{"id":30099,"date":"2020-05-28T09:21:01","date_gmt":"2020-05-28T09:21:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.proprofs.com\/c\/?p=30099"},"modified":"2026-02-02T16:44:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T16:44:24","slug":"building-brand-loyalty-customer-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.proprofsdesk.com\/blog\/building-brand-loyalty-customer-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Brand Loyalty: 10 Proven Strategies for Customer Retention"},"content":{"rendered":"

People think of loyalty as a customer for a lifetime, but it is really much simpler than that. It’s about the next time, every time. – Shep Hyken<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

No matter if you own a mom and pop shop at a street corner or run a multinational apparel brand, loyal customers are driving your business forward, one transaction at a time.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, brand loyalty has become just another \u2018buzz-phrase\u2019. Moreover, the sad part is that as organizations get larger and more complex, their customers are reduced to mere numbers. Contemporary businesses are on a rampage to retain customers with mouth-watering discounts and offers. But being a temporary fix, it is not helping them stop customers from disappearing into thin air once the offers dry out. <\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, there is an over-abundance of loyalty programs in the market which are ‘all talk and no action’. Instead of improving the customer experience (CX), such programs are more about price discounts; it’s no wonder that customer retention has become more challenging than ever before.<\/span><\/p>\n

How can you increase customer brand loyalty consistently and build it into your company’s culture?<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, Zappos CEO, <\/span>Tony Hsieh<\/span><\/a> might have the best answer. He explains, \u201c<\/span>On any given day, about 75% of our orders are from repeat customers. Our whole philosophy is to take most of the money we would have spent on marketing and put that into the customer experience.\u201d<\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Rethinking Brand Loyalty<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

What is brand loyalty? How to build brand loyalty? Even the most shrewd C-level executives are asking these questions more than ever before and rightly so.<\/p>\n

\"What<\/p>\n

There is an out and out need to rethink what brand loyalty really means. Just showering pointless reward points or loyalty cards is not enough to build brand loyalty. Most businesses make the mistake of thinking of brand loyalty as a one-way street, however, loyalty towards a brand cannot be determined solely based on the actions of a customer. <\/span><\/p>\n

Instead, to define brand loyalty, you should turn it upside down. Start measuring loyalty in terms of the degree to which your business is loyal to customers rather than vice versa. Here is what this new school of thought looks like: <\/span><\/p>\n

The old school of thought: <\/span>“<\/b>What have my customers purchased from me lately<\/i><\/b>?”<\/b><\/p>\n

The new school of thought: <\/span>“<\/b>What has my business done for my most loyal customers?<\/i><\/b>“<\/b><\/p>\n

By making a gradual shift to this viewpoint you\u2019ll retain more customers and attain a better understanding of the psychology behind brand loyalty. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Top 10 Strategies for Building Brand Loyalty That Lasts<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Strategy 1: Give a Personal Touch to Every Email Communication<\/b><\/h3>\n

Your customers might be constantly ranting about the infinite emails they receive, despite that email is still a remarkably effective communication channel. While sharing marketing emails to advertise your products may work just well. Floating highly personalized emails can prove to be a game-changing move. <\/span><\/p>\n

According to a <\/span>Statista<\/span><\/a> report, emails with a personalized message had an open rate of 18.8% compared to just a 13% open rate of impersonal emails. <\/span><\/p>\n

Example: Adidas might be one of the most popular sportswear brands in the world, however, despite their size you\u2019ll never find them taking their customers for granted. This is evident in the emails they share with their target audience. When it comes to sportswear, Adidas has two primary kinds of audience- Men and Women. The brand refrains from sharing generic emails and targets them based on gender to generate the desired results from their email campaigns. <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\"Email<\/p>\n

Image source: <\/span>Campaignmonitor.com<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Strategy 2: Connect With Your Customers using \u2018Emotional Branding\u2019<\/b><\/h3>\n

Emotions are the driving force behind a majority of purchase decisions. You might have heard of the term \u2018Brand Intimacy\u2019 which depicts how intimate and close your customers are with your brand. Fostering an emotional connection with your users can boost customer brand loyalty as a <\/span>study by customer thermometer showed: 65%<\/span><\/a> of participants mentioned that being emotionally connected to a brand made them purchase more often. <\/span><\/p>\n

Example:<\/b> Think of brands that people love the most and you would most likely find Apple on the list. Over the years, Apple has mastered this art of appealing to crucial human emotions. In its marketing campaigns, Apple brands itself as a platform to explore one\u2019s creativity, be respected by society, and belong to a community of people who believe in technological advancement. It\u2019s no wonder that users across the world connect with this brand. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Emotional<\/p>\n

Image Source: Customerthermometer.com<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Strategy 3: Leverage Social Media for Constant Engagement\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

