High street giant John Lewis enjoys the highest rates of customer loyalty across the UK, according to the results of a new study from small business expert Bionic.
In second and third place were Waitrose and Brewdog respectively. Rounding out the top ten were Tesco, Argos, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Debenhams, Cadbury and Costa.
Research has revealed that in the post-pandemic period, customers are increasingly looking to interact with brands that ‘get them’, and the detailed personalisation offered by loyalty schemes such as ‘My John Lewis’ and ‘MyWaitrose’ has certainly played a leading part in pushing both brands to the top of this list.
John Lewis’ loyalty scheme in particular has enjoyed a 26% increase in online searches since 2022, with a range of personalised perks available for its five million members, who shop 2.5 times more frequently than non-members.
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Analysing information from the YouGov BrandIndex, social media and search demand data, the study scored brands out of 100, based on factors such as brand awareness, impression, reputation and social media engagement.
“All business owners want customers to choose them ahead of what their competitors are offering. But while many big brands can integrate themselves into popular culture – John Lewis, the top scorer in our Brand Loyalty Index, is a festive shopping staple largely because of the popularity of its annual Christmas advert – this option probably won’t be available to most micro business owners,” said Bionic chief customer officer, Glyn Britton.
“Price and convenience can obviously keep customers coming back, but one advantage your micro businesses might have over bigger brands is the personality of its people, both on the shop floor and behind the scenes.
“We’re all programmed to be loyal to other people ahead of faceless operation, so if you can build meaningful relationships with your customers and they like you on a personal level, you may already have an edge over the competition.”
