Jelena Nikolajenko-Skarbalė

In the marketing landscape, there has been a noticeable shift from the well-established “customer retention” loyalty programs of the 2010s to the emerging trend of “customer attraction” programs in the 2020s. This study aims to investigate the underlying reasons behind these transformations and identify the key components shaping a contemporary customer’s loyalty towards brands. To accomplish this, an empirical research was undertaken, interviewing 129 representatives of the “EU-Conexus” network, which education and research institutions are located in Lithuania (i.e., Klaipeda University), Spain (i.e., Catholic University of Valencia), Croatia (i.e., University of Zadar), Romania (i.e., Technical University of Civil Engineering), Greece (i.e., Agricultural University of Athens) and France (i.e., La Rochelle Université). The study employed a quantitative methodology, using a standardised online questionnaire contained multiple-choice, single-choice 18 detailed closed questions. The collected research data were subsequently analysed using MS Excel software through the application of descriptive statistics data processing techniques. The findings of this study revealed that regular and annoying promotional material and “intricate” loyalty programs are usually irritating contemporary customers and can be a reason to leave a brand. Consequently, modern brands are encouraged to regularly rethink – re-evaluate and re-design – their loyalty marketing strategies to become relevant to customers’ needs. The study also highlighted the key components significantly influencing the loyalty of respondents: (i) high quality and responsibly priced goods and (or) services, (ii) well-organised customer service, (iii) a “rational” customer loyalty program, and (iv) an adequate number of promotional messages containing relevant content.

Acknowledgment
The authors are sincerely thankful to the “EU-Conexus” community for their benevolent and active participation in the research implemented in frames of this study.