How Brands Can Encourage Customer Loyalty

As a consumer with customer loyalty, I am often on the lookout for what brands I want to buy from. I tend to be an ethical shopper – I want to make sure that my politics align with the brands I support, so I won’t shop with anybody who I know has done something problematic, for example. Once we take that out of the equation, it can be difficult to know which brand to support.

As gift giving season is upon us, I thought I’d put together a little guide for brands to let them know exactly what consumers are looking for.

Speak to customers like a human

It’s so much fun when brands hire people to run their social media who actually know how to play social media to their advantage. So instead of having people who are clearly reading from a script, they make use of memes and GIFs, injecting a bit of personality into the brand. I don’t particularly want to see a wall of professionalism between me and a brand that I’m buying gifts from – I want to know that they and I are on the same page, so I know they’re going to be creating a product that I would love to buy for somebody.

Branded merch gifts

There are certain brands that we all know and love as soon as we look at the logo, and that is exactly what I’m looking for in merch gifts. If I’m scrolling through Flexfit Headwear, I’m going to look for the brand whose logo stands out the most, and makes sense with their product for a cohesive branding experience. Any little freebie extras that the brand can provide, with their logo displayed on the front, are a great way to make the consumer feel valued by the brand and so they’re going to be more likely to wear the brand’s product and represent their logo proudly and, more importantly, they’re going to want to come back for more. 

Bright and bold packaging

I’m a sucker for good marketing, so product packaging that is bold and eye-catching will always draw me in. I like to see personality from a brand, as mentioned before, and I think the best way to show off the personality of your brand is by applying it directly on the packaging. Furthermore, I am looking for bright colours, bold fonts, anything that makes you stand out from the crowd – and if the product lives up to the packaging, I am always going to want to go back.

Be a small business – or be a big business who cares

Typically, I prefer to support small businesses, especially over the holidays when the boost in income is going to mean so much to them. But this doesn’t mean I’m not willing to shop with a big company if they’ve got the product that I want. I want to make sure that I am shopping with an ethical company, which means that if you’re a big corporation, I want to know that you’re also a corporation who cares – so you look after your staff, and you are using some of your profits to help other people, such as by donating to a charity.

That’s not to say that I would never shop with a big corporation, but if I can find a similar product done by a small business or a company that shows me that they care about the world, I will always choose them. If you want to change the world, shop with a small business. If you want to buy something that lasts, shop with a small business.

If you’re a consumer – do you agree? I’d love to hear about what you look for in a brand.