Imagine you have been going to the same restaurant for years. You know the menu, the waiters know you, and they probably know what you are going to order before you say it. Everyone probably calls you a loyal customer.
Then a new restaurant opens across the road. Their food is better, the prices are lower and now, you can order from your phone. You say, well, let me try it. Just once. Then go again. Before long, you are eating there more often.
Were you ever loyal to the first restaurant, or were you simply comfortable?
I think about this whenever marketers talk about brand loyalty. We spend a lot of time trying to create loyal customers. We measure repeat purchases and so forth. But some of what we call loyalty may simply be habit or convenience.
You see, switching brands has become incredibly easy these days. You can see a new product on social media, compare prices, read reviews and even ask ChatGPT for recommendations within minutes. Today, the customer has more information and fewer reasons to stick with what they already know.
Think about airlines. Not in Malawi, of course. You may prefer one airline, but if another offers the same route for less money, how much does loyalty matter in this case?
Maybe Chim, Chris and their friends just like Mugg & Bean coffee because there is no better alternative in town. Maybe Ronald likes Joe’s Bakery because there are few quiet places around. This could just be a habit, not brand love after all.
The same applies to banks, mobile networks, restaurants and many other brands. Sometimes customers stay because changing is a pain. That is not necessarily loyalty. It may just be friction.
But then there are brands like Apple.
Millions of people continue to buy iPhones despite having many alternatives like Google Pixel or Samsung Galaxy. They stay with the ecosystem and often do not seriously consider switching. There is convenience involved, but there is also an emotional connection with the brand.
So perhaps brand loyalty is not dead. Perhaps it has just changed.
The old definition was simple. A loyal customer keeps buying from you, again and again.
Today, customers have more choices and more ways to switch. A customer can like your brand and still leave tomorrow because someone else is cheaper or more convenient.
Maybe the real test of loyalty is not whether customers keep buying from you when you are the easiest option.
Maybe it is whether they still choose you when they have a reason not to.
That is where marketers need to show their prowess and give their customers a reason to stay.
