Streamers Among Brand Loyalty Leaders

The 2021 annual Loyalty Leaders List, conducted by Brand Keys, found consumers chose to recognize brands with established loyalty bonafides rather than acknowledge new brands. This year’s survey, a cross-category examination of brand loyalty conducted by the New York-based brand loyalty and customer engagement research consultancy, included 1,260 brands in 112 categories.

“This year’s loyalty rankings describe a desperate desire by the consumer for a return to normalcy.” Over the past year loyalty has experienced a COVID-induced medical and marketplace trial-by-fire, the toughest test of customer loyalty we’ve measured in nearly forty years conducting loyalty research,” noted Robert Passikoff, Brand Keys founder and president.

Brands As Surrogate For Solace

Brands can act as surrogates for emotional values absent from consumers lives. But brands with high levels of customer loyalty can provide solace too and are six times more likely to fulfill that role in uncertain circumstances, including lockdowns, product shortages, and supply chain SNAFUs. This year, brands like Home Depot, PayPal, Clorox, Hulu, and Purell managed to maintain loyalty leads established during the initial year of the pandemic.

➤2021 Top-20 Brand Keys Loyalty Leaders (#s in parentheses indicate 2020 loyalty rankings):

1. Amazon: online retail (#1)
2. Apple: smartphones (#4)
3. Netflix: video streaming (#2)
4. Domino’s: pizza (#5)
5. Amazon: video streaming (#3)
6. Disney+: video streaming (#7)
7. Google: search engines (#6)
8. WhatsApp: instant messaging (#9)
9. Instagram: social networking (#11)
10. Nike: athletic footwear (#12)
11. Home Depot: home improvement retail (#8)
12. Discover: credit cards (#16)
13. PayPal: online payments (#13)
14. Samsung: smartphones (#10)
15. Apple: tablets (#15)
16. YouTube: social networking (#17)
17. Hyundai: automotive (#18)
18. Hulu: video streaming (#19)
19. UPS: delivery (#21)
20. Trader Joe’s: natural food retail (#20)

Loyalty Is Emotional. So Are Consumers. Do This:

“Loyalty is always about connection and expectations,” said Passikoff. Brands that connect emotionally with consumers and can meet consumers’ mostly-emotional expectations, always do better during crises – six times better. The 2021 Loyalty Leaders List proves brands with high levels of customer loyalty can emerge from watershed moments stronger than before.

“Brands that do loyalty right,” declared Passikoff, “Always do better than their competition. And brands that make loyalty and emotional engagement a priority, show up on our Loyalty Leaders List. More importantly, they show up on consumers’ shopping lists.”