Across the majority of sectors over recent years, brands have witnessed customer loyalty decline. In response, Cint, a global provider of consumer research tools, suggests one simple way of encouraging customers to be more faithful is to offer them more opportunities to change the shape of new and existing products.
The decline in brand allegiance is predominantly due increased competition; advances in technology, the strength of brands and their appetite to entice new customers and, of course, the intense recessionary environment are all factors. Finding ways to stand out from competitors is becoming increasingly difficult and with marketing budgets still suffering from the economic downturn, solutions must be cost effective as well as provide return on investment.
Do-it-yourself (DIY) research tools not only allow brands to obtain market insight, which can be fed into marketing and PR strategies, but they can also be used to gather creative ideas about the future of the business and its products. People respond positively when they feel their opinion matters, so when it comes to helping shape forthcoming products based on their personal needs, having a voice is a driver for loyalty.
Bo Mattsson, CEO of Cint, comments: “In one of our own 2012 surveys, we found that 56 percent of people felt more loyal when a brand takes the time to ask for their opinions and 62 percent would be more inclined to buy from them.
“People like having the opportunity to voice their opinions so asking how products could be altered or created based on personal tastes could be the catalyst brands need to stand out in the marketplace. Utilizing DIY market research software is a very fast and cost-effective way of gathering opinion; with Cint Access, surveys can be deployed in minutes to the demographic of choice and the price per response is detailed up front.”
For more information on Cint’s market research tools and how to access opinions from over 7 million people in 50 countries, visit www.cint.com.