Consumer Behavior

Consumers taking safety into brand loyalty consideration

Photo by istock.com

February 8, 2022

Consumers are increasingly taking safety into consideration, as well as employee treatment, when it comes to brand and retailer loyalty.

About one in four consumers have stopped buying from retailers as COVID safety protocols didn't meet expectations, according to research from Qualtrics.

"Organizations that continuously listen to their customers and employees and find new ways to deliver on their brand promise will create a long-term competitive advantage," stated a press release on the report findings.

During the pandemic, J. Dawgs, a Utah gourmet hotdog restaurant, began selling do-it-yourself gourmet hot dog kits and launched a number of new food trucks to safely reach their customers outdoors.

Many customers said the actions increased the likelihood they'd continue to purchase from the restaurant, according to the press release.

"We found that 72% of our customers who purchased DIY hotdog kits said they would not have purchased from the restaurant during the pandemic otherwise and were keen on seeing the kits continue, even after we reopened," J. Dawgs founder, Jayson Edwards, said in the release. "We also discovered that our new food trucks were massively popular with customers and that they wanted to see them more often, which completely changed our strategy long term."

Consumers not only care about how they are treated, but also how businesses treat their employees, according to the report.

Nearly half (47%) said they would trust a brand more if they took care of their employees, which was just behind taking care of customers (66%).

"A brand promise needs to be the North Star for every experience an organization delivers," Bruce Temkin, head of Qualtrics XM Institute, said in the release. "Organizations that continuously listen to their customers and employees and find new ways to deliver on their brand promise will create a long-term competitive advantage."