your business on an emotional level, are happy to pay a premium price and become raving fans of the brand. Apple's consumers exemplify this, they'll stand in line for product launches and defend their choices in online forums with vigour.

Pure brand loyalty encompasses both positions. Recent SAP Emarsys research measures this as "True Loyalty": 34% of consumers in 2024, up from 27% in 2021. This increase suggests that while loyalty is falling overall, those who are loyal are even more loyal.

Why Brand Loyalty Matters More Than Customer Acquisition

Bottom line: it is much more expensive to acquire a new customer than to keep an existing one. SimplicityDX (2022) found that brands lose an average of $29 for every new customer acquired, up from $9 in 2013, a 222% rise, and acquiring new customers is 5-25 times more expensive than retention, according to Harvard Business Review.

Here's where the loyalty program case justifies its existence: Antavo's Global Customer Loyalty Report 2024 found that among companies reporting a positive ROI from their program, the average ROI of 4.8x, or about $4.80 back for every dollar invested. Loyal customers also tend to spend more: loyal customers spend 67 percent more than new customers, according to figures compiled by Propello (no original study is named).

The ROI of Customer Retention

Research by Frederick Reichheld of Bain & Company, cited in the Harvard Business Review article linked here as Harvard Business School, shows that increasing customer retention rates by 5% increases profits by 25% to 95%. This drastic effect is due to the fact that your loyal customers:

Generate predictable revenue streams
Be cheaper to service than new customers
Provide valuable word-of-mouth marketing
Purchase additional products and services

McKinsey's research study found that top-performing loyalty programs can boost revenue from customers who redeem points by 15 to 25 percent annually, by increasing purchase frequency, basket size, or both.

Real-World Brand Loyalty Success Stories

Amazon Prime's Membership Revolution

They took e-commerce to a whole new level with their paid membership model. Amazon reported over 200 million Prime members globally in Jeff Bezos's 2020 letter to shareholders (the page linked here no longer shows the figure), and has learned that premium loyalty programs can drive deeper commitment than free programs.

The often-quoted line that Prime members spend 4.3x more than non-members is close to McKinsey's actual finding: Prime members spend more than four times as much as nonmembers over the course of their lifetimes. The key insight? Amazon created psychological commitment: members want to get the most out of the $139 annual U.S. fee set in 2022.

Where the program is particularly shrewd is in the combination of shipping benefits with entertainment services. Members don't just receive free shipping; they also have access to Prime Video, Prime Music and exclusive shopping events including Prime Day. This ecosystem strategy makes switching over to rivals increasingly hard.

Nike's Community-Driven Approach

Nike used community, rather than classic rewards, to create loyalty. The figure of over 100 million global members dates from 2017; by 2021 Nike reported more than 300 million members, served through apps such as the Nike App, SNKRS, Nike Run Club and Nike Training Club.

The real value of Nike's membership lies in the community Nike wants to build. Members join running clubs, training programs and city events. They're not just purchasing shoes; they're becoming part of a fitness lifestyle movement.

The company's social advocacy campaigns, such as the 2018 ads featuring Colin Kaepernick, drew a backlash from some customers, yet Nike's online sales rose 31% in the days after the launch, according to Edison Trends. Brand values that resonate with core customers can hold up even in the face of controversy.

Apple's Ecosystem Mastery

Apple's ecosystem approach shows up in its 92% iPhone retention figures: in a 2021 SellCell survey, 91.9% of iPhone users said they intend to buy another iPhone at their next upgrade (the Capital One Shopping page linked here no longer carries the figure). Once customers own several Apple products, switching becomes more onerous, not only financially but practically.

Services such as iMessage, FaceTime and AirDrop work best within Apple's ecosystem. The more Apple products someone owns, the higher the switching costs, creating what is sometimes described as "cumulative advantages," although the attribution of that phrase to researchers at Northwestern's Kellogg School could not be verified.

The genius of Apple is interdependence. Apple's first product may be sold based on a unique feature or two, but the second and third sale happens because of how integrated the experience is.

