Transformations of customer loyalty attitude in marketing: Key components of modern loyalty

  • Received March 31, 2023;
    Accepted October 20, 2023;
    Published November 10, 2023
  • Author(s)
  • DOI
    http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/im.19(4).2023.09
  • Article Info
    Volume 19 2023, Issue #4, pp. 105-123
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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.

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    • Figure 1. Distribution of respondents by gender
    • Figure 2. Distribution of respondents by age
    • Figure 3. Distribution of respondents according to their activities
    • Figure 4. Distribution of respondents by country
    • Figure 5. Distribution of respondents by how they organize their purchasing process of goods/services in most cases
    • Figure 6. Distribution of respondents by whether they will take any actions if they get a well-discounted/well-priced commercial offer
    • Figure 7. Distribution of respondents by how they describe their relationships with the brands algorithm
    • Figure 8. Distribution of respondents by how many promotional e-mails/messages they are getting everyday from the brands they are loyal to and (or) have left their personal information to
    • Figure 9. Distribution of respondents by how many promotional e-mails/messages averagely they are paying attention to everyday
    • Figure 10. Distribution of respondents by what does the term “loyalty to the brand” mean to them
    • Figure 11. Distribution of respondents according to the main reasons making them loyal to a brand
    • Figure 12. Distribution of respondents by whether they have left companies they were loyal to for a short/long time and what influenced to make that decision
    • Figure 13. Distribution of respondents by what can frustrate them in a company’s loyalty program
    • Table 1. Parallels of 5P with the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs pyramid
    • Conceptualization
      Jelena Nikolajenko-Skarbalė, Rasa Viederytė-Žilienė
    • Data curation
      Jelena Nikolajenko-Skarbalė
    • Formal Analysis
      Jelena Nikolajenko-Skarbalė, Rasa Viederytė-Žilienė
    • Investigation
      Jelena Nikolajenko-Skarbalė
    • Methodology
      Jelena Nikolajenko-Skarbalė, Rasa Viederytė-Žilienė
    • Project administration
      Jelena Nikolajenko-Skarbalė
    • Supervision
      Jelena Nikolajenko-Skarbalė
    • Validation
      Jelena Nikolajenko-Skarbalė, Rasa Viederytė-Žilienė
    • Visualization
      Jelena Nikolajenko-Skarbalė
    • Writing – original draft
      Jelena Nikolajenko-Skarbalė
    • Writing – review & editing
      Jelena Nikolajenko-Skarbalė, Rasa Viederytė-Žilienė
    • Funding acquisition
      Rasa Viederytė-Žilienė