Study reports that attention to attitudinal loyalty is vital to maintaining loyalty program relevance.
St. Louis, MO, Dec. 10, 2019 – “The Split Personality of Loyalty” research report finds that 70% of customers identify as only “somewhat” loyal, meaning that their brand loyalty is continually up for grabs by competitors – pointing to the need for all brands to ensure they are not taking their customer loyalty for granted.
Maritz Motivation, a global leader in providing expertise to Fortune-500 companies, and The Wise Marketer partnered for the second year to conduct the Maritz Motivation | Wise Marketer Loyalty Landscape study. The first report from the new study, “The Split Personality of Loyalty,” includes data from more than 2,000 respondents along with actionable insights for companies looking to navigate accelerated change in the loyalty landscape.
The data revealed two distinct, or split, consumer personalities – the ‘Ephemerals’ and the ‘Unshakeables’ — with best practices for how to lean in to different attitudes and personalities of each consumer type using the Maritz Motivation Multi-Loyalty Framework. ‘Ephemerals,’ who make up 70% of consumers, are those consumers who feel connected to brands but can also be convinced to buy from competitors. While they will be loyal, their loyalty is more pragmatic as they typically require financial benefits to be immediately apparent. On the other side, the ‘Unshakeables,’ who account for 28% of consumers, have an unwavering loyalty to their favorite brands. This devotion is so strong that 9% of ‘Unshakeables’ would get a permanent tattoo of their favorite brand’s logo.
While the ‘Unshakeables’ are the more desired segment of the consumer population, they are far outnumbered by the ‘Ephemerals’ who represent a much bigger target for customer acquisition and growth. To be successful, a company’s loyalty strategy needs to address both personalities.
“The study data pushes beyond simply identifying what customers are or are not doing to answer the more important question, ‘How deep does their loyalty go?,’” Barry Kirk, Vice President of Loyalty Strategy at Maritz Motivation, said. “Embracing this new insight that loyalty has a distinct split personality and understanding how best to engage both Ephemerals and Unshakeables, can equip brands to reshape their loyalty strategies to stay ahead of the curve in customer experiences.”
The 2019 Maritz Motivation | Wise Marketer Loyalty Landscape report was developed from data collected in March 2019. Responders are considered purchase decision-makers in banking, credit card, automotive, hospital, hotel, airline and specialty retailer services. To access the full report, click here.
About Maritz Motivation
Maritz Motivation helps companies drive growth by forming actionable insights that release the untapped potential of any company’s most valuable asset – their people. Our customer loyalty, employee engagement, and sales/channel incentive programs enable people to establish and extend themselves through their companies, careers or favorite brands. Today, more than 400 million people participate in our clients’ programs representing the hospitality, manufacturing, healthcare, automotive, and financial services industries. Maritz Motivation’s unparalleled industry experience, decades of behavioral science research, and proprietary approach to data allow us to move past just describing and diagnosing vulnerabilities; it enables us to prescribe solutions and predict growth that motivates human performance like no other company in the world. For more information, visit maritzmotivation.com.
About The Wise Marketer Group
The Wise Marketer Group is an industry media site with a 16-plus-year history of success serving the industry as a single unbiased global source of news and research for customer loyalty and marketing professionals. For more information, visit thewisemarketer.com
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