5 Crucial Advantages of Creating Strong Brand Loyalty

1. Predictable Revenue Streams

Regular customers ensure reliable cash flow and allow better management of funds for investment and stock. A student analysis on Harvard's Digital Initiative platform notes that Starbucks attributes 40% of its total sales to its Rewards program, and rewards program engagement data helps it market specific products to individual customers.

2. Lower Marketing Costs

Retention marketing is much cheaper than acquisition campaigns, and loyal customers turn into unpaid marketers by spreading the word. According to research findings compiled by BoostCommerce from Qualtrics, 73% of satisfied customers will recommend a brand to others.

3. Premium Pricing Power

With strong brand loyalty, a company can command higher margins. Apple, for example, charges a premium because its loyal customers value the "whole thing" over price alone. They are happy to pay more for products they believe in and love.

4. Competitive Protection

Loyal customers resist competitors' offers. The claim that 70% remain brand loyal in economic contractions, cutting other spending rather than abandoning favorite brands, could not be traced to a source.

5. Innovation Feedback Loop

Engaged customers also give feedback on products, allowing brands to innovate more successfully, for example through community product testing.

The Generational Loyalty Divide

Millennials respond strongly to good loyalty programs: CrowdTwist data cited by BoostCommerce show that 70% of Millennials will stay loyal to a brand with a robust loyalty program. This can seem counterintuitive given their reputation for switching, but studies show that Millennials are 2.5 times more likely to stick with brands that offer excellent loyalty programs (Bond Brand Loyalty).

Gen Z is an interesting paradox: many say they are loyal, but they are motivated by different factors than earlier generations. The often-quoted figures that 33% find they are attracted to brands promoting with creativity (versus a 28% average) and that 55% have bought items recommended by AI tools are not on the Talon.One page linked here. Gen Z shoppers do readily adopt technology, including AI shopping recommendations.

Gen X and Baby Boomers tend to value traditional drivers such as product quality, customer service and brand heritage, and are often more lukewarm about the digital features of loyalty programs.

Building Modern Brand Loyalty Strategies

Embrace Paid Loyalty Programs

It's a whole different world now: Deloitte found that more than half of consumers pay to participate in a loyalty program (the figure often summarized as 53% of customers now belong to paid programs), up from 32% in 2022 and 17% in 2021. Paid programs also work because they create an immediate psychological investment and attract serious customers rather than "cheap" ones.

As McKinsey's research demonstrates, consumers expect at least a 150 percent return on their subscription fee in the form of new offerings, and members of paid programs are 60 percent more likely to spend more on the brand after subscribing. Base your paid program on exclusive access rather than only discounts. Amazon Prime works because it delivers benefits members want and can't easily get elsewhere.

Personalization at Scale

Personalization still has room to improve: Deloitte's 2024 Consumer Loyalty Survey found that only 60% of consumers are satisfied with the customized experiences currently offered (the figure comes from Deloitte, not the Talon.One page linked here). Today's consumers expect brands to understand their preferences intuitively.

Harvard's examination of Starbucks, a student analysis on Harvard's Digital Initiative platform, describes how Starbucks uses data collected from its app to market specific products to individual members. Rather than generic discounts, members get recommendations based on what they actually buy.

Experience Over Transactions

Traditional, points-only loyalty programs are losing their pull, and more brands now add experience-based rewards. The often-quoted figure that 34% of brands have made this move is not on the Antavo page linked here.

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"The future of brand loyalty lies not in transactional rewards, but in creating meaningful experiences that forge emotional connections. Companies that understand this shift from points to purpose will dominate the loyalty landscape for the next decade."

Tessar Napitupulu, Founder and CEO of Arfadia

Perhaps you can provide access to exclusive events, early products or community activities. It is these memories that shape emotional bonds deeper than mere commercial exchanges.

Measuring Brand Loyalty Effectively

Net Promoter Score (NPS) measures a customer's likelihood to refer your brand to others, and is a primary indicator of loyalty strength. Tracking high NPS scores over time shows whether loyalty is growing; the Kellogg on Branding page linked here does not provide NPS data.

Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) measures the total amount of money a customer brings in across their entire relationship with a brand. Loyal customers typically have a higher CLV than average customers, but the often-quoted 3 to 5 times higher CLV figure could not be found on the Propello page linked here.

