What Drives Loyalty in Retail?
My local video store (Tommy K's) recently closed the branch near my house. After a few attempts to rent at the Blockbuster down the street, I decided that I would rather drive 15 minutes into the next town and rent from the Tommy K's there. The foregin/indie film selection is much better, they have new releases when Blockbuster runs out, and the staff is very knowledgeable and friendly. For me, loyalty isn't just about price or convenience when I want to watch movies.
In today's 1to1 Weekly lead story, Peppers & Rogers Group and Carlson Marketing released research around retailer-customer relationships. They consider relationships with retailers to be strong when the ongoing exchange between a company and a customer has the ability to grow and endure, and to resist any damaging forces that might destroy it. Strong relationships are characterized by trust, commitment, and mutuality and alignment, a two-way dialog that meets mutual expectations of the company and customer. As a consumer, what do you think is most important for a retailer to build relationship strength and loyalty?