You can never anticipate the number of people that can be reached using a single post as it only takes that one initial share to make a post go viral. Consistently engaging with your customers on social media channels is the key to coming across as a brand they can resonate with and stay loyal to. Posting reels on Instagram seems the best Instagram marketing strategy nowadays to interact with your target audience to keep them engaged and further develop the brand-consumer relationship.<\/span><\/p>\n

To put things into perspective, according to a recent report, an estimated <\/span>6.5 billion<\/span><\/a> people will be using social media worldwide by 2030. This clearly shows the sheer number of potential users you can reach over any social media platform. <\/span><\/p>\n

Example: If there is one brand that\u2019s killing it on social media it has to be\u00a0 Starbucks. Whether you\u2019re talking about sharing customer stories or posting content with attention-grabbing captions, Starbucks has secured the right solutions to social media engagement. <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Throughout the\u00a0 COVID-19 pandemic, the brand has looked to spread smiles through consistent engagement. Here is a glimpse of its initiative to offer free coffee to the frontline warriors in selected US stores. <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\"Social<\/p>\n

Image Source: <\/span>Starbucks- Instagram<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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Recommended Read:\u00a0<\/strong>9 Customer Service Stories You Should Read<\/a><\/p>\n

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Strategy 4: Bring the Focus Back to In-Store Experience<\/b><\/h3>\n

While e-commerce sales might be going through the roof, it still showcases its own set of limitations. People still wish to touch, feel, and see products before they spend a dollar. Customers perceive offline shopping as an escape from the cacophony of their busy lives and look to embrace a memorable buying experience. <\/span><\/p>\n

The in-store shopping experience is simply irreplaceable and statistics reveal the same. Last year, sales from retail establishments amounted to <\/span>5.46 trillion<\/span><\/a> US dollars. <\/span><\/p>\n

Example: It took IKEA, the Swedish-origin furniture company, 75 years to earn the tag of a retail royalty. IKEA stores are known to offer a branded customer experience right from the moment a visitor steps in. The global retail giant has designed its stores into numerous room-like sections that look nothing short of movie sets. <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

According to their brand experts, they want every customer visiting their store to have a \u2018feel at home\u2019 experience. <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\"focus-back-to-in-store-experience\"<\/p>\n

Image Source: <\/span>Ikea.com<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Strategy 5: Charm Your Customers on Special Occasions<\/b><\/h3>\n

Days that appear normal for your business, might actually be special occasions for your customers. To foster a deep and meaningful customer relationship, you need to keep track of your customers’ special days like birthdays, marriage anniversaries, etc. Your customer data is incomplete if such important dates are missing. <\/span><\/p>\n

According to a <\/span>survey<\/span><\/a>, customers who received birthday messages from a company thought more positively about the brand. 84% of those positive reactions translated to increased brand loyalty.<\/span><\/p>\n

Example:<\/b> Sephora, the French personal care and beauty products company paid great attention to offer a delightful experience to customers on their birthdays. Its popular Beauty Insider Program seeks to offer rewards to customers on merchandise purchases. <\/span><\/p>\n

The members of this program are entitled to receive a free product sample if they visit a store on their birthday. This initiative has made the brand save on shipping costs and increase brand loyalty, all at the same time. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"special-occasions-example-for-customer-experence\"<\/p>\n

Image Source: Sephora.com\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Strategy 6: Be Innovative With Loyalty Programs<\/b><\/h3>\n

While there might be different types of brand loyalty programs in the market, most fall flat as they lack a long-term perspective. There has to be a lot more to your loyalty programs than discount coupons. Contemporary businesses have realized that it is way easier and more cost-effective to sell to existing customers than new ones. <\/span><\/p>\n

Keeping this in mind, brands are getting creative and innovative with their reward programs to create an army of loyal users. <\/span><\/p>\n

Example: The brand, North Face has hit the bull’s eye by offering an innovative and flexible loyalty program to its regular consumers. Through its VIPeak program, customers earn points as they shop and can choose to redeem them either on purchasing new products or on memorable adventures such as a mountain climbing trip to Nepal. <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

So rather than offering heavy discounts, the brand chose the road less traveled and successfully encouraged customers to spend on both products as well as experiences. <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\"Customer<\/p>\n

Image Source: <\/span>Thenorthface.com<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Strategy 7: Take the Multi-Channel Route to Customer Support<\/b><\/h3>\n

You might have the best product in the market, however, an ineffective customer support process can make your customers turn to your competitors. It is important to note that customers look to seek assistance on their preferred support channel. <\/span>Around 61%<\/span><\/a> of customers in the US prefer phone support, compared to Email (12%) and Chat (16%). This makes it all the more important for you to adopt a delightful customer support software<\/a> to seamlessly integrate all your channels. <\/span><\/p>\n

You can use the <\/span>ProProfs\u2019 help desk ticketing system<\/span> to convert every customer request into a ticket for real-time tracking and faster resolution.\u00a0<\/span>
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