Brand Loyalty: Customer's Choice

Introduction

Brand Loyalty: Brand Loyalty refers to the positive attitude of the customers towards the brand that helps the customer to make the buying decision of that particular brand again and again. Brand loyalty is the tendency of consumers to continuously purchase one brand's products over another. Brand loyalty is the commitment from customers to continue purchasing from a company because of their experiences and perception of the brand. Brand loyalty is not dependent on price or substitutes. Customers value the experiences and value gained from their association with the brand. Brands comprise the logo, the pictorial representation of the company or organization, the signature of the company.

Brand Loyalty

Brand: According to the American Marketing Association a ‘brand’ is a name, term, sign, symbol or design or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors (Keller, 1998).

Loyalty: Loyalty is a biased response towards a brand or product expressed over a period of time and is defined by the purchase pattern of a decision making unit which may be an individual, a household or a firm (Mellens, Dekimpe and Steenkamp, 1996).

Brand Loyalty: Brand loyalty is a consumer’s preference to buy a particular brand in a product category. It occurs when consumers perceive that the brand offers the right product features, images or level of quality at the right price. This perception may translate into repeat purchase resulting in loyalty. Brand Loyalty is therefore related to a customer’s preference and attachment to a brand. It may occur due to a long history of using a product and trust that has developed as a consequence of the long usage.

Businesses plan different creative marketing strategies like reward and loyalty programs, incentives, trials and brand ambassadors to create brand loyalty. Those who are loyal to a particular brand do not purchase a substitute brand in case the preferred brand is unavailable. Loyal customers search multiple stores for their preferred brands are more likely to forego their purchase in case the brand is not available.

This buying decision can be either conscious or unconscious. It is based upon trust that the brand fulfils the consumers. Brand loyalty is based upon emotional involvement which is created between the brand and the consumer. It is perceived by the customer that the brand will fulfill some type of emotional want or physical need in a unique way and which evokes emotions during the process of purchasing and using it.

Types Of Brand Loyalty

There are several types of brand loyalty which are explained as: