Customer loyalty in 2025 – what influences commitment to a brand?

In modern retail, where competition is fierce and consumers have almost unlimited choices, customer loyalty is almost the holy grail – it determines long-term success. Every brand strives for it, but only a few are able to win it and keep it. According to Salsify’s “2025 Consumer Research,” the key to building it is to provide customers with: consistent quality, transparency and a positive experience.

There is no loyalty without quality, transparency and good customer service

69% of consumers say they trust brands that offer high quality and high value products. The same percentage of respondents of Salsify’s “2025 Consumer Research” survey(69%) point to a brand’s reputation as the main reason for trusting it. And from trust it’s only a small step to loyalty.

So regardless of attractive marketing strategies, the key to building customer loyalty in the long term is to offer a good product. However, retailers, while taking care of the quality of their products, must not forget to take care of their image and credibility. Even a very good reputation will not protect a brand from sudden problems or inappropriate decisions. A long-built positive image can be left behind by unexpected crises or management errors.

In building trust, and thus earning customer loyalty, good service and providing a positive shopping experience are also extremely important, 61% of consumers believe. A personalized approach to the customer, taking into account their individual needs or a seamless shopping process, from product selection to delivery, strengthens the company’s image and encourages repeat purchases.

Confirmation of this, while emphasizing the importance of providing employees with the right tools for efficient customer service, can be found in Zebra’s 17th annual Global Survey of Consumer Behavior (which we wrote more about in our post Investment in technology the answer to modern consumer expectations?). There we can read that retailers who invest in convenience and speed of operations, as well as support their employees with innovative technologies, secure customer loyalty.

In the age of the internet, of course, the power of consumer reviews should not be neglected – 48% of respondents say they trust brands whose products have positive reviews and user feedback. Therefore, allowing people to leave reviews, actively monitoring them and responding to them – both positive and negative – is an important part of building trust in a brand, especially in the digital age.

Retailers also need to keep in mind the importance of product content – 44% of consumers cite high quality images and product descriptions as an important factor in building brand trust. What’s more, 71% of consumers admitted that they happened to return a purchase because its photo or description was inconsistent with reality or outdated. So detailed and up-to-date product content, also means less risk of returns, and thus more revenue. It is worth considering automating the display of product content both online, thanks to the implementation of Akeneo PIM with Product Loader support, and in brick-and-mortar stores, the installation of modern electronic ESL price labels, which support the management of not only prices, but also product information.

A loyal consumer will pay more

One of the strongest pieces of evidence that loyalty is worth investing in is the fact that 87% of customers surveyed have paid more for products from brands they trust. Consumers are willing to pay a higher price if they are assured of quality, transparency and good service. A strong brand with a good image can therefore successfully defend itself against price pressure and increase profits.

Salsify’s “2025 Consumer Research” report was based on surveys completed by 1,910 US and UK consumers in October 2024. For more information presented there, and a link to the report, see our post How do consumers search and buy products? – Salsify’s “2025 Consumer Research” report.