Repeat Purchase Rate measures the proportion of customers that purchase more than once. But this number alone does not necessarily reflect true loyalty, pair it with emotional engagement metrics.

Brand Advocacy Behavior encompasses social media interactions, reviews, and referrals. In SAP Emarsys's 2024 Customer Loyalty Index, recommending a retailer to friends and family was one of the most common ways consumers showed loyalty, cited by 47 percent of loyal customers.

Frequently Asked Questions About Brand Loyalty

Q: How long does it take to establish brand loyalty?

Real loyalty usually takes many months of repeated positive experiences. But emotional connections can be made much more quickly, sometimes after just a single outstanding interaction. It's all about delivering at every touchpoint and delivering consistent value in your brand.

Q: Can loyalty be where small businesses take on large companies?

Absolutely. The opposite is also often true of small businesses who excel at relationship-building and high-quality service. Stick to what makes you unique and connect with your customers, not simply try to keep up with the program size of behemoth companies. Local businesses have the ability to foster community-based loyalty that the big boys just can't seem to imitate.

Q: What is the No. 1 mistake companies make in loyalty programs?

Transaction rather than relationship-oriented. A lot of programs are more about spending than about creating an emotional link. research from Deloitte has found that financial rewards and ease of use remain the most important program attributes, and recommends forging deeper emotional connections with consumers; adding community and shared values to purchase incentives is one way to do that.

Q: How do you deal with brand loyalty in a bad economy?

Maintain value while demonstrating empathy. Loyalty programs can help in hard times: in Antavo's 2024 report, 81.4% of companies said their program helped during the economic downturn, the source of the often-quoted line about 81 percent of loyalty programs helping in hard times. Instead of only trimming prices, consider providing flexible payment options, extended return policies or additional services. Hard times can strengthen loyalty when a brand clearly supports its customers.

Q: Are loyalty programs worth the investment for B2B organizations?

It is, but the loyalty nature is different when it comes to B2B versus consumer programs. Emphasize relationship, education, exclusive access, and recognition. B2B buyers prioritize expertise and partnership more than discounts.

Q: How has digital marketing affected brand loyalty?

Digital marketing makes customization at scale possible, but it also raises the bar in terms of what customers expect. Consumers today anticipate that brands keep track of their preferences across touchpoints and deliver a cohesive experience. Social media has also been a megaphone for positive, and negative, word-of-mouth effects.

Q: How does customer service factor into brand loyalty?

The claim that companies offering great service get repeat business from 93% of their customers could not be verified on the page linked here, which now redirects to a vendor product page. Customer service interactions can make or break a customer relationship, turning people into loyal advocates or sending them to competitors. Every contact point is a chance to create or break loyalty bonds.

Related Terms

Customer Retention - Strategies focused on keeping existing customers engaged and loyal through various marketing tactics
Brand Positioning - Strategic process of establishing brand's unique place and differentiation in market
Marketing Automation - Technology automating repetitive marketing tasks that agencies use to scale client campaigns efficiently
Return on Investment (ROI) - Measure of marketing campaign profitability and key performance metric for demonstrating campaign effectiveness

The Future of Brand Loyalty

Brand loyalty is transforming as consumer trends change and technology progresses. The winning businesses will navigate personalisation with privacy, build trust through authentic community connections, and bake sustainability into value propositions.

Here's what to expect next: Artificial intelligence-driven predictive loyalty programs that predict customer needs, virtual reality experiences that build brand intimacy, and blockchain-based loyalty tokens with true ownership and portability.

The newest McKinsey study reports that pilots combining personalized marketing with loyalty-based pricing offers achieved a two to four percentage point improvement in gross margin dollars.

The brands that succeed will stop operating loyalty programs as cost centers and begin to see them as strategic growth engines that click into three key gears: first-party data generation, engagement, and creation of emotional connections about the brand that go beyond price sensitivity.

Keep in mind that it's not about landing it perfectly, it's about continually trying, good intentions, and practicing those values by showing you really care about your customers. Start where you are, with what you have, and create loyalty one meaningful interaction at a time.