Brand Loyalty in the Digital Age: What Your Brand Can Do to Keep Customers Coming Back

For many brands, customer loyalty is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve, foster, or maintain. In some cases, it’s even difficult for brands to define quite what loyalty means to them in the digital age.

According to a study by Accenture, almost 60% of customers admit that they are more likely to change brands than customers 10 years ago. As customers becoming more informed and connected, they have the freedom to shift their commitment in an instant.

Brick and mortar stores are on the decline as customers are flocking to their digital counterparts. Any place that fails to accommodate to the speed and convenience that consumers have come to expect are destined to be passed on by.

Why is loyalty so difficult these days?

There are many reasons why the digital age has disrupted the old-fashioned idea of customer loyalty. Increased competition is just the tip of the iceberg.

Consumers now have the ability to access anything from almost anywhere and comparison shopping has become easier than ever before. Armed with reviews, price comparison sites, discounts, promo codes, and easily accessible viral videos and stories of wrongdoings by a brand, it’s easier than ever to research different businesses and find the best prices on the products and services they already purchase.

Customer loyalty is no longer automatic and businesses need to be adaptive and fluid to meet their consumer’s needs, and in some cases train consumers to think about your brand in a different light.

How to create that loyalty

All hope is not lost! There is still a chance to create an emotional connection with your consumer and keep them coming back for more.

1. Build an emotional connection

Whether it’s through exclusive content or rewards, making your consumer feel special is an important part of brand loyalty.

2. Personalize

You have your customer’s data; use it to your advantage! Make your content relevant and engaging by making sure that it is (almost) custom-made for your consumer.

3. Use your data

Use data, analytics, and your digital business capabilities to go beyond just rewards. Use the information you’ve gathered to really analyze how your consumers want to engage with your brand and build a strategy to do it.

4. Create an active online presence

Forgoing a good website and a strong online presence is essentially a death sentence in today’s digital marketplace. Most consumers prefer to shop online and not having an easy to use website is like excluding your brand from the conversation. It’s not enough to just post on social media. Create conversations, respond to customers, and help make customer service a 360° experience.

5. Merge your worlds

Make the online to offline experience completely complimentary by identifying all of the crucial touchpoints you may have with your consumers. You might even see a return in foot traffic if the consumer consistently sees your brand attached to good prices online. When they need something in a pinch, your brand will be at the top of their mind.

6. Make it easy

As a business, you now have to prioritize delivering quality, enjoyable interactions with your consumers. This is the best way to build a lasting customer relationship in the digital age. If your web presence does some of the heavy lifting for your consumer, making it easier for them to reach their end goal, the quality of the experience will resonate and they’ll be back for more.

Do you need help creating a strong brand presence online? Give us a call at 248.687.7888 or email us at inquiry@mediag.com to learn how we can help make your digital experience one that your customers will love.